Why Every Town Needs an FSTP – And Why It Must Never Be Near a Drinking Water Source

A Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) is one of the most important public health facilities any municipality can build. It is the place where the waste collected from septic tanks and pit toilets is brought, treated, and made safe for the environment.

Without an FSTP, lorries emptying septic tanks end up dumping waste in fields, rivers, or roadside pits. This contaminates soil, spreads diseases, and pollutes groundwater. So, yes, an FSTP is essential for any modern town.

But here is the critical part that many people do not know: an FSTP should never be placed near a drinking water source. This is not an opinion. It is a scientific fact supported by WHO, the Government of India’s CPHEEO guidelines, and Kerala’s own Suchitwa Mission norms.

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What Exactly Does an FSTP Do? (Simple Explanation)

When septic tanks are cleaned, the sludge contains:

• harmful bacteria

• viruses

• parasites

• ammonia and nitrates

The FSTP takes this waste and treats it using biological and physical processes. At the end:

• the water becomes safe to release to the environment

• the solid residue can be used safely in agriculture

This keeps our surroundings clean and prevents diseases.

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So What Is the Problem? Why Not Build It Anywhere?

Because even the best treatment plant carries a risk of leakage or accidental overflow.

If the FSTP is too close to:

• a well

• a public water tap

• a canal or pond

• a drinking-water pumping point

then even a small leakage can contaminate the groundwater. Once faecal matter enters the water table, cleaning it is nearly impossible.

This leads to outbreaks of:

• cholera

• hepatitis A and E

• typhoid

• diarrhoea

• dysentery

No municipality can take that risk.

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What Science Says About Safe Distance

1. WHO Guidelines

The World Health Organisation recommends that waste-treatment units be placed far away from drinking water sources to prevent groundwater contamination.

2. CPHEEO (Government of India) Norms

These guidelines clearly state that FSTPs must not be located near:

• water bodies

• wells

• aquifers

• flood-prone areas

• residential areas

Minimum separation distance of 100 to 200 metres is suggested, depending on soil type.

3. Kerala Suchitwa Mission

Kerala’s own sanitation guidelines repeat the same:

• locate FSTPs in non-residential, non-sensitive zones

• avoid areas near drinking water points

• avoid paddy fields and low-lying areas

• avoid flood-prone locations

In many parts of Kerala, groundwater is shallow and soil is porous. This increases the danger even more.

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Examples From Real Life

Across India and even abroad, there have been cases where:

• heavy rain caused overflow from treatment plants

• pipes leaked

• tankers illegally dumped waste near the facility

• power failures affected treatment efficiency

All these failures can be controlled only when the FSTP is located at a safe distance from drinking-water sources.

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So What Is the Right Approach?

It’s simple:

• Yes, an FSTP is absolutely needed.

• But No, it should not be anywhere close to where people draw drinking water.

A correct site for an FSTP must be:

• away from wells and public water sources

• away from houses

• in a non-flood area

• with proper access for vacuum trucks

• with enough buffer land around

This is standard scientific practice worldwide.

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Why Citizens Should Care

If an FSTP is wrongly placed, the first people affected will be:

• children

• elderly

• people relying on wells

• those living near the site

Clean drinking water is a basic right. Once groundwater is polluted, the damage lasts for years.

Raising awareness is not about opposing development. It is about supporting development that is safe, scientific, and sustainable.

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Final Word

A Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant is essential for the health of any town. It keeps our roads, fields, and rivers clean.
But building it near a drinking water source goes directly against:

• WHO standards

• Government of India engineering norms

• Kerala sanitation rules

• basic groundwater science

Good planning means doing the right thing, in the right place, with the right safeguards.

Let sanitation improve, but let our drinking water stay safe.

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