Abstract:
The objective of this paper is to make a hypothetical comparison on the environmental benefits of two sanitation techniques, viz. dry (minimum water) vs. water based, for rural areas. It is a well known fact that sanitation coverage in rural and suburban areas is poor, and these inadequacies are clearly visible in terms of declining health and illiteracy among the children (girls in particular).
Sanitation techniques can be broadly classified into those that require minimum or no water and those requiring water for the operation and maintenance. While the latter type is more convenient to use, the former type of sanitation techniques requires a greater degree of 'user discipline' and is more viable to environmental health. The performance of sanitation techniques can broadly be assessed under two criteria, viz., community and environmental health. A comparative performance would also be done for their suitability to different climatic zones of India.
Besides, with the looming threat of water scarcity, sanitation techniques might be required to be reassessed for their ability to sustain the rural/suburban community's sanitation requirements.
This paper is based on a thorough assessment of various literature pertaining to dry and wet sanitation techniques and includes a systematic analysis comparing the impact of both sanitation techniques on the health and sustainability of the community and environment. A simulation would also be developed and the results would be presented in the paper
