Search Climate Insights Directory

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.

A pilot project in Bind Block, Bihar, India, demonstrated that treated human urine is a safe and effective substitute for commercial NPK fertilizers, providing similar or better crop yields for vegetables and fruits. By framing urine as a valuable resource rather than waste, the project overcame social stigmas associated with excreta handling and showed that families could save approximately 4,000 rupees annually. The initiative included the installation of urinals in schools and administrative offices, supported by field trials and laboratory analysis in Patna.