Gonpasingma finds big yield in human excreta

Pemagatshel: Gonpasingma Lower Secondary School in Pemagatshel is reaping benefits from decomposed human excreta.

The school introduced ecological sanitation toilets, popularly known as ecosan toilets, in March last year with assistance from Unicef, WHO and public health engineering division of the health ministry.

Today, small size of the school’s vegetable garden is compensated by its high fertility made possible by decomposed human excreta from the toilets.

“The benefits are obvious and encouraging,” said the school’s principal, Suren Pradhan.

He said the school trialled the efficacy of decomposed excreta in their potato garden last year. The garden was divided into two equal plots. Normal farmyard manure was used in one plot and decomposed excreta from ecosan toilets in the other. The difference in yield was huge. The plot where farmyard manure was used produced 100 kilos of potatoes, while the plot where decomposed excreta were used produced 215 kilos, the principal said.

This year, the school is using ecosan humus for radish, spinach and cabbage.

The principal, however, said handling the excreta is a little difficult. Although it was said that the excreta can be used after six months of decomposition, it did not fully decompose even after seven months in Gonpasingma, probably because of cold weather conditions in the school area and lack of adequate ash and sawdust necessary for decomposition.

Kezang Jigme, the school’s trained focal person for ecosan toilets, earlier said that, if adequate quantities of ash and sawdust are used, excreta can be decomposed and safe to handle in about six months.

Suren Pradhan recommends ecosan toilets where there is water shortage but with some modifications on the ones in his school. Gonpasingma school has eight units of ecosan toilets.

Ecological sanitation works on the principle that human faeces and urine are not waste. They are, in fact, an asset that can contribute to better health and food production.

Human faeces and urine were considered invaluable in complement   ing farm manure since ancient times. Both Greek and Roman civilizations considered human excreta valuable. A Roman emperor was said to have even introduced urine tax.

In Bhutan, human excreta are also known to be used in some parts of the country even without decomposing them. In parts of remote Lhuentse, it is said to be customary for a host family to show the guest where the family’s makeshift toilet is.

A man, who stayed for a long time in those places, said the host family takes offence at the guest defecating in the neighbour’s toilets and gardens.

People who used human excreta in their gardens and fields in recent times all share the same experience of a bountiful harvest.

It is said that an adult produces enough nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium through her excreta to produce about 250 kilos of cereal in a year. Most nutrients are in urine, but faeces are supposed to be a good soil conditioner with high organic matter enabling soil to retain moisture.

Suren Pradhan agrees that while the solid excreta help condition soil, it is urine which does the trick. He said urine must be diluted first before application and should not be applied directly on the crop. It has the same effect as the application of urea fertilizer.

The use of ecosan toilets reduces the use of water by up to 40 percent compared to conventional flush latrines. It is also said to be useful in towns and cities where sewage systems are incapable of treating waste.

By Gyembo Namgyal

2 Responses to “Gonpasingma finds big yield in human excreta”

1. Ryan says:

   September 19, 2011 at 7:51 pm

   Using decomposed excreta is a very well known method of fertilizing. However, it is STRONGLY urged not to use it for edible crops until after 1 full year of decomposing. It is said that after 6 months it is safe for flower gardens, tree production and other non-edible crops. Lastly, I would also suggest never using it for edible Root Crops such as Potatoes, Radishes, and Beets. I hope that nobody gets ill from such “young” fecal-based soil.

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2. pt says:

   October 11, 2011 at 6:33 pm

   Yes, what Ryan mentioned above is right. Innocent Bhutanese people should be made aware of such things. Although human excreta is a good fertilizer, it sometimes is not good to use for some crops. When articles like this come up, concerned authorities and government officials should do something to educate people on such issues. And I think people who adopt this kind of method should also first consult for the proper methods to the people who have knowledge about it. However its good that people are coming up with such alternatives for farming.

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