In Plain Language - Sanitation Systems

Do we need New Alternative Sanitation Systems? - 1. Edition 2010

Whether climate or demographic change, rising commodity prices, water shortages or hunger in many parts of the world; all of these topics are of importance to urban water management in Germany. Is our current sanitation system able to cope with the a.m. developments and their impacts? In any event, this centralised system increasingly shows its limitations. It is inflexible with reference to changing population numbers, and it has low resource efficiency going along with relatively high investment and operational costs. Moreover, it is neither possible nor desirable to focus on a world-wide implementation of water-borne sewer systems with centralised wastewater treatment.


NASS, i.e. New Alternative Sanitation Systems, might be the solution. They are based on the separate collection, discharge, treatment and reuse of source separated flows enabling us to reuse water and extract useful substances from wastewater. NASS technologies promise more flexibility to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions such as demographic change, rising demands on water resource protection and the effects of climate change.


The gradual conversion of existing systems to NASS presents a challenge, thus carrying out further NASS pilot projects is an essential prerequisite for long term implementation.