Pilot Waste-Stabilization Pond In Tanzania

It is claimed that waste-stabilization ponds provide an efficient, inexpensive, and appropriate form of wastewater treatment for developing countries. Based on negative experiences in Tanzania, this paper concludes that waste-stabilization ponds designed by standard western design practice cannot always be expected to perform well without at least minimal operator training and funds for operation and maintenance. Moreover, in this study the performance of a series of waste-stabilization ponds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is investigated. The removal efficiencies of permanganate value (PV), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), suspended solids, and ammonia nitrogen are good. BOD5 has a good correlation with PV. Though the fecal coliform removal efficiency is impressive, the mean survival is high. While dissolved oxygen has a marked variation with pond depth, temperature has no significant variation with depth. It is suggested that there is the potential for improving the mechanistic and analytic approaches characterizing the present waste-stabilization pond research efforts.