Decontamination of Water Resources through Sustainable Ecological Sanitation of Night Soil With Production of Biofertilizer

Abstract

India and certain other countries have the legacy of using environmental friendly and non-polluting ways of disposing fecal matter and domestic waste by converting them to biofertilizer.  Animal and fecal wastes were routinely used to improve the fertility of soil. However, in 20th century due to increased urbanization, these traditional methods were replaced by flush toilets, producing sewage. Sewage is now the number one cause of water pollution.  The water pollution decreased the public utility of water resources and resulted in public health problems. The widespread water pollution has left only a few surface and groundwater bodies in good condition. Traditional methods in India and elsewhere and research done in Sweden will be helpful in designing water less management of night soil including composting/digesting fecal matter mixed with domestic and agricultural waste and suitable industrial waste products, to produce fuel gas and biofertilizer.  Technological intervention is needed to carry out research on these alternative processes to achieve decontamination of water bodies and to improve the fertility of widely occurring nutrient deficient agricultural soils.