Chapter 2
Vermifiltration for Rural Wastewater
Treatment
Meena Khwairakpam
Abstract To improve the neglected sanitation services particularly in rural areas,
proper management of wastewater is the need of the hour. About 70% of India’s
population lives in the villages, and they are deprived of improved sanitation. The
rural areas are mostly un-sewered mainly due to inadequate water supply required
for efficient functioning of water carriage system and scattered population. In such
un-sewered rural areas, major problem lies in collection, removal and disposal of
night soil, wastewater and garbage. The wastewater from kitchens, baths, etc are let
directly into streets, resulting to breeding of flies and mosquitoes which may be a
major cause for start of an epidemic. There is an urgency to invest, both in sewers
and in the treatment of sewage. Possible risk of disease from coming in direct contact
with sewage having pathogens can be reduced if sewage treatment plants are
installed. However, most of the developing nations are unable to install such
treatment process owing to lack of fund and infrastructure. Another problem for
starting sewage treatment plants in the rural areas is the scattered population due to
which a centralized systems cannot be adopted. The only option available is to
provide on-site facility, and one of the on-site treatment techniques is the
vermifiltration. Vermifiltration is a process that adapts traditional vermicomposting
for treating wastewater. Such system allows water to flow by gravity vertically/
horizontally through a filter media like sand and gravel of different sizes. Wastewater
is purified in this process as it percolates through the vermicompost by physical as
well as microbial degradation and the organics passes through the gut of the
earthworm which comes out as value-added end product. There is no sludge
generation in the process; instead generation of vermicompost is there which will
be helpful in generation of income. This is also an odourless process, and the
resulting vermifiltered water is suitable for farm irrigation and in parks and gardens.
Application of the vermifiltration technology in wastewater treatment is easily
adaptable in developing countries due to its simplicity and treats water to acceptable
standards.
M. Khwairakpam (*)
Centre for Rural Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India
e-mail: meena.kh@iitg.ac.in
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_2
19
Vermifiltration for Rural Wastewater
Treatment
Meena Khwairakpam
Abstract To improve the neglected sanitation services particularly in rural areas,
proper management of wastewater is the need of the hour. About 70% of India’s
population lives in the villages, and they are deprived of improved sanitation. The
rural areas are mostly un-sewered mainly due to inadequate water supply required
for efficient functioning of water carriage system and scattered population. In such
un-sewered rural areas, major problem lies in collection, removal and disposal of
night soil, wastewater and garbage. The wastewater from kitchens, baths, etc are let
directly into streets, resulting to breeding of flies and mosquitoes which may be a
major cause for start of an epidemic. There is an urgency to invest, both in sewers
and in the treatment of sewage. Possible risk of disease from coming in direct contact
with sewage having pathogens can be reduced if sewage treatment plants are
installed. However, most of the developing nations are unable to install such
treatment process owing to lack of fund and infrastructure. Another problem for
starting sewage treatment plants in the rural areas is the scattered population due to
which a centralized systems cannot be adopted. The only option available is to
provide on-site facility, and one of the on-site treatment techniques is the
vermifiltration. Vermifiltration is a process that adapts traditional vermicomposting
for treating wastewater. Such system allows water to flow by gravity vertically/
horizontally through a filter media like sand and gravel of different sizes. Wastewater
is purified in this process as it percolates through the vermicompost by physical as
well as microbial degradation and the organics passes through the gut of the
earthworm which comes out as value-added end product. There is no sludge
generation in the process; instead generation of vermicompost is there which will
be helpful in generation of income. This is also an odourless process, and the
resulting vermifiltered water is suitable for farm irrigation and in parks and gardens.
Application of the vermifiltration technology in wastewater treatment is easily
adaptable in developing countries due to its simplicity and treats water to acceptable
standards.
M. Khwairakpam (*)
Centre for Rural Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India
e-mail: meena.kh@iitg.ac.in
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_2
19