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Kailali: A technical fault has been identified at the fecal sludge treatment plant built in Tikapur, Kailali. The issue was discovered after the construction company operated the facility for two years and then handed it over to the municipality.
The problem lies in the plant’s screening chamber, which is set higher than the outlet of the tankers. As a result, fecal sludge brought from septic tanks bypasses the screening chamber and is discharged directly.
The screening chamber is designed to filter out materials such as cloth pieces, sanitary pads, diapers, cigarette butts, and gutkha wrappers. Since these items are not being filtered, they risk getting stuck in the pipes, leading to frequent breakdowns. To resolve this, either the chamber height must be lowered or the driving surface raised so that the tanker outlet is positioned higher than the screening chamber inlet.
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The plant was constructed under the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Management’s Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project and handed over to Tikapur Municipality in Falgun 2081 BS.
As part of the project, a 29.5-kilometer sewerage system and the fecal sludge treatment plant were built in Tikapur. The project cost a total of NPR 606.93 million, of which 85 percent came as a loan investment from the Asian Development Bank and 15 percent from Tikapur Municipality. The construction was carried out by Tudi Construction.
Shortage of Sludge for the Plant
The treatment plant has the capacity to process nine cubic meters (9,000 liters) of fecal sludge daily. According to the latest census, Tikapur has 19,000 households and a population of 90,000. However, enough fecal sludge has not been collected to match the plant’s capacity, according to Kamal Bahadur Rawal, WASH focal person at Tikapur Municipality. He said that discussions have already been held with chiefs of neighboring municipalities to collect additional fecal sludge to utilize the plant effectively.
Policy Framework Prepared
Rawal further stated that a regulation for plant operation has been drafted and approved by the municipal assembly during the fiscal year 2082/83. It now only awaits publication in the local gazette, after which it will be easier to operate and regulate the treatment plant.
Budget Allocated for Operation
Tikapur Municipality has also allocated funds and managed human resources for the plant’s operation. For the current fiscal year, around NPR 700,000 has been allocated, Rawal said.
According to him, two staff members have been hired on contract for the plant, and the municipality itself is operating one tanker for fecal sludge collection.
Fecal sludge is collected and brought to the treatment plant both by the municipal tanker and tankers run by the private sector.
