Improving water quality by use of constructed wetland wastewater treatment as a Farm in the South of Mahé Island
To undertake a demonstration project for treatment of wastewater from a small-scale piggery, and to mitigate the impacts by applying best practices.
Specific Objectives of Project:
Objective 1: To improve wastewater discharge from the small-scale piggery
Objective 2: To improve networking and establishment of a working group
Objective 3: to improve crop production and food security.
Project Summary:
Management of solid waste, and particularly animal waste and the limits to which animal waste can effectively be treated and recycled in farming areas instead of release to into the natural environment, is a major challenge faced by the agricultural sector in the Seychelles. There are severe limitations to where animal rearing can be undertaken and also on the size of the animal rearing facility given the proximity either to sensitive environment or residential areas. The Public Health Agency (PHA) has recurrent issues with the waste abatement capability of existing disposal systems and the way that the facilities such as piggeries are managed in general. Furthermore, the suspended solids that accumulate on the farms are neither treated conveniently nor considered to a considerable level as a resource.
The project seeks to implement a small-scale demonstration project on improvement of water quality by use of constructed wetland wastewater treatment at a farm in the southern part of the Seychelles’ main island, Mahé, that can eventually be replicated by the farming community, especially small-scale farmers. The project will apply the principle of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the reuse of treated effluent to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers on the farm and eventually in the country in general. The overall treatment and recycling of the effluent should contribute to the improvement of the country’s aesthetics and ecosystem health and thus will also assist the country in achieving the goals set out in The Seychelles Eco-Tourism Strategy for the 21st century (SETS 21). The strategy seeks to position Seychelles as an eco-tourism destination, promoting a sustainable tourism industry and enhancing the economic benefits of tourism for local communities. There is also limited data on the re-use of treated effluent for improving crop yield, despite the fact that this has been emphasize in the Sanitation Master Plan for the Seychelles. The project intends to create a working group that can further emphasize the practicality of creating small scale wetland systems that can effectively treat wastes from piggeries and reuse the treated effluent and reduce the dependence on chemical fertilizers, leading to savings. Sampling of ground and surface waters will determine the changes in pollution level that potentially can be washed downstream and enter ecosystems, like wetlands and marine reef systems.
