vedaville sustainable township

Drains on the sides of the road do not exceed 50m at a stretch. Within this distance the drain would be discharged into a percolating pit after sieving through a grating to trap the soil run off. With only residual water flowing over, this would help conserve soil as the same can be then removed and used. The pits also act as velocity breakers. The attempt here is to retain all the natural resources within the site. Surface water of the road would thus disappear into the drain at frequent intervals instead of the consolidated water disposal as per normal practice. RCC culverts are avoided as far as possible. The first alternative is to use round concrete pipes across the road with the gaps filled with lean concrete. This system would effectively be using the arch action of the pipes resulting in compression culverts. Another alternative to the RCC culverts is arched masonry structures.

Water Supply Existing springs assure excellent water. However, the bore wells are proposed in the elevated areas, their depth being more than the valley recharge areas. The natural filtration through soil would ensure clean water. Traditional habitations were built on higher areas and the best wells were usually at the highest point with the depth of the well being more than the level of the basin recharge area Bore wells are located at small neighbourhood levels i.e. groups of clusters, and are coupled with at least two more neighbourhood bore wells to enable diversion if required. Larger number of smaller bore wells would ensure an even withdrawal of underground water. The recharge through a larger surface area would also ensure balanced water replenishment. The water supply lines are about two and a half feet above ground to serve as the railings along the sides of the road. The pipes are buried underground only when it is essential as in the case of a road crossing. Pipes above ground ensure that there is no contamination owing to the creation of a vacuum when the water supply is shutdown as this vacuum causes the suction of matter from the soil. Most of the contamination of centralised water supply occurs during the shut down time. Traditionally, water supply was always a surface service. Except for a minimal amount of rainwater which may essentially run off the surface, most would be trapped and retained within the premises On 5th June 2003, 'AAJ TAK' an Indian News channel telecast a story of the solution that is emerging in Mumbai (the Commercial Capital of India) where the water shortage has assumed alarming proportions. A century ago 1000 wells had been dug in the Fort Area (app 80 Sq km) to meet the water shortage as a consequence of one of the worst droughts. Later most of the wells fell into disuse with the Centralisation of Water Supply and the Industrialization Mantra. Pushed by the water shortage this year and the ever-increasing cases of Water Borne Disease the people of the Fort area in Mumbai discovered that 48 of the wells were still active. Some water suppliers who supply water through tankers were using these wells to supply precious water to posh areas including some Hospitals. The water was found to be better than the piped system. A major movement to re discover the wells and use them was mooted and records sifted to put them into use once again. Incidentally, the Fort area is just about 1 km inland from the Arabian Sea and has the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted areas of Mumbai and even India. Waste Disposal Tradition has three interesting illustrations for waste disposal. 1. Human Settlements were perceived as living beings and co-related the waste disposal to the circulatory system of the blood. Just as the blood is the lifeline of the human being water is the

vedaville sustainable township

2.

3.

lifeline of Human Settlements. Similarly parallels are drawn between the filtration process of the blood and those of water. It states A planner that bases Human Settlements with water and its waste disposal as a fundamental principle shall live in Heaven for 6000 years. Not that the planner was actually assured longevity, but the settlements would be sustainable & the Planner would be remembered in history. The second aspect that traditional systems propagated was the immediate disposal of waste, evident from an interesting parallel related once again to the human anatomy. Hairs, nails and clothes adorn our body as long as they are attached to it. The moment they are detached from the body they are treated with disdain and must be disposed off immediately. The same holds true for the people we love as long as they are alive. Their demise suddenly calls for their immediate disposal. The third and probably the simplest is the segregation of wastewater from sewage at the first point. Public health manuals advocate this but they rarely follow this principle. In present day planning, non-pathogenic water is combined with the pathogenic soil and sent over large distances to centralised treatment plants, often requiring more water to create the velocity to carry this. Can these issues that are the basis of our traditional values and systems be incorporated into our present day needs? Most of them can and have been attempted in this proposal.

The cluster design around the courtyards provides for Alternating Twin leech pits. Apart from the economic benefits of saving development costs the internal courts provide for the most efficient disposal of sewage at the first point. Dual outlet pipes are used for soil or waste disposal as each is separated at the first point. In the ultimate analysis, there is a considerable amount of saving when compared to the centralised disposal system.

The Twin leech pit is nothing more than two soak pits, alternated every 18 months. This system relies on drying the sewage, as quickly as possible using the least amount of water and is the safest method of dealing with sewage. Leech pits do not have a concrete base and the sides are honeycombed open-jointed masonry, enhancing the absorption capacity and making the sewage dry rapidly. The absence of a vent in this system results in a digestion process that is anaerobic with no foul odour. This prevents the breeding of cockroaches. In order to avoid backflow of odour, water seals are used at the exit point of the soil from the house and also at the entry point into the leech pit. Left to dry for 18 months, good odourless residue remains, which is powdery and can be taken out through vacuum suction. The distance for transportation of waste is drastically reduced and low water capacity systems are recommended, further conserving water. Tried and tested, it is strongly advocated by the World Bank, as an alternative to centralised system of soil disposal. We have designed systems that have capacities of seven years for each pit. The soil of Vedaville is largely limestone, which provides for excellent natural water filtration. The additional lining of the leech pits with charcoal, activated charcoal or a mix of charcoal and lime provides for the best filtration system. A layer of earthen tiles can surround the honey combed brick

vedaville sustainable township

wall. In domestic water filters we remove impurities by using activated charcoal to absorb particles of dirt. In reality the soil is a giant filter that works on this principle and its depth size make it far more efficient. The water is cleaned as it passes through and the aquifers or ground water reserves are replenished. The Vedaville property stands on the 'Gibraltar-Bonnygate Limestone Formation' that functions as the principal aquifer in the area. Drainage on the property is predominantly internal to limestone depressions, and consequently there are four perennial ponds on the property. Between the property and the coast is the coastal aquielude, which occurs as a pale yellowish-brown marly limestone. The coastal aquielude function as a surface barrier to groundwater flow from the aquifer to the sea, thus ponding groundwater in the aquifer and protecting to the aquifer from saline intrusion. Traditionally, the majority of our religious settlements were situated in areas that had vast limestone substrata. Drinking water was procured from wells dug deep into the aquifers in the limestone. At the same time, the wastewater and soil was disposed of locally and limestone layers purified this wastewater fit for consumption. Traditional settlements have always depended on groundwater despite the existence of nearby rivers, streams and lakes. The filtering potential of the soil was recognised as a fundamental principle. Scientific data also proves that pure drinking water can be sourced from the ground safely at a distance of only 30 metres from the point of disposal. Urine is normally mixed with the sewage and disposed off in the same centralized disposal system. This adds more water to the soil, which actually needs less water for rapid drying and digestion. A small partition at the front end of the WC with a pipe outlet from the side could ensure separation. Mixed with the waste disposal system and allowed to percolate into the soil on a continuing basis would deliver urea to the plants in the courtyards. All urinals in within the township would also be connected in a similar manner to the waste disposal system. Since the distance that the sewage needs to be transported is now short one can use low capacity cisterns. Larger capacity cisterns are in use only to create self-cleansing velocity. Research shows that the 20-litre cistern, even in use now, was used to transport the newspaper, which was used as toilet paper. Without questioning this all these years complex sewage handling systems were devised and the source of the problem was overlooked. Toilet papers, which disintegrate very quickly, are in use. Water required to transport the soil over this distance could be as low as 4 litres per flushing. In addition to conserving water through the usage of the low capacity cistern, the separation of the kitchen and bath waste at source ensures that non-pathogenic water does not become pathogenic. Thus the eventual treatment of the wastewater is relatively simple. Kitchen and bathing wastewater typically contains food residue, grease, dirt and soap as the main impurities. The wastewater is separated and absorbed in the inner courtyards through pipes that are perforated. The courtyards formed on the insides of the clusters are large absorption areas. While the water seeps into the ground below the courtyards, these can be also used by the inhabitants for flower patches, gardens and as play areas for the children. The courtyards are paved with perforated concrete panels that have grass growing in the perforations, which can be conveniently mowed with

vedaville sustainable township

a lawn mower. Excess water is taken to the next courtyard and so on until the last bit of residual wastewater is disposed off in the open jointed drains along or at the centre of the road. The remaining water in these drains is led to dedicated green areas recharging the ground water aquifers. By growing wide leafed plants like Banana and Papaya we would achieve a 'High-rate Evapotranspiration' system. The lengthy capillary like tissue structure of these plants encourages the rapid absorption of water and nutrients. These trees use undigested grease as nutrients. Incidentally, evapotranspiration reed beds take up large amounts of land; approximately 3 acres for every 50 acres of developed land. The Waste Management Imbroglio At Vedaville, Jamaica The Environmental Health Unit, EHU, is of the opinion that the Sewage treatment of onsite absorption method proposed by us is unworkable for this area due to the occurrences of karstification and faulting in the area coupled with a high water table. They have, as alternatives, suggested the following waste management systems for consideration to be used in the Vedaville Development Project. 1. Septic Tank, followed by Evapotranspiration Bed 2. Biodigester Septic Tank followed by Reed Bed 3. Activated Sludge Processes, followed by Reed Bed 4. Mechanical Systems (e.g., oxidation ditch, aerated sludge systems), followed by Reed Bed 5. Waste Stabilization Ponds followed by Reed Bed Essentially, the all systems proposed by the EHU deal with the following stages:

ST - 3

ST - 1

ST - 2

ST 3

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Removal of Soil & Waste to treatment point Segregation of Water from the Soil & Drying of the soil (break down of soil to residue) Dispersal of Water through evapotranspiration methods & Use of soil residue

Let us look at each system individually: ! Septic Tank, followed by Evapotranspiration Bed Soil & Waste to Septic TankStage 1 Septic tankStage 2 Evapotranspiration BedStage 3

Biodigester Septic Tank followed by Reed Bed Soil & Waste to Septic TankStage 1 Biodigester Septic TankStage 2 Reed BedStage 3