Program Officer- MFSTU

baseline/feasibility reports

About the project:

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched in 2014, has achieved significant milestones in improving sanitation across India. With nearly 100 million rural and 6 million urban toilets constructed, the prevalence of open defecation has been substantially reduced. However, with approximately 70% of India's population relying on on-site sanitation systems (e.g., twin/single pits and septic tanks), periodic emptying of these systems is critical to ensure usability and prevent households from reverting to open defecation. Improperly maintained septic tanks, often without soak pits, overflow into drains and progressively discharge faecal matter, posing environmental and public health risks. Recognizing these challenges, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, has emphasized the need for periodic desludging and treatment of faecal sludge. In response, the WASH Institute has developed a Mobile Faecal Sludge Treatment Unit (MTU), which has been certified by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the PM and endorsed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation (VCF), supported by TATA Trusts, proposes to deploy two MTUs in Andhra Pradesh to develop a sustainable operational model for faecal sludge treatment on a pilot scale.

Program Implementation

• Prepare baseline/feasibility reports for faecal sludge management/treatment in target areas.
• Oversee the deployment, operations, and maintenance of two Mobile Faecal Sludge Treatment Units (MFSTUs) across selected districts/blocks serving 7580 villages.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive project implementation plan ensuring safety, environmental, and technical standards compliance.
• Ensuring compliance with government regulations

Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with local government bodies, Rural Local Bodies (RULBs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), and community stakeholders to support project implementation.
• Conduct training and capacity-building workshops for sanitation workers and local authorities on MFSTU operations.
• Build partnerships with private service providers and technical collaborators for long-term project sustainability.
• Collaboration with allied sectors such as health, education, and agriculture to maximize the projects impact

Community Outreach

• Design and lead awareness campaigns to educate communities on the importance of safe faecal sludge management and periodic desludging.
• Address community concerns and encourage behavioural change for sustainable sanitation practices.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Maintain detailed operational records, including desludging schedules, sludge quantities treated, and costs incurred.
• Monitor KPIs, including the number of septic tanks desludging 1200 annually and sludge volume treated (2,000 m3/year).
• Generate and present progress, impact assessment, and success stories to internal and external stakeholders.
• Document lessons learned, case studies, and best practices for dissemination to stakeholders

Technical and Financial Oversight

• Coordinate with MFSTU manufacturers and technical experts for troubleshooting, maintenance, and performance optimization.
• Develop and implement a revenue model to ensure the financial sustainability of MFSTU operations.
• Support the development of strategies for transitioning project operations to local authorities for sustainability

Environmental and Policy Contributions

• Promote environmental safety by ensuring the treated sludge meets regulatory standards and exploring reuse opportunities (e.g., agriculture or composting).
• Contribute to developing a policy brief on decentralized faecal sludge management for potential state-wide replication.

Perform other duties as and when required from time to time.