Haryana has developed a state-wide model for managing faecal sludge from rural households by linking villages to existing urban sewage treatment plants (STPs). A total of 168 lakh litres of faecal sludge has been safely treated through this model so far.The model, developed by the Haryana Government with support from the Rural Development Department, Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G), Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and WASH Institute, seeks to address a critical gap left after the expansion of household toilet access — the safe emptying, transportation and treatment of waste from septic tanks and pit toilets.Talking to The Tribune, Sasanka Velidandla, Director, WASH Institute, said there was no formal rural mechanism regulating de-sludging, transportation and treatment of faecal sludge before such an intervention.“Rural Haryana has around 27.36 lakh individual household toilets, with about 37 per cent being single-pit toilets and 28.9 per cent septic-tank based. Such systems generally require periodic de-sludging, often every three to five years. Before the intervention, however, there was no formal rural mechanism regulating de-sludging, transportation and treatment. Faecal sludge was often dumped in open areas, agricultural land or water bodies,” he said.The official said the northern state subsequently adopted co-treatment at existing urban STPs as its primary approach instead of developing separate treatment plants for every rural settlement.“Under the model, villages were mapped to suitable STPs in the nearby areas and dedicated pre-treatment facilities were developed to ensure concentrated faecal sludge could be safely introduced into wastewater treatment systems,” Velidandla said.The initiative has also sought to bring private de-sludging operators into a formal regulatory system.Of 592 operators identified across the state, more than 348 have been licensed, while standardised service rates ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,350 per trip were established across all 22 districts.According to the case study conducted for the project, 6,757 villages had been provided co-treatment services, while around 4,200 toilet pits and septic tanks had been de-sludged. A toll-free PHED helpline — 1800-180-5678 — allows rural households to request de-sludging services, with requests linked to registered operators who transport the sludge to designated STPs.Akshay Jain, Deputy Programme Manager, WASH Institute, noted that the model was intended to reduce unsafe disposal, protect groundwater and surface water, and make better use of existing public wastewater infrastructure.“It also formalises the role of private operators through licensing, designated treatment facilities and standardized tariffs. Such a move helps in removing the stigma associated with the job,” he said.Distance remains a concernThe model, however, flags the gaps as well. Around 1,500 villages are more than 15 km from the nearest STP, making long-distance transportation potentially costly. It recommends additional faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) for such locations, alongside greater public awareness about periodic desludging and the availability of licensed services.Haryana has also mandated consideration of co-treatment facilities in all upcoming STPs.”Haryana has mandated that co-treatment will be incorporated into the design of all future wastewater treatment infrastructure. All upcoming STPs will be therefore, considered for receiving and pre-treating faecal sludge from nearby rural and non-sewered areas. This will help create a long-term integrated sanitation infrastructure network and avoid the need for expensive retrofitting in the future,” Velidandla, who is also a member of the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance, said.