If my friends get edgy when I ask them where their kitchen waste is going, you can imagine their response when I follow them into the loo. "You're never going to write about THAT!" they wail. Oh yes, I am. With about 4 million of us on Bali busily digesting, there's quite a lot of THAT to think about.
Where's it all going? I spent a fascinating afternoon recently discussing raw sewage management with Grace and Heru Tarjoto, pioneers in a simple technology turning THAT into beautiful, fragrant gardens.
First, a brief explanation of terms. 'Gray water' refers to your shower and bath water and what runs out of the kitchen sink after you wash the dishes. Slightly used, but not very offensive. 'Black water' is what you flush down the loo, especially the big bits. Surprisingly, what comes out of some kitchens can be at least as black. Special traps are needed to prevent animal tissue, blood and grease from entering the common drainage systems -- in Bali's case, your nearest river. Untreated gray water can be used on the garden but even a small amount of black water discharged into the environment quickly contaminates rivers, beaches and even coral reefs.
It stands to reason that gray water is fairly easily to clean and recycle but black water -- whether it be sewage or industrial waste - is a lot more challenging. Most homes, hotels and guest houses in Bali use septic tanks, to small to treat even a relatively small volume of black water properly. Standard practice then mixes the black water with the much larger volume of gray water, contaminating it all. Now we have a lot of contaminated water to contend with, running into common drainage systems the rivers, the sea and yes, Kuta Beach, which has been closed on more than one occasion because the E Coli count was getting a little high.
Recent legislation makes it the responsibility of every new house, factory or hotel to treat the sewage it generates. What are the options? You can design and build a splendid septic tank, but you'll still have to treat the residue. You might invest in a biological treatment system that requires chemicals and regular maintenance. Or you could opt for a simple but effective wastewater garden.
The basic approach, called 'constructed wetlands for sewage treatment' was developed in Germany and the United States during the 1960s and 70s. Dr. Mark Nelson, who was in charge of managing and research of the constructed wetland which treated all human, laboratory and domestic animal waste in mini-world Biosphere 2, further developed the concept for domestic use.
It's very simple. The kitchen, bathroom and toilet all have special primary treatment tanks to deal with the varying challenges of their effluvia. (I'm trying to be polite about this.) A well-designed tank can reduce solid waste by 65-95%. Within these tanks, the solids are gradually consumed by bacteria. The nutrients that can cause environmental damage and the bacteria which pose health problems then pass into the wetland 'cell.' This is just the technical term for a layered garden. The bottom layer is the contaminated water. A 10 cm layer of fine gravel covers this, excluding the air. Then a garden of carefully selected and combined vegetation is planted on top. It could be flowers, vines, palms, fruit or vegetables.
The contaminated water is filtered through the gravel and drawn up by the plants' roots and the microbes that colonize the gravel. The contaminants are absorbed as nutrients and the water is rapidly purified to a high degree. Fecal coliform bacteria counts are reduced by over 99% without chemicals. The system works just as well with heavy metals and non-organic pollutants, even those as toxic as mercury. The system is self-perpetuating and virtually maintenance-free. No smells. No mosquitoes. No electricity. All that's needed to keep it operating smoothly is wastewater, plants and sunshine. Usually, the only upkeep required is a gardener to hack back the burgeoning vegetation. Another option is to harvest the resulting flowers, fruit, wood or medicinal plants.
The Wetland Ecosystem Treatment has been approved by the Departments of Environment and regulatory agencies of 16 countries including Germany, the USA, Canada and Australia. Wastewater Gardens are also being installed in Mexico, Belize, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, Egypt and West Australia. The Wastewater Garden approach was recently endorsed by BAPEDALDA, the Indonesian environmental authority . Major projects receive BAPEDALDA certification, and are eligible for bank loans repayable over 15 years.
Mark Nelson, Grace and Heru Tarjoto are bringing their ecologically-friendly approach to Bali as Wastewater Gardens, a subsidiary of the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation which originally financed its development. They design and install the compact subsurface Wastewater Gardens currently available in the country. Since last year, they've constructed wastewater gardens in private homes, a school, hotels and industrial facilities. I visited the wastewater gardens at Padi Padi Villas and Villa Kedidi in Canggu, Sunrise School in Kerobokan and Hatten Wines in Denpasar. Every garden was lush, fragrant and green, with crystal-clear water being discharged into nearby streams or used to irrigate adjacent gardens. One garden had been planted only ten days before, but there was not an olfactory hint that industrial waste played a role in this attractive landscape of giant taro, alamanda, bananas, gingers, heliconia and canna lillies.
When we make the decision to eat something, we should assume responsibility for it -- the wrapping it came in, the debris that remains on the plate and what's processed through our politically correct digestive tracts. Waste management is not an invisible responsibility, especially in a developing country like Indonesia. Sure we can walk away from it, toss it over the wall or flush it out of sight. But just imagine the Karmic debt being generated by that attitude. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not go there.
Of course if you don't digest anything, then this article doesn't apply to you. But if you eat and you're considering building a place in Bali or improving your existing septic system, please give some serious thought to what goes where, and how.
For more information on Wastewater Gardens, contact Grace and Heru Tarjoto at Tel: 975-580 Fax: 975-281 or pcrf@uswest.net, or visit www.pcrf.org
