Bhutan's first eco-friendly sewerage plant, in Trashigang town, was commissioned on 17th November, 2008. The plant, built to mark the coronation and centenary celebrations in Bhutan with funding from the Danish aid agency DANIDA, will serve 58 houses in the town.

The eco-line® plant [1], which is the size of a volleyball court, is portable and has the capacity to serve 850 houses. It is also smell-free and environmentally-friendly. 'The plant uses only microbes to treat the sewage and no chemicals are used,' says Jan Hyttel, the Danish inventor of the plant and director of Advanced Environmental Control (AEC).

The arrival of the plant is timely for Trashigang residents. The town is growing fast and many people have to share toilets with their neighbours because of lack of space. Until now they have emptied the tanks into a nearby stream or paid someone to come and empty them. The new plant will offer a free service until the municipal council has fixed the rates.

Similar plants are being installed in Tsirang town and the ministers' enclave in Motithang, Thimphu.

[1] AEC - eco-line® sewage treatment systems

Related news:

• Bhutan: communities clean up to honour new king, Source South Asia, 11 Nov 2008;
• Bhutan: 'toilet revolution' has not led to high use, Source South Asia, 02 Sep 2008

Web site:AEC; DANIDA DevForum - Bhutan

Source: Tshering Palden, Kuensel Online, 20 Nov 2008

Tags: ecological sanitation, south asia, technology, wastewater treatment