FACT SHEET

This fact sheet describes a 2010-2014 collaboration between the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute (WASHi), funded by Sida, to reduce human vulnerability in Bihar, India. The project implemented ecological sanitation (ecosan) solutions across five pilot sites to address high flood risks and low sanitation access, while establishing the state's only nutrient-testing laboratory to support policy reform and the Millennium Development Goals.

• Bihar is a highly flood-prone region in north-western India, containing 16% of the country's flood-affected area and 22% of its flood-affected population. Sanitation access in the state is significantly lower than the national average, with only 13% of households possessing their own bathroom and 27% having their own toilet.
• The project utilized an ecological sanitation (ecosan) approach, employing dry systems suited for water-scarce conditions. These systems collect and treat human excreta for use as soil conditioners and agricultural fertilizers, providing a low-cost alternative to agricultural chemicals that can help reduce malnutrition and hunger.
• Five pilot sites were established to demonstrate diverse sanitation solutions: - In Burmi Tola (Rupauliya village, West Champaran District), modified urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs) were installed to prevent overflow during floods. - In Mohaddipur village (Nalanda District), a community complex was built using an adapted Swedish CompostEra system to produce 'fertila' liquid fertilizer. - At the Tarumitra Bio-reserve and Ecology Centre (Patna District), UDDTs and waterless urinals were installed for environmental education. - In Bind Block (Nalanda District), agricultural trials showed that urine-fertilized plots produced yields equal to or better than those using commercial NPK fertilizer. - At Prakash Elementary School (Patna District), facilities were installed for students, including an incinerator for sanitary padding disposal.
• The project addressed critical gender-specific hygiene needs after a survey revealed that 87% of women and adolescent girls lacked private facilities and had to wash at public pumps. Approximately three-quarters of those surveyed reported health problems related to menstruation.
• A state-of-the-art water- and nutrient-testing laboratory was established in Patna, provided by Shree Krishna Gyan Mandir (SKGM). It is the only laboratory in Bihar that offers nutrient-testing services and provides tests to non-commercial actors on a cost-recovery basis to help them seek government remedial action for contaminated water.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). FACT SHEET. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2013-ecosan-bihar-v2.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. FACT SHEET. 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2013-ecosan-bihar-v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=FACT SHEET |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2013-ecosan-bihar-v2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014fact, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{FACT SHEET}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2013-ecosan-bihar-v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }