Nepal Off-Grid Wastewater Treatment

Closing the loop: from waste to wealth in water supply

Project Leads: Dr. Leena Malayil, Dr. Clive Lipchin, Shree Krishna Dhital

To alleviate pressure on the overuse of surface or groundwater for irrigation and sanitation purposes, Nepal FEWture is working in the Namobuddha municipality to establish a pilot wastewater treatment and reuse system using technology developed by Laguna Innovation and the Arava Institute in Israel. 

The Laguna system is modeled based on the Laguna Alpine Site - a small Laguna facility installed at the alpine research base of the University of the Free State in the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa. 

We are building upon strong local partnerships with farmers, engineers, and policymakers to facilitate the implementation of the Laguna system in Namobuddhua municipality. Our work will destigmatize wastewater reuse as a means of irrigation, and promote climate change resilience for Nepalese farmers. This project will support the Nepalese government in developing decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse standards and regulations for water reuse in agriculture. 

Project objectives: 

• Identify wastewater treatment location: Shree Janaka Secondary School, Namobuddha Municipality
• Collect sample and analyze at Kathmandu University 
• Engage Kathmandu University students in research
• Build the Laguna system in Israel and ship and install in Nepal 
• Partner with Engineers Without Borders for greater expertise and scaling up