Managing wastewater by introducing sustainable wastewater and nutrient management in rural Georgian communities.

Georgia is bound to the west by the Black Sea with a coastline of 310 km. One of the major problems of the coastal areas of the Black Sea is the discharge of insufficiently treated sewage waters, infiltration of animal manure and land erosion, resulting in microbiological contamination as well as eutrophication and poses a threat to public health. Since the 1980s, the Black Sea pollution has also greatly harmed Georgia’s touristic industry.

There is a very low awareness on the causes of water pollution and water related diseases at local, regional and national level. Illnesses related to bad hygiene and water quality, such as diarrhea and hepatitis A, are widespread in the area.

The target villages Khorga with 1,320 inhabitants and Chaladidi with 1,245 inhabitants are located alongside river Khobi. Both villages belong to the Khobi Municipality, Samegrelo Zemo-Svaneti Region. The state of sanitation in both communities is deplorable. Major problems faced by communities in this regard may be attributed to: Low awareness about the causes of water pollution; no locally affordable and sustainable solutions addressing poor water and sanitation; subsidized cheap fertilizers affecting water supplies; manure stored and disposed close to the premises and the water supplies.The common pit latrines pose a number of health and environmental risks. All together eleven villages are located alongside river Khobi with a population of 22,000 inhabitants.

Activities focussed on prevention of environmental pollution, on education, health and hygiene matters so that physical facilities are properly used and maintained. The project will raise awareness and contribute to saving biodiversity in the region and enhance the tourism industry in the region. Lessons learnt from the project will be used for up-scaling and replication in nine other villages in the region

View on Khobi river alongside Chaladidi village

The problem of water contamination is caused by widely used pit-latrines, poor management of water resources, uncontrolled animal grazing, intensive use of chemical fertilizers, open and unsafe disposal of waste, including animal manure.

Simple, affordable decentralized sanitation systems, such as urine diverting dry toilets (UDDT) were introduced while appropriate technologies were demonstrated (for toilets, animal manure disposal, production of fertilizers, arranging community-managed landfills, recycling, composting, water treatment, etc.) with the participation of the communities .

Publications:

• Survey Report Georgia: Status of solid waste and excreta management in Khorga and ChaladidiInhabitants in Khorga and Chaladidi, Georgia, consider animal and human excreta as the most problematic waste component this survey by WECF and RCDA shows. Of the surveyed families 95% uses the traditional pit latrine as a toilet, which content is buried in the garden, and only 2% is familiar with composting of organic wasted. 20% -30% of leftovers of crop production, garden and plastic waste are disposed at the riverbank. Liquid manure is directly disposed in the open area and/or infiltrated from the stable directly in the soil. A serious risk is the transfer of contaminants of human and animal excreta to ground water and land, flow-off of disposed waste into the river and ditches, affecting the water quality of the nearby Black Sea. About 70% of the plastic waste is burned inside in the oven or on the field. Lack of appropriate waste collecting forceinhabitants to burn their plastic waste, posing a threat to the environment and to the peoples health.

  The survey learned that waste disposal practices employed by both communities are significantly associated with little knowledge and awareness of the respondents particularly on animal and human waste management, impacts on environment, social and economic development.

• Kick-off meeting in Khamiskuri, Georgia: project “Managing Wastewater through Global Partnership” An article in the newsletter from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Revised Manual on Principles, Operation, Construction of Urine Diverting Dry Toilets.
• Greywater Treatment in Sand and Gravel Filters: Low Tech Solution for Sustainable Wastewater Management

Flyers:

• Urine – The Yellow Gold
• Compost – the Black Gold