Faecal sludge treatment wetland (Cameroon)

A study aimed at improving the management of faecal sludge Ebolowa. The methodological approach implemented consisted of carrying out surveys and interviews with households, staff in charge of sanitation at the urban council of Ebolowa, and the analysis of literature to choose the treatment process to be implemented via an experimental device drying bed planted with reeds. It appears that the sanitation system used in the city is non-collective. Out of 103 households surveyed, 62% use traditional full-flow latrines, 19% use manual flushed toilets, 8% use barrel latrines and 10% use septic tanks. The study showed that the average population of the town of Ebolowa is 118,682 inhabitants and produces 32,576 m3 of fecal sludge per year. But only 14,660 m3 of its sludge is accessible and collectable. The yield of 92% obtained from the treatment wetland experimental device of a sample of its sludge by laboratory analysis (LeauClean) allowed to affirm that it is possible to treat its sludge and carry out an STBV in Ebolowa. For this purpose, to treat this sludge, the surface area of the storage basin with a capacity of 75 m3 must be 50.3 m², 3 planted drying beds with a volume of 1,400 m3 and a depth of 1.4 m each are required and where the density of reeds to plant is 13,194 reed plants in each bed. On the other hand, it’s suggested that the urban council should encourage households to replace septic and other non-sewered tanks which pollute and are very expensive with small bioreactors of drying beds planted with reeds, the production of which is less expensive, durable and ecological especially for hydromorphic soils.