Communal septic tanks as appropriate technology to achieve Surabaya Open Defecation Free (ODF)

Sanitation access is one of the important things in sustainable development. With reduced open defecation, it is expected to be able to achieve a high level of public health. However, the current condition in Surabaya, some people are still defecating in open places like open ditches and yards. This condition occurs for several reasons, such as the unavailability of land and the high cost of treating wastewater. Therefore, it is necessary to build a communal septic tank to create a healthier environment. The dimensions of the communal septic tank are actually regulated in National Standard (SNI) 03-2398 -2002 about Procedure for Planning Septic Tanks with Infiltration Systems. However, for the application, it must be aware with field condition, such as the width of the road, the presence of drainage canals water supply pipes, and the depth of the ground water level. Therefore, the dimensions of communal septic tanks were calculated with the number of house connection based on the field condition. As SNI 03-2398-2002 provides merely for 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 house connection for communal septic tanks, this assessment proposes a standard of 8 house connections as field conditions will not allow rigid dimension as mentioned in the Standard. Eight house connections will allow the implementation of septic tanks in small foot-path as in densely populated sub-district with 2 to 3 meters width, the water table of 2 to 3 meters depth, and allow easy adjustment due to other local infrastructures like water supply pipe and the small path along local creeks.