Vetiver: sewage and wastewater treatment in Banda Aceh

Another good example about reconstruction after natural disaster. A project in Indonesia had set up a real sanitation construction after tsunami. Great...good work!


A summary from "Assessment of Sanitation Standards in Reconstruction in Aceh"  by Norm van’t Hof  - www.bicg.org :

Reconstruction in Aceh provides an opportunity; to Assess the International Aid & Development Community’s capacity to deliver Sustainable Sanitation in the Developing World.
• In the majority of reconstruction projects, sanitation systems, which comply with Indonesian Law or effectively protect public and environmental health, were not installed. 
• Assessment results indicate that, in most cases, International Aid & Development Organizations & Agencies were not able to implement legal/sustainable sanitation systems. This illuminates a skills-gap in a core technical sector of International Aid and Development.
• A few reconstruction projects did successfully implement sustainable/legal sanitation systems.

Vetiver grass is being widely used in wetlands and leach fields in Aceh for two main reasons.  

a) Firstly, although wetland plants, reeds, rushes and cattails, are usually recommended, Acehnese living in wetland environments view these plants as invasive weeds and as such they are not acceptable in household gardens.  

b) Secondly, vetiver has the desired characteristics needed in biological treatment systems. It has a massive root system, which effectively harvests nutrients, it produces biomass quickly and it can live in high moisture and nutrient rich environments.

more information on http://www.vetiver-indonesia.com/sanitation.htm