ET-PERTH 3.2 PAPER: The Improvement | Sun, 27 Mar
ET-PERTH 4.4 PAPER: Australian Acac | Sun, 27 Mar
ET-PERTH 1.4 PAPER: Appropriate Low | Sun, 27 Mar
ET-PERTH 6.4 PAPER: A Remote Area A | Tue, 29 Mar
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Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:02:23 +0800
Subject: ET-PERTH 3.2 PAPER: The Improvement of Conditions in the Slum ... .
KM03/48
THE IMPROVEMENT OF CONDITIONS IN THE SLUM RELEVANCE OF APPROPRIATE
TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING METHODS (PAPER 3.2)
Prof M M Thomas, Regional Housing Development Centre,
College of Engineering, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
+91 471 41 8068/41 8835
Refer the draft proposals of the National Housing policy, Government of
India, growth of slum is defined as a sign of the inability of the people
to afford land and shelter through the normal market and the failure of the
government to ensure the equitable access of the poor to the land and
services. It is estimated that about 512.3 lakh persons will be living in
slums and squatter colonies, by now. In addition to this more than 50% of
the families in Urban areas are living in over populated one room
tenements. It is know to everybody that the slum dwellers are living in
extremely deprived conditions, with insecure and temporary shelter. This
has been reflected in the proposal of the Ministry of Urban Development to
introduce the major scheme of urban basic services (UBS) during the 8th
plan in order to improve the access of the slum dwellers, to the basic
services, shelter inputs, employment opportunities and shelter upgradition.
BASIC PROBLEMS
The Development of the slums in any area especially in towns and metropolis
is due to the migration of job seekers from the rural to the urban
industrialised areas. As the industrial source do not accept such a large
exodus of people the settlement problem arises. The major problems facing
the squatter dwellers are shortage of funds and non-availability of
resources and other funding agencies to aid them in housing - for this
government and quasi-governmental agencies help them in providing the
funds, that housing conditions can be improved.
2. Non-availability of cost effective technology materials and
adequate qualified voluntary organisations to guide them in house building
activity.
3. Scarcity of trained artisans conversant with the new technology and
philosophy of housing.
4. Non-availability of regular self employment which give them more leisure
time to promote anti social activities.
The problem in Kerala is not so acute as any other parts of the country.
Slums are only of recent origin in our state though they exist in the
capital city and the industrial township of Cochin. The present condition
can be changed by a training programme clubbed with rehabilitation housing
for the slum dwellers in the respective towns. It is seen from experience
that slum dwellers are not stationery but migrate from place to place
leaving earlier slums for other fortune seekers. This is mainly due to lack
of self employment. It is ideal to provide at least marginal self
employment training programmes which will change the very attitude of the
dwellers in the slums. Following are suggested.
1. Small building units may be started - the finance for this must be
sponsored by the Housing Board, HUDCO and State Public Works Department
through nationalised banks. The product manufactured must be marketed
through the sponsors. As the agencies mentioned are the major building
organisations in the state. Instead the crusher metal we can develop the
practice of using hand crushed course aggregate. Waste material like coir
fibre waste saw dust etc. can be successfully used in the manufacture of
roofing sheets. It is recommended that in each slum there will be a
co-operative society in which all the families are members subscribing a
minimum of Rs.100 as their share. The government or voluntary
organisations may sponsor working capital. The land may be only by the
Government. There must be a sponsor body consisting of District Collector,
representative of the voluntary organisations, Government and the financing
bank. The Project Officer must be responsible for the technical details and
the working of the Kendra. Including women and children above the age4 of
15 must be participating in the industry as paid workers, payment linked of
the out turn.
This Kendra can be linked with the National Training Programme of TRYSEM
(Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment) through which the cost of
instruction, materials and the master trainers is provided. Saving position
in the slum can be improved by the wage earned through employment
opportunities like garment making, shoe making, manufacture of plastic
files and folders, paper files etc. Once employment opportunities are
provided the next important thing is basic education facilities for the
children. Though formal education becomes expensive the easiest solution is
to get the services of University students from the nearby colleges to come
and teach in selected education camps in the slum areas. Sheds can be built
with the assistance of the Development Department through TRYSEM and one
the teaching faculty available through the college students this non-form
education will be successful. Children can be prepared even for SSLC
examinations and also for other job oriented programme like Secretarial
practice.
Another important self employment programme is Animal Husbandry and
Poultry. Each family must be made members of Co-operative Farming Societies
which is funded through financing agencies. There must be a separate area
ear-marked for Goat-Farming, Poultry. As the goat rearing can be
popularised and can be done in each house, voluntary agencies must come
forward in supplying hybrid varieties of goats. Each family can be given a
goat with a specific instruction to return the first lamb. This can
continue as a general activity. Poultry and cattle farming must be done on
group farming system. Marketing must be done through co-operative society
mentioned earlier.
EXPERIENCE OF AUTHOR
The field experience of the author in improving the conditions of slum
dwellers is relevant and the salient features are given below:
An area in Trivandrum District called Sreekaryam was selected for the above
purpose. A number of 30 families were taken for the case study and the
influence of the job oriented self employment training programme for the
individuals and also on the family structure were studied.
1. Number of families 30
2. Average number of members in the family 5
3. Normal employment pattern
(a) Husband employed on daily wage
(b) Wife women cooly
OR
(a) Husband employed
(b) Wife employed as cooly
OR
(a) Husband employed and drunkward
(b) Wife employed
In all the above cases children were dropped out from schools.
4. Employment generation programme under study
(1) Hand crushing of stone - to be used in building industry
(2) Goat farming
(3) Green grocery - both farming and marketing
(4) Provision store
(5) Rice marketing
(6) Training in house building
(7) Fish marketing
The scheme is anticipated to be completed within the next five years in a
phased manner. There are different schemes under operation. In certain
cases assistance to housing was given through voluntary agencies and
financial institutions: in which case no other assistance was given. In the
second group assistance was given to start employment generation scheme
where no assistance was given for housing. In the third group assistance
was given for acquiring job oriented training for youngsters.
OBSERVATION
During the period of past two years,
1. Quality of life improved.
2. Better relationship and family unity between husband and wife.
3. Number of children attending school increased.
4. Responsible in commitment and participation of the society improved.
5. Adults become more responsible and willing to take up income generating jobs.
6. Regular income improved the morale of the family members.
7. Influence of alcohol among wage earning adults reduced.
Once housing, employment and education are provided slums can be converted
into ideal rehabilitation housing projects of each metropolis. Others can
only be achieved only through the participation of governmental voluntary
agencies together with the slum dwellers. What is required initially is
creating an awareness and thus to motivate the slum dwellers.
REFERENCES
1. Census Report, Govt. of India, 1991.
2. National Housing Policy, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.
3. Bringing Jobs to People - Employment Promotion at Regional and
Local levels - Edited by John Major, Sterling Publishers Private Limited.
4. The Role of Science and Technology in Developing Countries - Graham
Jones, Oxford University - 1971.
5. The Poverty Curtain - Choices for the Third World - Mahbub Ulhaq -
Oxford University Press, Madras, 1978.
6. World Without Boarders - Leston Brown - Affiliated East West Press, New
Delhi - 1973.
7. Housing Statistics at Glance - National Buildings Organisations, Govt.
of India, 1987.
8. Cost Reduction Techniques - Report of Central Building Research
Institute, Roorke, India, 1986.
9. Ningalkkum Kuranja Chilavil Veedu - Prof M M Thomas, Regional Housing
Development Centre, Trivandrum - 1983.
10. Department of State Planning Board - Kerala State Planning Board,
Trivandrum - 1989.
Accompanying Chart.
Pilot programme conducted to the society of families listed.
No. Name & address No. of members in the family Assistance
Observation
1. Sri. P. Thompson Plavarakonam, Thundathil, Trivandrum 3
For acquiring daily job Better quality of life
2. Sri. Sathyanesan, Chempazhanthi, Trivandrum 5 Housing
Income level improved and children attend school
3. Sri. Johnson, Thundathil, Trivandrum 4 Housing Not
encouraging. He is alcoholic. Still motivated to become responsible
4. Sri. Stephen, Thundathil, Orivandrum 3 Housing and daily
labour Encouraging. Daughter is completing S.S.L.C.
5. Sri. Maooharan, Pullanivila, Trivandrum 3 Housing Encouraging
and responsible
6. Sri. Sadanandan Chempazhanthi, Trivandrum 4 Housing
Encouraging. Quality of life improved
7. Smt. Baby Vikas Nagar, Sreekaryam, Trivandrum 4 Goat
farming and stone crushing Husband was drunkward earlier and separated and
now living together since the programme is implemented. Life style
improved.
8. Boby Poulose, Vixas Nagar, Sreekaryam, Tvm. 2 Goat farming
and green grocery Irresponsible. Both items do not work now.
9. Gladdis Joy, Gandhipuram, Trivandrum 3. Husband alcoholic.
Committed suicide. One son died in motor accident To acquire house
plot and temporary shed employed on daily wage Excellent. Quality of life
improved. Children go to school. Better social integration. Family lives
happily.
End of Paper.
Copyright of the papers is with the authors, and with Murdoch University
for the publication of preprints and proceedings of the conference.
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Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:00:59 +0800
Subject: ET-PERTH 4.4 PAPER: Australian Acacias for Human Food.
Australian Acacias for Human Food (Paper 4.4)
Jock Morse and Chris Harwood, Australian Tree Seed Centre, CSIRO Division
of Forestry, PO Box 4008, Parkes, ACT 2600. phone:(06)2818206,
fax:(06)2818266 email: CHRIS.HARWOOD@CBR.FOR.AU
Paper to be presented at the Conference on Technology Transfer in Remote
Communities, Murdoch University, April 1994.
Introduction and Background
The Australian Tree Seed Centre (ATSC) was established as part of the CSIRO
Division of Forestry (then the Commonwealth Forestry and Timber Bureau) in
1961 and has the job of sampling, documenting and distributing the genetic
resources of Australia's tree and shrub flora. The ATSC provides
authenticated seed and expert advice on Australia's woody flora for both
Australian and international research and provides a focus for the study of
potential uses of Australia's trees and shrubs. The Centre's store
represents one of the most significant international collections of forest
germplasm and the worlds largest collection of seed of Australian trees.
The Centre's work includes sampling and testing dry-zone acacias for a
range of potential uses.
Several species of Acacia from Australia's dry zone (= arid zone, roughly
equivalent to the region receiving less than about 500mm of rainfall each
year) are now being used in southern India and some dry west-African
countries for firewood, shelter, soil stabilisation and other purposes.
The dry-zone acacias have proven to be adaptable to a wide range of site
conditions, tolerant of quite severe drought, and able to grow at
impressive rates under adverse climate and soil conditions encountered in
these countries. Most are moderate sized shrubs (up to about 6 metres) and
are relatively short-lived (around 15 to 25 years).
In recent years, using information gathered in ethnobotanical studies in
Australia, scientists in these overseas countries have become aware of the
long tradition of use of acacia seed as food by Aboriginal people in
Australia. With the demonstrated ability of some dry-zone species to
produce regular moderate to heavy seed crops from an early age, even in dry
years, their use as food has been readily adopted. Villagers in some areas
are now enthusiastically incorporating acacia seeds into their own recipes
and diets.
The 'Acacias for Human Food' Project
The increasing use of acacia seed for food in west Africa and southern
India, and the long tradition of use by Aboriginal communities, has
prompted the ATSC to focus research effort on the potential of acacia seed
for food in other countries and in Australia.
At a meeting held at Glen Helen, NT, in August 1991, the ATSC brought
together a number of researchers with knowledge of aspects of the human
food use of acacias and began mapping out a plan for future work which
would lead to more widespread use of acacia seed as food. At that meeting
(House and Harwood 1992) papers were presented on species with food
potential, traditional Aboriginal knowledge and use of acacias, nutritional
aspects of acacia seed, seed collection, genetic variation in some groups
and, performance of some species in Africa. The meeting identified a few
areas where more research was needed before acacia seed could be widely
adopted as a regular dietary component. The meeting recognised the need
for further research in the areas of nutrition and toxicology, ethnobotany,
taxonomy, genetic variation, plant breeding and silviculture and emphasised
the need for comprehensive seed collections to support these studies and
field trials to test a range of different species.
A strong commitment was made at the Glen Helen meeting to involving
Aboriginal communities as much as possible in all aspects of the 'Acacias
for Human Food' project. Obvious areas where this involvement could be
achieved in the short term included seed collection, taxonomic studies,
ethnobotany and establishment of field trials of different species. The
main limiting factor in this involvement will be availability of sufficient
funding to support the work.
Achievements to date
Nutritional studies (Brand and Maggiore 1992) have shown the seeds of many
inland acacias to contain significant amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fat
and fibre. Nutritionally, the seeds appear to resemble many legumes and
grains. In order to ensure that acacia seed is safe for human consumption
on a large scale (that it does not contain significant quantities of toxic
or anti-nutritional substances), the ATSC has commissioned rat-feeding
trials at the University of Nigeria. This work follows World Health
Organisation (WHO) Environmental Health Criteria 70 'Principles for the
Safety Assessment of Food Additives and Contaminants in Food' which
includes guidelines for assessing the safety and nutritional qualities of
novel foods. Results from these studies to date are promising and it is
anticipated that further research will indicate that acacia seeds have the
potential to become elements in main stream diets in western and developing
countries.
Taxonomic studies of some of the species of most interest have been
undertaken with the result that two new species have now been recognised -
Acacia colei (Maslin and Thomson 1992) and A. thomsonii (Maslin and
McDonald, in press). As well, variation within the A. holosericea and A.
cowleana groups have been carefully examined throughout their natural
distributions. The variation which exists in natural populations is the
basis on which species and provenance (geographical location of
populations) testing will be carried out. The main component of such
testing will be trials in which plants from a range of locations will be
planted together in order to compare such attributes as survival, growth
rates, age at which seed is first produced, quantity of seed produced,
longevity and drought tolerance. Initial trials have been established in
Africa and a trial of provenances of A. tumida has been established near
Kununurra in collaboration with the WA Department of CALM. When funding
becomes available, it is planned to establish at least three further
trials, testing a range of species and provenances, in collaboration with
Aboriginal communities in arid Australia.
Seed collections have been undertaken in arid areas in each of the last two
collecting seasons (September - November 1992 and 1993). A range of
species has been sampled and a wide area of country covered (Gunn et.al.
1993, McDonald and Morse 1994). Collections in 1992 were poor due to
severe drought conditions over much of the area visited - especially in the
Kimberley and Tanami regions. In contrast, crops were quite good in most
locations in 1993 due to good rains over the region through the year and
substantial collections were made.
In 1993, the ATSC organised two seed collecting teams to cover the
Kimberley and Tanami regions respectively. One of these teams was
supported by ATSC and FAO funds, whilst the other was partly supported by
funds made available by the Aboriginal Programs Section of the Australian
Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA) under their Contract Employment Program
for Aboriginals in Natural and Cultural Resource Management (CEPANCRM).
These funds allowed ATSC to undertake collections in collaboration with
members of four communities in the Tanami region (Mindibungu, Dagaragu,
Lajamanu and Yuendemu). The very positive responses of community members
to the project indicated the value of such projects to these remote
communities.
Future activities
A similar level of CEPANCRM funding for seed collections in collaboration
with remote communities during the 1994 season should ensure that by the
end of the coming collection season, most species of interest will be
sampled comprehensively across their ranges. Seed from all collections
will be available for trial plantings.
Trial plantings on Aboriginal land in collaboration with communities will
be undertaken when funding becomes available for this phase of the project.
It is anticipated that trials will be planted in collaboration with at
least three communities in locations representing a range of conditions
across the arid-zone. These trials are expected to yield valuable
information about the relative performance of different species and
provenances as well as providing communities with a permanent resource to
manage as they see fit once all relevant information has been gathered.
Other elements of the project for which no funding has been available to
date include ethnobotanical studies in collaboration with various
communities. Such studies could provide a strong basis for using acacia
seeds, preparing the material and deciding between species. A considerable
amount of information exists in the literature, and a review of these
records would be a starting point for a comprehensive ethnobotanical study.
It is hoped that communities will increase their involvement in the 'bush
tucker' industry in Australia - not just with acacia seed, although this is
likely to be a major part of the growing industry - so that benefits
arising from the growth of the industry will accrue to those upon whose
traditional knowledge it is based. The extent to which communities do
become involved depends largely on their own efforts and on how aware they
are of developments in this area. The Acacias for Human Food Project will
at least raise the issue of community involvement with those communities
with which we work, and provide contacts for industry operators who wish to
involve communities.
Increasing demand for acacia seed and other traditional 'bush tucker' food
items in mainstraem society opens up the possibility of developing viable
land management systems for remote areas based on traditional knowledge and
practices. Managing the land for 'bush tucker' may be sustainable in the
long-term and softer on land, vegetation and wildlife than current
practices of extensive cattle grazing. It is possible that the trials
which we hope to plant in this project may form the nucleus for such a
sustainable alternative landuse system around some communities. They will
at least demonstrate survival, growth and productivity under various
management regimes.
Whilst all of the activities in the project to date, and most of those
planned for the future involve investigations on the supply side of the
development of acacia seed as a human food, it is recognised that it is
equally important that a market must also be developed. Indications at
present are that the market is likely to grow steadily and will be able to
take up most of the seed collected in the wild or produced in future
plantations.
At the moment, acacia seeds and most other 'bush tucker' products are
marketed as high-value, low-quantity novelty or gourmet foods. It is
possible that as time goes on, some of these products will work their way
into mainstream food products (such as breads and cakes, beverages etc.)
and will change over to high-volume, low-value products. In this case, it
can be anticipated that there will be pressure on producers, including
Aboriginal communities, to reduce production costs through mechanisation.
It is probable that in such circumstances, substantial profits will be
available in the industry, especially to the innovators and major
producers.
At present, virtually all acacia seed sold is collected in the wild from
natural trees and shrubs. As awareness of the trade in 'bush tucker'
products increases, interest by the broader farming community in growing
acacias is also increasing. Aboriginal communities have an advantage at
present because they have access to natural stands of acacias and a strong
tradition of harvesting the seed for food. To retain their place in this
growing industry, communities may have to adopt more efficient methods and
establish plantations which can be managed primarily for seed production.
References
Brand, Janette and Maggiore, Patricia, 1992. The nutritional composition
of Australian Acacia seeds. pp 54 to 67 in House and Harwood, 1992.
Gunn, B.V., Hoare, J.R.L., Morse, G.J. and Larmour, J.S., 1993. Tropical
Arid-zone Acacia Seed Collections, September - November 1992. Australian
Tree Seed Centre, CSIRO Division of Forestry, internal report.
House, A.P.N. and Harwood, C.E., 1992. Australian Dry-zone Acacias for
Human Food. Proceedings of a workshop held at Glen Helen, Northern
Territory, Australia, 7-10 August 1991. Australian Tree Seed Centre, CSIRO
Division of Forestry.
Maslin, B.R. and Thomson, L.A.J., 1992. Re-appraisal of the taxonomy of
Acacia holosericea, including the description of a new species, A. colei
and the reinstatement of A. neurocarpa. Aust. Syst. Botany, 5,729-743.
Maslin, B.R. and McDonald, M.W., 1994. Acacia thomsonii, a new species
from Northern Australia. Nuytsia, in prep.
McDonald, M.W. and Morse, G.J., 1994. Australian Arid-zone Acacia Seed
Collections, WA and NT, September - November 1993. Australian Tree Seed
Centre, CSIRO Division of Forestry, internal report.
End of Paper.
Copyright of the papers is with the authors, and with Murdoch University
for the publication of preprints and proceedings of the conference.
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Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:03:37 +0800
Subject: ET-PERTH 1.4 PAPER: Appropriate Low Cost Modular - Septic ... .
Paper 1.4
APPROPRIATE LOW COST MODULAR - SEPTIC TANK FOR RURAL AREAS
Profesor Madya Ir. Nik Fuaad Nik Abllah
School of Housing, Building and Planning
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Minden, Penang
Malaysia
Tel: 00156 04 6577888
Fax: 00156 04 6576523
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In Malaysia, 75% of the population were served with adequate sanitation
facilities in the late eighties. 5.3% of the population were connected to
the central sewerage system, 30.6% were served by communal treatment plants
and 39.2% had pour flush latrine. Unfortunately about 25% of the
population were served with less sanitary systems (3.4% bucket latrine,
8.5% pit latrine, 2.8% hanging latrine and 10.2% still had no sanitary
facility at all).
The proposed National sewerage programme is aimed primarily to cater only
for urban areas. Almost all of the population with no proper sanitary
facility is from the rural areas. This amounted to about 4.5 million
population or about 1 million households.
2.0 THE PROBLEM
2.1 Sewerage in Rural Areas
Sewerage is the last major infrastructure to be provided before Malaysia is
set to become a developed country by the year 2020. Presently there is no
sewerage system that is good enough yet affordable to cater for the rural
areas. The Ministry of Health funded pit latrine could not be the ultimate
answer for the sewerage woes of a fast developing country due to its
incomplete treatment which at the same time is polluting the country's
underground water reserves.
2.2 Low Cost Housing
In terms of infrastructure, the main problem for any low cost housing
schemes, especially in rural areas is sewerage. On-site treatment should
be used since centralised treatment would be too expensive. So far,
conventional septic tanks with soakaway pits are used. Under normal
operating conditions even the most properly maintained septic tanks cannot
produce an effluent to meet even the Malaysian Environmental Quality Act's
Standard B.
Table 1 shows the targets and achievements of low cost housing in Malaysia.
Table 1: Low Cost Housing in Malaysia
Public Sector Private Sector Total
Targeted 5mp 149,000 552,500 701,500
Completed 5mp 97,126 203,802 300,928
Targets 6mp 174,000 399,000 573,000
The record of target and achievement has been, so far, dismal. In the
Fifth Malaysian Plan, not even a third of the targeted number of units was
built. A similar situation arises in the Sixth Malaysian Plan. With about
two more years left, only 25 per cent of the target has materialised.
The Government appears to be committed to build low cost houses for
RM25,000 or less. To achieve this objective, sewerage is an area where
considerable savings could be achieved. It must be noted that a low cost
sewage system must not compromise on treatment efficiency.
3.0 THE SOLUTION
3.1 Conventional Septic Tank
The existing on-site septic tanks normally consisted of a single receiving
tank into which wastewater is delivered and processed anaerobically for
discharge via absorption trencher outside the tank.
A drawback of the conventional septic tank is the turbulence created in the
supernatant zone caused by the entrance of the incoming flow and the
discharge of the effluent. Such turbulence will reduce the settling
efficiency of the suspended solids. Further more, the turbulence will short
circuit the in coming raw sewage directly into the outlet, resulting in
partially treated effluent.
Another major drawback of the conventional septic tank is its inability to
be upgraded from just treating toilet wastewater to total wastewater and
also its inability to increase the treatment efficiency which requires some
aerobic activity.
3.2 The New Low Cost Modular Septic Tank
Central sewage treatment systems and even the communal treatment plants are
expensive. The solution to the rural sewerage woes has to be an on-site
treatment plant catering for individual premises. The proposed on-site
treatment system is the low cost modular septic tank as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2 and 3 show the completed tanks made of fibreglass and ferrocement
respectively.
Figure 2 : Fibreglass tank (Not shown)
Figure 3 : Ferrocement tank (Not shown)
4.0 THE SYSTEM
The system is a modified version of the septic tank. Tank B, when used
alone can treat toilet wastewater only from one household. It has a
sedimentation chamber coupled with a downward/upward flow filtration
chamber. The system could be upgraded to treat total wastewater from one
household by adding Tank A to Tank B. Tank A now becomes the first
sedimentation chamber while Tank B now becomes the second sedimentation
chamber and a filtration chamber. It is expected that the effluent from the
above system can consistently meet standard B of the Environmental Quality
Act.
The system can be upgraded further to become a mini activated sludge system
capable of producing an effluent complying to standard A of the Environment
Quality Act or any world standard. This upgrading is achieved by converting
the second sedimentation chamber of Tank B into an aeration chamber by the
introduction of an air diffuser blown by an air blower. The system now
transforms into a primary clarifier/aeration chamber/secondary clarifier
system. The filtration chamber of Tank B now takes the role of a secondary
clarifier/chlorination chamber of the activated sludge system.
5.0 SALIENT FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM
The advantages of the system are as follows:
Low Cost: the production cost (material and labour) of the system is
comparatively lower than the construction of a conventional septic tank.
One tank only cost about RM700.
Modular/Flexible: It can be used to treat either toilet wastewater or total
wastewater either complying to standard B or A of the Environmental Quality
Act. It could be upgraded without discarding any of the previous structure.
This feature is attractive since the user needs only pay if the need
arises. This flexibility augurs well for a country transforming at a
phenomenal pace towards a developed country status.
Efficient Treatment: Its treatment efficiency is more superior than the
conventional septic tank. This is achieved by the system of deflectors and
partitions employed in the tanks.
Simple Construction: The construction is very simple by either using
fibreglass or ferrocement.
Easily obtainable: Only reinforcing bars, chicken wiremesh, cement and sand
are needed for ferrocement construction and mat and resin for fibreglass
construction.
Durable: Its strength is sufficient for water retaining purpose. Its
waterproofing, saline/chemical resistant features are excellent.
Simple Maintenance: Operation and maintenance procedures are not necessary
apart from desludging once every 5 years.
The concept of some involvement in fabricating the tanks by the houseowner,
especially for ferrocement tank has been strongly recommended by both the
Ministry of Health and Ministry of Rural Development in their pursuit of
upgrading the sanitary facilities of the rural population.
6.0 PROCESS PERFORMANCE
This paper is not meant to comprehensively discuss the full process
performance of the modular septic tank.
The process performance of the tank is investigated for about a year since
September 1992. The hydraulic and organic loadings for the tank were kept
at 2.7 m3/day and 377.5 kg BOD5/day respectively. The percentages removals
for BOD5, COD, SS and Oil/Grease were 88.2, 81.3, 83.0 and 89.4
percent respectively. Some nitrification is evident in the
downward/upward filtration chamber. The ammoniacal smell is comparatively
less than conventional septic tank's effluent. The effluent's average BOD5
and SS were 16.5 mg/l and 23.3 mg/l respectively.
7.0 THE PROSPECTS
Apart from being the solution to the estimated 1 million rural households,
the system could also be used in urban areas where on-site treatment system
is permitted.
Presently, the Malaysian Ministry of Health guidelines permitting the use
of on-site treatment system for a housing scheme with less than 30 units
has been relaxed in several municipalities. One example is the Kangar
Municipal Council. The above guidelines should be reviewed soon taking into
consideration that there now exist an on-site system capable of meeting
standard A of Environmental Quality Act.
Another clear example where the above system could be utilised is in the
squatter areas of Kuala Lumpur. It is estimated that there are presently
about 50,000 squatter households in Kuala Lumpur. Almost all of the
squatters either only have pit latrines or no sanitation facility at all.
The government's ambition of building more low cost houses could now be
given further impetus with the introduction of the modular low cost septic
tank.
The Ministry of Health's rural sanitation programme itself should be
reviewed to swap its pit latrine concept to the above system, considering
that the present cost of implementing the pit latrine system is comparable
to the cost of the above system; the only difference is the much superior
feature of the above system.
8.0 CONCLUSIONS
The only vacuum left in terms of infrastructure in Malaysia is the rural
sanitation problem. Slowly, but with increasing pace, the government is
addressing the rural sanitation woes. The Ministry of Rural Development has
recently embarked on a pilot programme to upgrade the sanitation facilities
of the rural areas.
The modular low cost septic tank could be the missing link in the Malaysian
sewerage scene.
The concept of low cost material could be implemented even for big
centralised treatment system to replace the conventional reinforced
concrete material. The capital/production cost could be reduced three to
five times.
9.0 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research on low cost septic tank is sponsored by the Short Term
Research Grant from Universiti Sains Malaysia in collaboration with
Pembinaan Jayabumi (S) Sdn. Bhd.
10.0 REFERENCES
1. Nik Fuaad Nik Abllah, "Bekalan Air, Pembentungan dan Pengairan", Edisi
Awal, USM, Mac 1990.
2. Nik Fuaad Nik Abllah, "Modular Low Cost Septic Tank : Malaysia's
Solution to Rural Sanitation", Seminar on Development and Environment, USM,
May 1993.
3. Sixth Malaysian Plan.
4. Feachem, McGarry, Mara, "Water, Wastes and Health in Hot Climates", John
Wiley & Sons, 1978.
End of Paper.
Copyright of the papers is with the authors, and with Murdoch University
for the publication of preprints and proceedings of the conference.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 13:28:28 WST
Subject: ET-PERTH 6.4 PAPER: A Remote Area Appropiate Tech ... .
A REMOTE AREA APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION: WHERE NEXT? (PAPER 6.4)
John Vines and Sam Garrett-Jones
Australian Science and Technology Council, PO Box E439, Queen Victoria
Terrace, Barton, ACT 2600, Phone: 06 273 4966, Fax: 06 273 4816
Introduction
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this conference on Technology
Transfer in Remote Communities. Over the last two days we have heard a
great deal about the needs and problems of remote communities in Australia
and overseas, and the ways in which people in these communities can tailor
and adopt technologies to meet their needs.
We are all in agreement about the importance of such work. My reason for
speaking to you today is to pose one question: how best can we ensure that
the development and application of appropriate technologies for remote
areas is adequately funded and effectively coordinated in future to achieve
the best results for the communities themselves, and for the nation?
Let me assure you from the outset that I do not come equipped with all the
answers. It is you, the practitioners and the community representatives,
who will provide most of those. My purpose is to raise some of the
questions, and to seek your responses.
ASTEC's review
=46or several years now I have been a member of the Australian Science and
Technology Council (ASTEC). ASTEC is the Commonwealth Government's
independent advisory body on science and technology. In August last year,
ASTEC submitted to the Prime Minister the report of its major review on
Research and Technology in Tropical Australia (ASTEC, 1993). In the course
of that review we spoke with researchers, business people and community
leaders in many parts of northern Australia, although our schedule did not
permit us to wander too far off the beaten track.
ASTEC was asked to look at the distribution, organisation and funding of
R&D (research and development) activities relevant to tropical Australia
and to recommend how these should develop over the next ten years.
[SLIDE 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR ASTEC'S STUDY]
In particular, we considered:
=B0 What problems the region faced, and how the application of research and
technology could assist in their resolution;
=B0 What opportunities (both for the region and for national well-being)
could be realised with the help of research and technology; and
=B0 The contribution of research and technology to furthering international
collaboration.
The focus of our report was on the contribution of R&D, technology
development and engineering, and we looked specifically at the needs of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Appropriate technologies
As the papers to this conference have amply demonstrated, the development
of appropriate technologies falls clearly within the terms of reference: it
addresses pressing problems, presents diverse opportunities for economic
and community development, and can have a significant international
dimension.
I do not need to retail at length, for this audience, the enormity of many
of the problems faced by remote communities in Australia, particularly
those comprising primarily Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
inhabitants. A procession of governmental and other inquiries and reports
in recent years has done that in embarrassing detail for us. Remote
communities are limited in their access to a wide range of services and
facilities that we Australians on the southern and eastern seaboard take
for granted.
=B0 In terms of physical infrastructure, the quality of transport links,
housing, water supply and sanitation in many remote areas is sub-standard.
Telecommunications are improving, but reticulated electricity or gas hardly
exist, and alternatives can be expensive and/or unreliable.
=B0 Similarly, in health and social welfare, there are physical and cultural
difficulties of access and the situation is often exacerbated by poor
living conditions.
=B0 In education and training, limited access and poor retention rates are c=
ommon.
=B0 In land management and resource management, traditional owners and other=
s
require assistance to overcome land degradation and to achieve sustainable
land utilisation, whether for pastoral, tourism or other uses.
As far as opportunities are concerned, it is apparent from ASTEC's review
and from the proceedings of this conference that appropriate technologies
have a wide range of demonstrated application in water supply and
treatment; water quality monitoring; sanitation and waste water disposal;
waste disposal; building materials and construction; energy supply;
delivery of education and health services; and transport and
communications.
Appropriate technologies can assist in forging international links, with
benefit arising from their use in assistance to developing nations either
as elements of aid programs or commercial export markets.
Appropriate technology development in Australia
ASTEC noted that several centres in Australia combine the social and
technical skills necessary to develop appropriate technologies for tropical
areas and to undertake research, design, development, teaching, consultancy
and extension services. We specifically acknowledged the work of the Centre
for Appropriate Technology in Alice Springs and the Remote Area
Developments Group at Murdoch.
There is much relevant scientific and technical expertise in centres
elsewhere in Australia including in the areas of solar and other
`alternative' energy technologies, agriculture, and environmental
management. Other groups are focusing on appropriate technology for
developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Pacific region.
=46unding for appropriate technology work comes from a variety of sources
including council grants, through ATSIC regional Councils, Commonwealth and
State education and health departments and other sponsors. Linkages with
international development assistance projects, such as those supported by
the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and AIDAB, as
well as international organisations such as UNESCO, may be a valuable
source of funding, where the technologies have possible application
overseas.
Recommended action
ASTEC's purpose in making recommendations about appropriate technologies in
Research and Technology in Tropical Australia was:
=B0 To argue for an increased national investment in appropriate
technologies, possibly through a dedicated funding body. We considered that
such an increase could be justified by:
- an improvement in employment, public health and living standards of
people living in remote communities - predominantly Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people; and
- the potential of appropriate, tropically-tested technologies as a source
of advantage for Australian industry in export markets. We recognised,
however, that in overall economic terms the contribution to the nation of
appropriate technology development might be relatively small.
=B0 To lend support to the work of existing appropriate technology groups an=
d
to ensure competitive access to long-term funding;
=B0 To achieve a closer collaboration between existing appropriate technolog=
y
groups and other groups with relevant experience; and
=B0 To develop better linkages with industry manufacturing capabilities as a
basis for export industries.
Remote area appropriate technology corporation
To achieve these ends, ASTEC identified the need for Commonwealth
government support to establish a mechanism for increased development of
appropriate technologies. Our specific recommendation was for a feasibility
study into the establishment of a corporation for remote area appropriate
technologies based on existing research or technology centres.
[SLIDE 2: RECOMMENDATION 8 OF R&T IN TROPICAL AUSTRALIA]
We felt that the corporation should, as part of its functions:
=B0 Identify, research, develop and market appropriate technologies for
remote communities in tropical Australia;
=B0 Involve interested Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and
enterprises in the development of appropriate technologies; and
=B0 Develop export markets for appropriate tropical technologies.
However, we deliberately did not attempt to define its structure and
function more precisely than this. We did, with Bruce Walker's assistance,
propose terms of reference for the feasibility study.
[SLIDE 3: PROPOSED TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE FEASIBILITY STUDY]
My aim in speaking to you today is really to promote discussion on:
=B0 How the structure and role of a remote area appropriate technology
corporation might be defined; and
=B0 How the concept of the corporation might be implemented.
I believe that the proposed terms of reference are a valuable starting
point. They address the key question of the involvement of clients and
identification of their needs, the functional model and viability of the
corporation, its constituent organisations, and the level of government
support that might be required.
Some questions are however left open. For example:
=B0 Should the corporation be primarily a funding and/or coordination body,
or a clearinghouse to commission others, or should it carry out research,
technology development, extension or even manufacturing work itself?
=B0 Is there a tension between a national body (as the corporation would be)
and the local and regional community-based development and extension work
that is a key to the successful adoption of appropriate technologies?
=B0 What is the scope of `appropriate technologies' as far as the corporatio=
n
is concerned. Should it include `appropriate' applications of advanced
energy or telecommunications technologies, for example?
=B0 What should the relative roles be of community (including Aboriginal)
production enterprises (which generate local employment) compared with
production with established commercial manufactures (who might be anywhere
in Australia)?
=B0 Should the corporation develop close links or formal agreements with
potential sponsors such as ATSIC, or companies such as Telstra (formerly
Telecom)?
And lastly,
=B0Who is best qualified to carry out the feasibility study, assuming that
funding would be available?
ASTEC has recommended that the Minister for Industry, Technology and
Regional Development should provide funding for the feasibility study. The
Commonwealth Coordination Committee on Science and Technology (CCST) is
considering the ASTEC Report in order to recommend to the Government what
response it should make to ASTEC's recommendations. ASTEC is represented on
the CCST by its Chairman, Dr Don Williams, and I will report these
discussions to him.
I invite your comments and suggestions.
Reference:
ASTEC (1993), Research and Technology in Tropical Australia and their
Application to the Development of the Region: Final Report, Australian
Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
1. TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR ASTEC's STUDY
=B0 Review the distribution, organisation and funding of research and
development (R&D) activities relevant to tropical Australia.
=B0 Assess these activities in terms of:
- their effectiveness in relation to the realisation of opportunities in
the region, to the resolution of problems in the region and to national
well-being; and
- their potential contribution to furthering international collaboration.
=B0 Identify opportunities for tropical zone R&D and associated technologies
for the next decade.
=B0 Recommend appropriate action to capitalise on identified opportunities
and to rectify any deficiencies.
astec
2. SCOPE OF FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A REMOTE AREA APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
CORPORATION
=B0 Construct profiles of needs and values of people in the target populatio=
n.
=B0 Identify organisations and groups with an interest in providing goods,
services and information.
=B0 Review policies, standards and service delivery structures that may
inhibit responses.
=B0 Identify R&D and marketing opportunities for appropriate technologies in
remote areas of Australia and overseas.
=B0 Propose a functional model for the Corporation and its location.
=B0 Recommend mechanisms to involve the target population.
=B0 Assess the viability of the proposed Corporation.
=B0 Identify the need for possible Commonwealth Government support.
astec
3. RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY IN TROPICAL AUSTRALIA
RECOMMENDATION 8
The minister for Industry, Technology and Regional Development should
provide funding for a feasibility study into the establishment of a
corporation for remote area appropriate technologies based on existing
research or technology centres to:
(1) identify, research, develop and market appropriate technologies for
remote communities in tropical Australia;
(ii) involve interested Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities and enterprises in its activities; and
(iii) develop export markets for appropriate tropical technologies.
astec
Copyright of the papers is with the authors, and with Murdoch University
for the publication of preprints and proceedings of the conference.
End of Paper.
Courier 10 Word 4
Conference - Technology Transfer in Remote Communities.
5-6 April 1994 at Murdoch University, Western Australia.
Allen Gianatti
ET-PERTH Facilitator Email: gianatti@cleo.murdoch.edu.au
Phone: Australia 09 2744729 International +61 9 274 4729