Analysis of Final Disposal of Fecal Waste and Wastewater in Dense Urban Settlements

Abstract

Access to sanitation in dense settlements is critical. Neighborhoods with communal toilet facilities and groundwater supply sources are important sectors for households that do not have private toilet facilities and do not subscribe to the city's piped sewerage system. This paper aims to examine the system for managing domestic waste of communal toilets in dense settlements of Bandung City, West Java. From December 2022 to May 2024, to meet the research objectives, we used questionnaires and surveys in a quantitative descriptive method; analyzing the waste management of communal toilets that have groundwater supply sources, liquid and fecal waste management, and toilet hygiene were assessed by considering the real conditions of the environment. Domestic waste has not been managed optimally, still causing environmental pollution and affecting groundwater quality. Domestic waste management, considering social and demographic factors, needs a sustainable sanitation system with more effective and efficient waste handling, as 46.7% of households finally dispose of the river, 37.5% to septic tanks, and 15.8% of homes are linked to public piped sewage systems. Limitations of the study are only applicable to the study site of West Java, Indonesia, based on recent historical data.