Dear Gautam and Karki,

Greetings from Cambodia and now it is I who should apologize for the lack of participation in the last week. I have read all your replies and I am interested in knowing the impact of setting the biodigester-latrine systems in the integrated system and sanitation of the refugees community. You placed the digester out of the campus and you also mention that people use the latrines mainly on the two market days and may be the other days the latrines are less visited. I just want to give some comments on the use of communal latrines-biogas systems and the use of the latrine-biogas system attached to the houses of people.

I would think that the impact of the whole system which means the use of effluents for fertilization of vegetables - aquatic plants or crops as well as the use of biogas will be greater when the latrine is attached to the houses of people. Also I think the impact on sanitation and health of the family and the whole community is better as it is easier to go to the toilet when it is at home that when it is far away. I know that the situation everywhere is different but I can see in your paper that the use of the gas and effluent is not yet having a big impact in the community of the refugees as you mention

>A part of slurry is being used by the watchman to fertilize his kitchen
>garden. Effluents (called "slurry") from biogas are safe for handling
>compared to raw excreta as pathogens are killed in course of anaerobic
>digestion process. Such slurry has been proved to be a high quality
>organic fertilizer for plant nutrition.
>.. and the effluent is may be the most valuable product of the system.

What I mentioned above also leads me to another questions:
Q.1 How far are the houses of people from the latrine-biogas system?
Q.2 Do refugees do any farming?
Q.3 Have you measured the DM and Nitrogen content of the effluent and also the ammonia content?
Q.4 What is the amount of water added to the digester/day?
Q.4 How much effluent do you get/day?
Q.5 Is there any research going on in the quality of effluent from biodigesters fed with human excreta and those fed with animal excreta and on the way that the Nitrogen is present? ammonia?
Q.6 I am also interested in knowing more about the pathogens in the effluent and the levels of infestation that we can get in the aquatic plants, vegetables or whatever crop that we fertilize with it, so if you have any information or references on it we welcome them.

Best regards and look forward for your reply,
Lylian
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Lylian Rodriguez J
Coordinator
UTA FOUNDATION
Royal University of Agriculture - RUA
Chamcar Daung, Dangkor District,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
P.O.Box 2423 Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia
Tel: 855-012815334
lylianr@email.com