An Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) is an improved septic tank because of the series of baffles under which thewastewater is forced to flow. The increased contact time with the active biomass (sludge) results in improved treatment.

Black water is water from you home that comes from things in your home that is not clean. For example, clean water comes from the water heater, from the sink when your running water, from the back of the toilet, and in the shower out of the faucet. The black water in the home comes from sources that are not clear, not clean. Black water in the home comes from the toilet overflowing, from the sewage pipes in your home, the release pipes from the washer, from the garbage disposal and similar type areas of your home.

A trickling filter consists of a bed of highly permeable media on whose surface a mixed population of microorganisms is developed as a slime layer.  The word "filter" in this case is not correctly used for there is no straining or filtering action involved.  Passage of wastewater through the filter causes the development of a gelatinous coating of bacteria, protozoa and other organisms on the media.  With time, the thickness of the slime layer increases preventing oxygen from penetrating the full depth of the slime layer.  In the absence of oxygen, anaerobic decompositio

Any pond, natural or artificial, receiving raw or partially treated sewage or waste, in which stabilization occurs through sunlight, air and microorganisms. Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSP), are also known by the name of oxidation ponds or lagoons. They act as holding basins for secondary wastewater treatment, Here organic matter is decomposed naturally, i.e. biologically. In WSP waste is stabilized and pathogens reduced through the action of bacteria and algae. The process aims to convert organic content of the effluent to more stable forms.

An aeration tank is a place where a liquid is held in order to increase the amount of air within it. The most common uses of aeration tanks are in wastewater recovery, as the high oxygen levels will increase the speed at which the water is cleaned. There are two main methods of aerating liquid: forcing air through the liquid or forcing liquid through the air. Both methods are common, but the aeration tanks are very different between the two types.

Original Query: B. Hariharasubramanian, TWAD Board, Chennai

Posted: 29 December 2005

Dear All,

I am Hariharasubramanian working as Joint Chief Engineer (Planning and Design), Tamil Nadu Water Supply And Drainage (TWAD) Board Head Office located at Chennai. At present, we are implementing underground sewerage schemes in various towns in Tamil Nadu.

Original Query: K.A.S. Mani, APFAGMS, Hyderabad

Posted: 24 February 2006

I am Dr K A S Mani, working with Andhra Pradesh Farmer Managed Groundwater Systems (APFAMGS) Project which is a network of over 650 villages working towards enabling the farmers to manage their groundwater systems in about 638 villages in seven drought prone districts of Andhra Pradesh. The development objective of the project is that farmers in Andhra Pradesh manage their groundwater systems based on annual recharge-draft conditions. Main activities include participatory hydrological monitoring, artificial recharge and sustainable agriculture inputs, capacity building and institutional development. One of the areas being explored by the communities is better management and treatment of waste water, so that it could be re-used for agricultural and other purposes.

Original Query: Gopal Sane, Samruddhi, New Delhi

Posted: 22 March 2006

I have been working with bio sanitizers used in septic tanks and wet kitchen waste treatment and I found that the odors and pests like mosquitoes and cockroaches disappeared. I want to take this idea to densely populated slums in cities like Delhi, where wet kitchen waste and open sewage creating odor and pests is a common problem, but I have found much resistance in getting ready acceptance from communities, even in spite of the obvious benefits.