Saneamiento ambiental descentralizado en zonas periurbanas y rurales de la Sierra y Amazonía del Ecuador, una revisión

Abstract

The decentralized treatment systems for domestic effluents are an economic and sustainable alternative in comparison to conventional wastewater collection and treatment systems in rural and sub-urban areas in developing countries. However, there are still many shortcomings in the planning, implementation, operation and maintenance (O&M) of those systems. This article aims, throughout a comprehensive bibliographic review, to analyze the current state of decentralized sanitation systems in several countries, comparing to the technological, environmental and socioeconomic characteristics present in the rural and sub-urban communities in the southern Andean and Amazon region of Ecuador. The technological options for decentralized systems in Ecuador are very wide, the anaerobic systems are highlighted for their low energy and O&M and the combination of these with units as settlers and/or aerobic systems for further reductions of organic matter and pathogens. It is recommended, nonetheless, to invest in pilot systems and strongly recommended to execute rigorous effluent characterizations and to determine the self-purification capacity of the receiving water bodies. This article highlights the importance of the participation of the users in the O&M of the systems, due to the limited technical and economic resources available in the governmental institutions. The management capabilities of the communities could be strengthened with environmental and public health education, despite of their economic status and the training of local youth leaders.It is necessarythat the investments must be very clever to achieve both efficient and sustainable decentralized systems.