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OF SUSTAINABLE SANITATION ALTERNATIVE IN COLONIA PRIMO TAPIA, PLAYAS DE ROSARITO, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Victor M. Ponce, Professor, Department of Civil and Enviromental Engineering, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1324, Voice 619-594-4029, Fax 619-594-8078, E-mail: ponce@ponce.sdsu.edu. Contacts in Tijuana and Rosarito: Ana Elena Espinoza, Director, Centro de Estudios Urbanos Sociales y Sustentables, Tijuana, 52-044-664-638-3522, E-mail: anaespinozamx@yahoo.com; Luis Alberto Lopez, Consultant, Municipality of Playas de Rosarito, 52-664-624-0810, E-mail: lopezalvarezmx@yahoo.com.mx; Alberto Castro Garcia, Consultant, Tijuana, 52-664-681-2908, E-mail: acastrog@telnor.net.
San Diego State University (SDSU) is one of the twenty-three units (campuses) of the California State University System. Its faculty are normally engaged in research activities, which are funded by federal, state, and local agencies. The SDSU Foundation is the fiscal agent. Its address is: SDSU Foundation, 5250 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1931. SDSU will collaborate actively with the Centro de Estudios Urbanos Sociales y Sustentables (CEUSS), a non-profit organization based in Tijuana.
A sustainable sanitation alternative is proposed for Colonia Primo Tapia, located in the municipality of Playas de Rosarito, in Baja California. The study will assess the feasibility of installing dry ecological latrines, also referred to as "ecosanitation," in the colonia. The project's scope has been discussed with and endorsed by Graciela Toscano, municipal delegate of Primo Tapia. Primo Tapia is the second-largest urban center in Playas de Rosarito, with Rosarito being the largest. It is located 21 km south of Rosarito and 37 km south of the U.S.-Mexico border. It comprises three watersheds which drain to the Pacific Ocean: (1) Cañada Rinconada (68.3 km2); (2) Primo Tapia (0.8 km2); and (3) Cementerio (1.69 km2). These watersheds have undergone accelerated urban development in the past ten years, and population pressures continue. Currently, there is no sewage system in Primo Tapia, and there are no plans for installing such a system (This statement is based on personal communication with Diego Moreno, Secretary of Urban Development, Municipality of Playas de Rosarito, who supports the project's scope). Sanitation in Primo Tapia is accomplished with conventional latrines (60%) and septic tanks (40%). Most people prefer the latrines because of the cost of a septic tank, which can exceed U.S. $2000. Some persons continue to use the outdoors to fulfill their basic human necessities. Conventional latrines are odorous and do not perform properly. Effluent from septic tanks is often discharged to nearby watercourses without treatment. Using the outdoors is unsanitary and a veritable health hazard to the local population. The project will reduce water and land pollution by developing and demonstrating an ecosanitation alternative in Primo Tapia. The term "ecosanitation" refers to the use of dry ecological latrines, a relatively new sanitary concept now in use in several developing countries (China, Mexico, and El Salvador, to name a few). Unlike septic tanks, which have a tendency to remain anaerobic, the dry sanitary latrines function aerobically, thus reducing foul odors and greatly speeding biodegradation of the organic matter. Proper handling of the humus is accomplished by a double-vaulted latrine design, which separates the user from the faeces for a sufficiently long time to assure that disease-carrying pathogens are kept under control. A switch between vaults every six months (or longer, depending on the usage), guarantees that the resulting humus can be safely handled and disposed of properly. In many instances, the humus has been returned to the land, where it has been successfully applied as fertilizer, closing the cycle of nature. The design of the dry sanitary latrine requires the urine to be diverted, diluted, and disposed of safely by returning it to the land. The double-vaulted latrine can be readily built, but proper operation requires adequate training. Success depends on local conditions, since it hinges upon the population's acceptance of the no-drainage concept. Primo Tapia is an ideal location for a pilot project on ecosanitation, since sewage drainage is currently nonexistent. Therefore, ecosanitation represents an improvement over the current situation, with the added feature that it does not contaminate surface waters.
The project goals and objectives fall within the Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3): Conduct and promote research investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. Specifically, the project will consist of the following steps: The GIS system will be developed using ArcGIS. A questionnaire/survey will be prepared to obtain the stakeholders' perceptions and attitudes regarding ecosanitation. Appropriate sites will be selected, where the ecosanitation alternative can be properly demonstrated. A website will be developed in Spanish to promote the ecosanitation alternative. Local education and involvement will be sought by developing a brochure and a video explaining the concept and its benefits.
The timeline for project completion is 12 months, starting April 1, 2004, and ending March 31, 2005.
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Fig. 1 The central watershed of Colonia Primo Tapia. |