At last work has begun on the next phase of the wastewater scheme for United Mission Hospital Tansen. After over four years of seeking to treat wastewater from the hospital and the waste from the local community which runs into the same gully to protect the health of the community and of those downstream, the construction has started! Trenches are being been dug in compound, there are preparations for the septic tank and bioreactor and the pipes have arrived. A weir has been made to measure flow and collect samples. Water samples have already been sent to Kathmandu for analysis.

To select the most appropriate ‘Moving Bed Bioreactor’ (MBBR) for our needs, the Hospital Administrative Officer Jivan Bhattarai and Consultant Water Engineer Ed Kramer went to India in late September to meet the manufacturer. Ed is now measuring flow again to decide which machine capacity is needed and we should order by the end next week.

Give thanks that this work is finally progressing to help protect the surrounding environment and residents from the risks of wastewater on their land and vegetables, as well as people further downstream.