Abstract
The administration of rural effluent is essential due to the scarcity of resources and infrastructure, which exacerbates health hazards and environmental degradation. Decentralised wastewater treatment (DWT) is a system that reduces the transportation costs and environmental impact by recycling wastewater for agricultural and other purposes. This study suggests a single system DWT technique that integrates natural and artificial systems to enhance rural sustainability. The system employs an Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) for the initial decomposition of organic matter, a solar-powered disinfection device, and constructed wetlands (CW) for the secondary treatment and nutrient removal. The system is cost-effective and simple to deploy by utilizing renewable energy and local components. The system satisfied local environmental criteria by reducing biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) by 85 %, total suspended solids (TSS) by 90 %, and infections by 99.9 %, as demonstrated by a pilot study conducted in a rural community. Users and administrators were impressed by the system's simplicity and ease of maintenance. Sustainability and ownership were enhanced through community involvement in design and execution. The results indicate that this DWT technique, considered a scalable and adaptive wastewater management solution, has the potential to enhance the quality of water and the health of rural environments. To enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of the system, future research will expand the number of system components and examine alternative applications, such as nitrogen recovery and greywater recycling. This study demonstrates that rural communities may address wastewater treatment challenges by employing a decentralized approach that capitalizes on community engagement and local resources. This strategy also has a positive impact on public health and the environment over time.
