Environmental Education_waste,water,sanitation_engl

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Environmental Education

Waste, Water and SanitationManual for Secondary and High School

Published byDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHManagement of Natural Resources in the Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province

as part of the overall Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems Program (ICMP/CCCEP)

AuthorsRebecca Hartmann and Phạm Thùy Dương (adjusted by Stefanie Gendera in March 2014)

GraphicsStefanie Gendera

Cover picturesIllustration from the 2012 GIZ drawing competition, drawn by Hà Cẩm Tiênphoto by Stefanie Gendera, Kien Giang Province 2011

© giz July 2014

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Introduction

Water, Waste and Sanitation, although different, are closely linked with each other. All three are very important to humans, in terms of health and the environment. By providing safe drinking water, properly disposing of human waste and improving basic sanitation, many sickness and diseases could be reduced. This manual will explain the impor-tance of water, waste and sanitation as three separate topics, and will provide examples of good practices for healthy living and environmental protection.

Water creates life. Every human needs water for daily activities, and access to clean drinking water is extremely im-portant.

Waste is produced by every human. It has to be treated properly so that there won’t be any environmental pollution or a source of pathogens.

Sanitation is strongly related to hygiene. Good basic sanitation leads to better health and reduces the risk of sick-nesses such as diarrhoea.

The Vietnamese-German technical cooperation project “Management of Natural Resources in the Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province”, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Education and Training, has developed this teacher’s manual as a tool to support teachers in educating their students about water, waste and sanitation. This manual provides complementary material on the topics water, waste and sanitation with emphasis on the coastal zone, and does not cover these topics in an exhaustive manner.

The manual is divided into three parts:

- Lesson 1: Water

- Lesson 2: Waste

- Lesson 3: Sanitation

Each lesson contains background material and extra information for students and teachers, as well as questions for students to answer. The lessons also contain a list of suggested activities (such as creating diagrams, conducting lo-cal research, puzzles etc.) which are designed to enhance each student’s understanding of water, waste and sanita-tion.

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ContentsLesson 1: Water 6

1.1 What is water? 7

1.2 The water cycle 7

1.3 Use of water 8

1.4 Threats to water quality and availability 9

1.5 Sustainable use of water resource 10

1.6 The situation in Viet Nam 13

Lesson 2: Waste 15

2.1 What is waste? 16

2.2 Different types of waste 16

2.3 Impacts of unmanaged waste 16

2.4 Sustainable waste management 18


Lesson 3: Sanitation 24

3.1 What is sanitation? 25

3.2 Why does a lack of sanitation lead to diseases? 25

3.3 Why is sanitation important? 26

3.4 How to improve sanitation? 27


References 32

Annex: Potential activities 35

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Figure 2: Water source – Drawing competition, Bac Lieu @GIZ

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Lesson 1: Water

Overview: By the end of this lesson, students will have gained a basic knowledge of what water is and how it circulates on earth through the water cycle, how water can become contaminated and how rainwater can be used for daily activities.

Objectives: Student will

- Explore the water cycle

- Understand some water related issues

- Study on how to sustainably use the water resource

Prerequisite knowledge – Teacher

The background reading below will give teachers an overview of water, the water cycle and the actual situation in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta.

Prerequisite knowledge – Students

Students do not need any prerequisite knowledge for this lesson. Prior to commencing the lesson, it is recom-mended that teachers gauge what level of awareness about water their students have already. This can be done using Activity 1 (“Mind-Bubble”), which is included in the Annex of this manual.

Potential activities

The Annex contains a list of activities that could raise students’ awareness about the importance of water and how to use it properly, because water is a precious resource that is essential for life. Activities 1 to 7 can be used as support for Lesson 1.

Questions for students to answer

After completing this lesson, students should be able to answer the following questions:

- What is the ‘water cycle’? And how does it work?

- How is water essential for life?

- Why do we need to save water?

- What are threats to water quality?

- What are benefits of rainwater use?

- How do we save water?

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Figure 1. The water cycle

1.1 What is water?

Water is a chemical substance (a molecule which is made up of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms) which occurs in nature in three different physical states of matter: liquid, solid and gaseous. Normally you call it water, when it is liquid. If it is solid you call it ice and if it is gaseous you call it water vapour.

Surface water is water cumulating on the ground or in a lake, wetland, stream, river or ocean.

Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface, in soil pore spaces. The water moves down into the ground because of gravity, passing through particles of soil, sand, gravel or rock until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated with water or where there is an impermeable layer that it cannot pass through (such as a layer of clay). The area that is filled with water is called the saturated zone and the top of this zone is called the water table.

1.2 The water cycle

The different states of water are mostly not static but occur within a cycle. This cycle is called the hydrological cycle or water cycle (Figure 1). The water cycle is one of many “cycles” on planet earth in which things move.

The water cycle is driven by the sun, which drives the processes of evaporation and transpiration. The sun heats up surface water in rivers, lakes, oceans transforming liquid water into water vapour. Water vapour in the air rises and condenses, forming clouds.

If the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapour, that means cloud formation reaches a critical limit, water droplets will fall to the earth as rain or snow. Rain falls and snow melts into rivers, lakes (surface water) and some filtrates into the ground - becoming groundwater. Water can move as surface or subsurface runoff to rivers and back to oceans. At this point the cycle closes, and evaporation can start anew.

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Figure 2. Use of water in daily life

1.3 Use of water

Water maintains life on earth. The presence of water is the prerequisite for life. Where there is water, there is life. Water is present in its different forms in many things, such as in the sea, the atmosphere, plants, animals and humans. By weight, the average human adult male is approximately 60% water. Water is also habitat for aquatic organisms.

Organisms are made up of 50 - 75% water. Water maintains average the body temperature, transports nutrients and oxygen for nurturing cells, helps transform food into energy and removes body’s wastes. People use water for many daily activities such as cooking, washing, cleaning (Figure 2). Water can also be used in agriculture, for-estry, aquaculture, industry, transport, landscape and even recreation.

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1.4 Threats to water quality and availability

Over 70% of the earth area is covered by water but most of it is salty water in the oceans. There is only 3% of fresh water but nearly two thirds of this fixed as ice caps at the two poles and as glaciers on mountains. The rest are groundwater and a small percentage of surface water. Water supply will become one of the biggest challenges of humankind in the coming decades. Water scarcity is threatening food production in the world. Currently, there are more than one billion of people who have no access to clean water. Competition in water use can also lead to depletion of water resources. Over exploitation of groundwater makes water table drop, causes drying out of groundwater wells and increased salinisation risks in the coastal areas.

In addition, pollution of rivers and lakes are common problems in the world. There are many things that can pollute water and render it unsuitable for human use. Pollution can occur when wastewater from households or industry is discharged directly into rivers, lakes and the sea without first having harmful components removed. Pollution can occur in many different ways. For example, through bacteria which can lead to dis-eases like diarrhoea, or through chemicals, such as toxic substances from industry, pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers, anti-biotics and hormones from agriculture and aquaculture. The use of polluted water can damage plants and have a bad effect on animals and humans. If water is polluted, it cannot be used anymore for daily activities like drinking, cooking and watering plants.

Another threat to water quality is salinisation. Salinisation is the process of making things become salty. Water and soils can become salty through natural processes like sea water intrusion, or through human activities such as irrigation. Sea water intrusion can, for example, occur in stormy conditions if the sea water

runs over the dyke. The salt water will inundate the farms until it can be dis-charged through sluice gates. A certain amount of salt water will remain and when the water evaporates, salt will re-main in the soil. If sea water repeatedly runs over the dyke, salt levels in the soil can become so high that farming will be negatively affected. Soil salinity makes it difficult for plants to absorb soil moisture so that their growth is affected. In more severe cases of salinisation, the plants simply die.

Irrigation can also lead to salinisation in some areas, because salt is pres-ent naturally in small quantities in the irrigation water (Figure 3). Over time, salt accumulates in the soil as the water evaporates. In other cases, salty groundwater may be present under the farm land. If the groundwater table is

close to the soil surface, over time salt can be transported upwards to the surface by capillary action (the rising of liquid in narrow cracks or tubes), where the salt can become concentrated through the process of evaporation. Irrigation can sometimes cause the water table to rise enough for a salinisation problem to oc-cur.

Figure 3. Salinisation caused by irrigation and rising water table

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1.5 Sustainable use of water resource

1.5.1 Water saving

Water is an invaluable resource but it is not inexhaustibility, therefore, saving water is always essential even where there is plenty of water. Besides saving costs, saving water can also help preventing groundwater deple-tion, water pollution and indirectly help saving energy needed to produce clean water. Following are some simple water saving tips that can be applied easily in daily life:

• Use water saving devices.

• Turn off water while brushing teeth or washing hair.

• Soak dishes for 10-15 minutes before washing helps to save water and wash dishes faster and cleaner. Fill the sink basin or a large container and rinse when all of the dishes have been soaped and scrubbed.

• Water plants in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimise evaporation. Water into the root rather than on the leaves or flowers.

• Cover a mulch layer around the roots to minimise evaporation and prevent growth of weed.

• Use organic fertiliser to increase soil absorbability and water holding capacity of the soil and to save water for irrigation.

• Grow drought-tolerant plants or plants that need less water such as bougainvillea, etc.

• Install rainwater containers to use for watering plants, flushing toilet, cleaning house, etc.

• Reuse used water, for example reusing water that has been used for washing fruit and vegetable to water plants; reusing rinsing water to wash motorbike, yards, and bathroom.

• Encourage family and friends to save water. Encourage schools and local authorities to develop and promote water conservation among communities.

1.5.2 Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting will be crucial for water security, which is becoming a major national and regional priority in many areas of the world.

Rainwater harvesting can bring multiple benefits. As a free source of nearly pure water, rainwater is relatively clean and the quality is usually acceptable for many purposes with little or even no treatment. Up to 50% of household activities can be achieved through the utilisation of rainwater, including flushing, washing, cleaning and garden watering. Thus, rainwater harvesting provides an additional seasonal source of good quality water, which is particularly useful in remote areas where water supply infrastructure is still insufficient and in coastal areas where there is freshwater shortage due to saline intrusion. In cities, rainwater harvesting can reduce storm drain-age load and reduceurban flooding.

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Rainwater harvesting systems are decentralised and independent of topography and geology. They deliver water directly to households, relieving the burden of water carrying. Rainwater technologies are flexible, simple and their construction, operation and maintenance are not labour intensive. Figure 4 shows the basic components of a rainwater harvesting system, including catchment area (rooftop), conveyance (gutter), pri-mary filter (leaf guard), first-flush diverter and storage reservoir (rainwater tank) with overflow pipe.

The leaf guard is a coarse screen located at top of the tank’s inlet pipe to keep debris, leaves, insects, birds and animals out of the rainwater tank.

Figure 3. A simple rainwater harvesting system

Although rainwater generally is of quite good quality, the first rain usually carries a lot of dirt as it washes over the roof. It also dissolves many air pollutants on its way down. Thus the first rainwa-ter should not be stored. A simple first flush device (for example, a valve to divert the dirty first flush away) can be installed to prevent this most contaminated rainwater from entering the tank. The heavier and longer it rains, the less impurity will be in rainwater.

Do not store rainwater in reservoirs made of lead or tar as these materials are harmful to health. Rainwater tanks must be cleaned out if sediment builds up in them. They should always be kept covered to prevent mosquito breeding and dirt falling in. If there is any chance that the rainwater could be contami-nated, it is better to boil it before drinking. For deacti-vating bacteria, solar dis-infection of water (SODIS),

can be used. SODIS is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a simple low cost solution for water treatment at household level to improve the microbiological quality of drinking water. In this method, rainwater is kept in a PET or glass bottle in the sun for 6 hours (in case of cloudy weather, the bottle needs to be kept in the sun longer) before it can be used for drinking.

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1.5.3 Forest protection – protection of water resources

To ensure water supply throughout the year, no sever flooding when it rains and no drought when it does not rain, it is important to increase infiltration and reduce runoff as much as possible. In forests, where there is thick layer of humus, water storing capacity is very high. Here, water runoff is only 3% to 34%. Loss of forest can reduce the water holding and regulation capacity significantly and cause disaster to communities.

Therefore, protecting forests is protecting water resources. Forests serve as a “natural reservoir” which is a water supply resource for rivers and streams in the dry season. Forests play an important role in water resource regula-tion and as a shield for flood protection.

Figure 4, Young mangroves in Bac Lieu Province @GIZ

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1.6 The situation in Viet Nam

1.6.1 Viet Nam

Viet Nam is a tropical country which has an annual average rainfall of 1,960 mm with an uneven distribution of rainfall across the country. Some areas can experience serious water shortages during the dry season. As a conse-quence, in some areas there is an over-exploitation of groundwater, which has resulted in falling water tables. This has in turn led to land subsidence and saline intrusion, as it can be seen in parts of the Mekong Delta.

Another problem that Viet Nam is facing is the increasing pollution of surface-, ground- and coastal waters. Down-stream sections of large rivers as well as rivers and lakes in urban areas are often severely polluted because of discharged sewage. In some areas, the groundwater has been polluted through the application of Agent Orange which was used as herbicide in the American War. Agent Orange was one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military in Vietnam from 1961 - 1971. The name Agent Orange is derived from the orange coloured stripe used by the U.S. army on barrels containing the product. They also used other herbicides whose containers were recognised by their colours, such as Agent Purple and Agent Pink.

Coastal areas are also at risk because of urbanisation and the expansion of tourism and ports. Water pollution and the lack of access to clean water have led to sanitation-related diseases and health problems in some communities. Diarrhoea, for example, remains one of the main causes of death among children under the age of five worldwide and also nationwide in Viet Nam. Additionally, about 44% of Vietnamese children are infected by different types of worms. Viet Nam has a high rate of child malnutrition because of diarrhoea, coupled with the worm infections among children.

1.6.2 The Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is characterised by dense river and canal networks and abundant surface water resources. Rapid population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation, together with intensive agriculture and aquaculture, has led to water pollution and dropping groundwater levels. There are also some parts of the Delta with a high level of salinity, which already impact on agriculture. The population in the Mekong Delta relies on water resources, where mostly surface water is used for drinking, irrigation, aquaculture and transportation. For drinking water, three differ-ent sources are used: rainwater, groundwater and surface water. Of the three, surface water and groundwater are both at risk through water pollution and salinisation.

Millions of people rely on water from the Mekong River for their livelihoods. As a result, water use in the Mekong Delta is a complicated issue which pertains many conflicts among upstream and downstream areas, among differ-ent sectors as well as within the localities and within the sectors themselves.

Rice farming and aquaculture development are major driving factors of water competition among water users in three major agro-ecological zones of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam: upper delta irrigated zone; acid sulphate soil zone; and downstream coastal zone.

The large amount of freshwater used for intensive rice cultivation in the upper part of the Delta reduces the flood plain water storage and lowers river flows. This results in limited water availability and increasing salinity intrusion in the downstream part during low flow periods of the Mekong River. Aquaculture farming contributes to water pollution in the downstream areas through flushing pond/cage effluents during water exchange.

Reclamation of acid sulphate soil for food production in the mid-delta pollutes water in canals and shallow ground-water by acid substances, aluminium, iron and other heavy metals. This causes adverse effects on aquatic eco-systems, potential risks to human health and economic loss for aquaculture and agriculture in the surrounding and downstream

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Sectorial conflicts are even more complex in the coastal zones of the delta where the same irrigation and drainage systems are used for rice and shrimp farming, fishing and mangrove forests. Saline water taken in for shrimp ponds in the dry season might affect neighbouring or upstream rice fields. In contrast, shrimp farm-ing might suffer from freshwater diverted, salinity dilution and field water discharges, often polluted with agro-chemicals, from crop production areas. Water conflicts can also occur within the shrimp farming community by pollution of water as the effluent from one shrimp farm might become the water intake of another. Furthermore, the expansion of shrimp farming is the major cause of coastal mangrove loss, leading to deterioration of water quality and declining of natural aquatic resources.

In addition, there is a growing threat posed by hydropower dam and reservoir constructions in the upstream catchment area. Combined with an increase in urbanisation, industrialisation as well as further agricultural inten-sification this is likely to contribute to greater socio-economic differentiation and water conflicts in the Delta.

In Vinh Chau a coastal town in Soc Trang province, the surface water has been polluted and salinisation has been caused by aquatic production, but the demand for water for daily activities and agriculture is rapidly increas-ing. This has led to a dangerous depletion of groundwater and risks of land subsidence.

Due to the large amounts of rainfall and good quality of rainwater in Vinh Chau (the pH val-ues and physical and chemical components meet drinking water standards), rainwater collection can be considered as a reasonable solution to obtain clean water there.

Figure 5. A simple rain water tank for storage

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Lesson 2: Waste

Overview: By the end of this lesson, students will have gained a basic knowledge about waste, what it is and what can be done with it.

Objective: Students will

1. Get to know different types of waste

2. Learn on 3Rs

3. Get to know some effective waste treatments


The ‘background reading’ below will give teachers an overview of what waste is, how waste should be treated and why recycling is important.


Students do not need any prerequisite knowledge for this lesson. However, prior to commencing this lesson, it is recommended that teachers gauge what level of awareness about waste their students have already. This can be done by using Activity 8, which is included in the Annex of this document.


The Annex contains a list of activities that are designed to enhance students’ understanding of waste. Activities 8 to 17 are particularly relevant for Lesson 2.


Upon completing this lesson, students should be able to answer the following questions:

- Where does waste come from?

- What are impacts of unmanaged wastes?

- What is the priority order in waste management?

Figure 5. A simple rain water tank for storage

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2.1 What is waste?

Wastes are materials that human no longer use or do not want to use any more and therefore discard them; or excess material generated during manufacturing, catering and other human activities. Waste material can be all sorts of things, such as paper, plastic, metals, glass, food scraps, liquids, or even toxic and chemical substances. People use a lot of materials and generate a lot of wastes in their daily life.

The term “waste” is actually very subjective, because some things may have no value for their owner, but could be of value for others, as the saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

2.2 Different types of waste

There are different types of waste, depending on what they are made of and each type has a different way of being treated. There are three broad types of waste: organic waste, inorganic waste and hazardous waste (Figure 6).

Inorganic waste consists of materials that are not plant or animal matter, such as plastic, glass or metal. This waste does not decompose easily. Some of it however, can be recycled or reused, such as glass and metal.

Hazardous waste can be toxic, radioactive, infectious or bad for the environment. Hazardous waste can come from industrial areas, atomic power plants, medical facilities, building sites and even households (pesticides, paints, old batteries, fluorescent tubes, engine oil, etc.).

2.3 Impacts of unmanaged waste

If waste is just thrown away anywhere (Figure 7), it will attract insects or rodents which can carry diseases, and create favourable conditions for pathogens. Moreover, waste can contaminate the soil, the air and the water. Waste dumping sites also generates a lot of leachate. If untreated, these leachates which contain many contaminants, heavy metals, toxic organic pollutants and bacteria will mix with rainwater and penetrate into the ground, contaminating rivers and lakes, causing negative effects to plants, animals and human’s health.

A common problem nowadays is waste from plastic bags, a big threat to environment due to its durability.

Figure 6. Different types of waste

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Plastic bags buried in the soil will prevent oxygen ventilation and the activity of soil bacteria, this will lead to degra-dation of the soil and limit the development of plants.

When released into water, plastic bags will clog drainage systems, limit flow and impede waterway transport, as well as causing stagnant and polluted habitats that affect aquatic organisms.

There is already a huge amount of plastic bags floating in the ocean which leads to the death of animals, if they eat it or get entangled in. Because of its long lifetime, which can be up to 1,000 years, one plastic bag can hurt or kill several animals.

Moreover, the additives used during the production process of plastic bags are mostly toxic chemicals which have negative effects on human health.

Because they are so cheap and convenient, plastic bags appear everywhere, mostly used only once, serving in a short time as container to carry things from market to home and then being thrown away. If we do not have mea-sures for limiting the use of plastic bags, in the near future, channels, fields, coasts etc. will be covered with plastic bags and the environment will be seriously polluted (Figure 8).

Figure 7. No littering, waste should be put into waste bin

Figure 8.1 ans 8.2 Accumulation of plastic waste at a market in Bac Lieu Province, students cleaning up

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2.4 Sustainable waste management

The production of goods uses many resources and energy and their consumption generates waste. This often has negative impacts on the environment as resources are getting more and more depleted while waste and pollution are increasing. Therefore, avoiding or reducing the production of waste will help conserve valuable natural re-sources such as forests, minerals and non-renewable energy resources. Waste minimisation by re-using things also helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because less energy will be needed to produce new goods. Handling waste effectively also saves money - one example is the use of bio degradable waste as natural fertilizer (see page 22). Moreover, reducing waste reduces harmful effects for the environment.

Figure 9 shows the priority principle in waste management. It classifies waste treatment methods into a hierarchy, from the ideal option with no waste or very little waste generated (the least wasteful and least harmful to the envi-ronment) to the most wasteful and most harmful to the environment.

For effective waste management an integrated approach is needed. This approach includes waste management re-lated aspects such as environmental, social, economic and institutional dimensions with participation of stakehold-ers in the different components of the waste management system (reduce, collect, reuse, recycle, disposal) rather

than only focusing on waste treatment technology.

2.4.1 Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

According to the principle above, in waste management, the first priority is waste prevention and mitigation options (Figure 10). The more waste can be avoided in production and consumption, the more costs can be saved for later steps of waste treatment (reuse, recycle, incineration or landfilling). In cases where waste cannot be avoided, we should try to reuse and recycle as much as possible before discarding waste.

Figure 9. Priority principle in waste management

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Reduce, avoid generating waste and lessening the amount of waste generated is the way to remove waste at source. Everyone can reduce the amount of waste they produce. For example, we can avoid using packaging mate-rial which is mostly used only once and then thrown away by buying products with less packaging material or reus-ing them. We can also bring our own bags when we go shopping and limiting the use of plastic bags. Although we might be given a plastic bag for free when we buy things, we must always rember that there are environmental and production costs, which require energy and resources, both of which are not endlessly available on our planet.

Reuse means to use products or materials again without much modification. For example, they only need to be cleaned or fixed before being reused. Therefore, through reuse, one product can be used many times so that its life span is extended. Examples are the re-use of glass or plastic bottles and tins for storing water and food.

Recycle differs from reuse because it involves some change in the composition, physical, chemical or biological properties of wastes when they are transformed into recycled products. Effective recycling can save materials and energy, because it reduces the quantity of new raw materials needed to produce things. For example, recycling of paper reduces the amount of wood needed for making paper - through the recycling of one ton of paper, 15 trees, 400 litres of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of electricity, 4 cubic metres of landfill and 31,780 litres of water can be saved. So, recycling uses less energy, causes less air and water pollution and emits less greenhouse gases in comparison to

producing new products from raw materials.

Figure 10. Reduce, reuse and recycle

Figure 11. Recycling symbol 3Rs

Some products, such as plastic bottles, display the recycling symbol (3Rs), which consists of three wide arrows arranged in a triangle, chasing each other (Figure 11), and which designates that the product is recyclable. In daily living, everyone can contribute to reduce, reuse and recycle by following the sugges-tions in table 1.

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Reduce Reuse Recycle

Buy only what you need, avoid unnecessary pur-chases and borrow items where possible.

Buy products with little packaging, avoid dispos-able items

Buy products that can be reused, rather than thrown away, such as rechargeable batteries.

Saving paper by printing or writing on both sides.

Donate unwanted items, instead of throwing them away.

Buy non-toxic products, in order to reduce hazardous waste.

Carrier bags – Reused in shops or as bin bags.

Jars and pots – Clean them and use them as storage containers.

Newspaper and cardboard – Reuse as packing mate-rial.

Old clothes – Donate them

Paper – Recycling to use as draft, notes.

Ties – Used to secure loose items together.

Wood – Used to make items

Selling to recycling vendors recyclable items such as:

Glass bottles

Paper and cardboard

Plastic

Textiles

MetalsWood

Buy products made from recycled materials.

Composting in your garden is an excellent way of re-cycling kitchen and garden wastes.

Table 1. Reduce, reuse and recycle in daily living

For recycling, wastes need to be collected and separated into different types of materials - for example, separating glass, paper, plastic and metal from organic material to facilicate waste management, because different materi-als must be treated and recycled differently. For inorganic waste such as glass, metal, the most effective option is to recycle it. Organic waste, like plant material and veg-etable scraps, can be easily mulched or composted in the garden, and then used as fertiliser. If waste components do not have an economic value, they will not be recycled. Such waste either will be burned in specially designed facilities, where energy can be produced as a by-product, or it will be buried in landfills, but there is an environmen-tal cost involved in doing so. Some types of waste, which cannot be burned or recycled, such as radioactive waste, are much harder to dispose of and require specialised treatment, such as long-term storage with rigorous care.

In industry, reuse and recycle can be facilitated in terms of waste exchange programmes, where waste of this industrial sector can be input materials for other industrial sectors. In some developed countries, there are special collection points for recycable materials such as glass and metals, and for hazardous or polluting materials such as paint, oil, old batteries, etc.

Figure 12. environmental friendly bag

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Figure 12. environmental friendly bag

2.4.2 Production of organic fertiliser

Through composting organic materials, such as leaves, grass and vegetable scraps, we can make organic fertil-iser, which can be used to improve soil quality (Figure 12 and 13). Bacteria and chemical processes convert the organic material back into natural components, such as nitrates. The decomposing process can be enhanced by either shredding the material, watering it, turning it over regularly or through good ventilation. If the process takes place under anaerobic condition with agricultural and livestock wastes, it can produce biogas which can be used as fuel for cooking and lighting, etc.

2.4.3 Incineration

Burning is a way to get rid of waste so that very little remains. Once burned, waste volume will be reduced signifi-cantly and converted into ash, gas and heat. Heat generated can be used as energy.

Incineration is an option applied for certain types of waste, such as medical waste which includes pathogens and toxics. To completely breakdown these substances however, a specific and high burning temperature is neces-sary and this kind of waste should only be treated in specialised plants.

If waste is burned in an open space, the actual burning area can be seriously damaged – for example, plants and animals can be killed. The fire might also escape and harm a larger area, or even get out of control completely, with very serious consequences, such as destroying nearby houses or a forest. Burning waste also releases harmful substances, which pollute the air and the environment. Particularly burning plastic waste under insuf-ficient temperature can release the poison dioxin, which can lead to many human health problems. Therefore, to ensure that the environment and people are not harmed by dangerous by-products (gases), burning should only be carried out under controlled conditions, such as in a specialised incineration plant.

Figure 13. Composting

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2.4.4 Landfilling

At a landfill site, waste will be disposed of in the long term by burial or storage. But there are a lot of negative aspects related to landfills.

First of all, if a landfill is not built properly according to technical standards, it can be harmful for the environ-ment, because some waste materials contain toxins which may contaminate soil and groundwater as well as affect humans and the animals. Secondly, the waste at a landfill site when being decomposed will emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Another problem with landfilling is that whilst landfills are filled relatively quickly, the waste breaks down very slowly, so more and more areas are needed, thus leaving an ever-increasing problem for future generations.

Figure 14. Landfill site (wikimedia commons)

To reduce negative effects on environment, landfills must be designed and managed according to specific standards. The location for example should be where the soil is impermeable; an impermeable layer should be put at the bottom of the landfill and there should be a leachate collection system so that harmful substanc-es cannot infiltrate and contaminate the groundwater.


2.5.1 Viet Nam

In Viet Nam the amount of solid waste has increased from 5.9 million tonnes per year in 1996 to about 15 million tonnes per year in 2011, out of which 80% is municipal solid waste. The reason for the increase is the rapid growth of population and economy.

At present, most of the waste is not disposed in a safe way - most is dumped at open dumpsites or landfills. Waste treatment is, and will remain, a big challenge.

Waste-treatment companies, such as URENCO (Urban Environment Company), collect, transport and treat all kinds of waste and re-use and recycle it, especially in the (bigger) cities. Generally each household places their waste in either a bin or a plastic bag in front of their house or at the street and URENCO workers will

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come along to collect them. But organised waste collection and treatment is not established everywhere and is particularly lacking in rural areas.

In the municipal waste management system of Viet Nam, recycle and reuse exists as an informal component; however, they have contributed significantly in job generation and waste reduction. There are informal networks with individual waste collectors who collect, reuse, recycle or sell certain types of wastes, such as bottles or cans. However, there is still a lot of waste not collected, and thrown away into the landscape, buried or burned To treat all kinds of waste effectively, an organised waste treatment system needs to be in place everywhere and everyone should apply waste separation accordingly.

2.5.2 The Mekong Delta

In the Mekong Delta area, the extent of municipal solid waste collection varies between cities and rural areas. Where it is collected, the waste is treated through composting, burning and land filling. In cities, 65-72% of the waste is collected, whereas in rural areas the figure varies between 40-55%. Even where it is in place, the waste collection/treatment process is very basic. Most waste that is collected is just carried to dump sites and remains untreated.

Waste collection in Au Tho B

Most of the people in Au Tho B village in Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang Province, dispose their waste during the dry season by burning it (83%). 11% of the households simply throw their waste away and 6% bury it. During rainy season, burning and burying is limited be-cause of the weather conditions. During this time, most of the waste is just thrown away, sometimes carelessly into the landscape.

To implement a better system of waste man-agement and to prevent waste from ending up in the environment, the village authorities in cooperation with the GIZ projet provided the households with 180 waste bins. One solution to make use of available material is to use rubbish bins made from old truck tires (Figure 16). This example can also be used to explain a good example of direct recycling.

Figure 16 A rubbish bin made from old truck tires

Figure 15. waste collection in An Giang Vocational Training College

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Lesson 3: Sanitation

Overview: By the end of this lesson, students will have gained a basic knowledge about what sanitation is, why sanitation is important, and how a hygienic latrine should be built.

Objective: Students will

- Learn what sanitation is and how it can be improved

- Explore why sanitation can help to increase the quality of human life and health

- Learn how a hygiene latrine works


The ‘Background reading’ below will give teachers an overview of sanitation, its importance and how to improve sanitation.


Students don’t need a basic understanding of sanitation. Prior to commencing this lesson, it is recommended that teachers gauge what level of awareness about sanitation their students already have. This can be done using Activ-ity 18, which is included in the Annex.


The Annex contains a list of activities that are designed to enhance students’ understanding of sanitation. Sanitation Activities 18 to 25 are particularly relevant for Lesson 3.


Upon completion of this lesson, students should be able to answer the following questions:

- What do you understand by the term ‘sanitation’?

- How does sanitation help to stop the spread of diseases?

- When do we need to wash our hands?

- How does a hygienic latrine work?

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3.1 What is sanitation?

According to the World Health Organisation “sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease world-wide, and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health, both in households and across communities. The word ‘sanitation’ also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and wastewater disposal”.

3.2 Why does a lack of sanitation lead to diseases?

Without any sanitation system, people will defecate in the open nature and faeces, including pathogens, can easily get into the environment and come back to humans in the form of disease. Faeces can contain different patho-gens, such as certain viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths, which in turn can cause different infections and diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis A. Diarrhoea for example, remains in the second leading cause of death among children globally. Every year about 1.5 million children younger than 5 years die because of diarrhoea. The presence of pathogens however, is dependent on whether someone in the area is a carrier of the disease(Figure 17).

Other ways to transmit diseases are direct contamination of water, soil or plants by people defecating in the open nature. In addition, faeces deposited in the open nature create breeding sites for insects, which may also spread the diseases indirectly to food. Contaminated water and food such as fruits and vegetables, might in turn affect human health by passing through the food chain. One example can be seen in the lifecycle of trematode worms (or “flukes”). Infected people transmit the larvae in their faeces. If the faeces reach rivers, lakes or ponds, the trema-todes complete their lifecycles in intermediate hosts and subsequently infect fish, shellfish or encyst on aquatic plants. Humans become infected when they consume the fish, shellfish, or plants that are raw or partially cooked.

On the other hand, untreated wastewater could contribute to spreading diseases if it is used for irrigation, because pathogens could enter the food chain.

Figure 17. Contamination pathway

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Extra Information: Food Chain

A food chain is a way of showing how all plants and animals depend on each other and how each living thing gets its food. Each link in the food chain is food for the next link. Usually a food chain starts with plant life and ends with an animal. An example is a plant eaten by an herbivore (animal that eats only plants), which is eaten by a carnivore (animal that eats animals), which can be eaten by another carnivore and so on (Figure 18). Because of the large amount of energy that is lost at each link, the amount of energy that is transferred gets less and less. This is why a food chain usually consists of not more than 4 or 5 links.

3.3 Why is sanitation important?

With basic sanitation and hygiene education, you can reduce health risks, prevent the spread of disease and save lives. By improving health, the immune system will be less weakened and people will become more resilient and better protected against malnutrition and diseases. Healthy people have more time for working, learning and social life. In addition, a good sanitation system increases the quality of life, especially for the dignity of the female. Thus, access to sanitation facilities is a basic need and human right of all people and therefore part of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations.

Figure 18. Example of a food chain

Extra information: Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals, agreed to in the year 2000 by 189 nations, aim at improving the quality of life throughout the world by the end of 2015. The eight Goals are:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Improve maternal health

5. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

6. Ensure environmental sustainability

7. Develop a global partnership for development

8. Reduce child mortality

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Furthermore, improved sanitation can be economically profitable in many ways.

- Investment in better sanitation avoids financial burden, such as medical costs or lost income through missed working days.

- Another long-term benefit is sanitary education. Educated parents are more likely to practice healthy hygiene and sanitation behaviours, which affect the whole household and can be passed on to the children.

- Faeces, manure and other organic waste can also be used for biogas production. This renewable energy helps to reduce CO2 emissions and provides a clean source of energy for cooking.

3.4 How to improve sanitation?

To improve sanitation, human urine and faeces have to be disposed of safely. But how can this be done? In urban areas in developed countries, wastewater runs through sewers into wastewater treatment plants. A wastewater treatment plant cleans wastewater through physical, chemical and biological processes, so that the clean water can be either re-used or discharged into lakes, rivers or the ocean.

A wastewater treatment plant is a large-scale way to remove contaminants from wastewater and so it is very costly. It also needs a minimum number of households to be connected to it to work effectively. Therefore, a wastewater treatment plant cannot be constructed everywhere. However, there are other ways to deal with sewage, apart from expensive treatment plants. Households can build their own system that treats the sewage. There are different sys-tems that can do this, such as a septic tank system or a Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT). Apart from the different systems, there are some basic rules which every sanitation system should follow to be safe and effective:

- Ensure that people do not come into contact with the faeces.

- Prevent organisms that may carry diseases (such as flies) having contact with human waste.

- Ensure that untreated faeces, and any associated pathogens, cannot get into water (faeces need to be treated or stored before it is discharged into the environment).

3.4.1 Toilets

Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT)

A Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (also called a double-vault dry latrine) stores and manages human waste, helps to prevent diseases and improves soil quality. The toilet operates without water and urine and faeces are stored sepa-rately. Faeces fall through a hole into a container, known as a vault, where they are collected and stored (Figure 20). After each use, the faeces are covered with wood, ash, lime or similar material to soak up moisture and to prevent odours. Two alternating vaults are used, so that while one vault is in use, the faeces previously collected in the other vault can dehydrate and decompose. The longer the faeces are stored (6 months – 2 years), the more time there is for pathogens to be reduced. Pathogens are removed via the drying process (helped by good aera-tion), high temperatures and very importantly, through alkaline conditions (raised pH level) that can be created dur-ing storage if lime and/or ash are added. As time goes by, the pathogens die off and the faeces turn into compost. Urine is collected separately in a watertight tank, so that the vault for the solid faeces stays dry. The reason for separating urine and solid faeces is that pathogenic organisms cannot grow in faeces without moisture.

Because urine in the bladder of a healthy person is sterile (meaning it contains no pathogens - only very few dis-eases are transmitted via pathogens in urine), it can be applied as a fertiliser either undiluted or diluted.

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Figure 19. A Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT)

To make sure that there are no pathogens, through cross-contamination with faeces, urine should be stored for at least one month. For a higher safety margin, 6 months of storage can be used. The complete separation of urine and solid faeces is very important to ensure that the urine collection area does not get clogged or contaminated with pathogens and the urine does not wet the faeces.

Urine Diverting Dry Toilet or waterless latrine has been widely used in the northern part and mountainous areas in Viet Nam as an inexpensive option with additional benefit of fertiliser. Environmental conditions in highlands are dry, with high temperature and low humidity which are very suitable for composting; and lack of water is also one reason.

In the Mekong Delta, the use of waterless latrines has been tried but was not successful because using composted human manure for crops is not popular here while water borne diseases are still a big problem in waterways areas.

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Flooding will obstruct the composting process resulting in poor quality compost and the habit of using water after defecating made the latrine become a polluted source. Therefore, the septic tank latrine is suggested for use in the Mekong Delta.

Septic tank latrine

A septic tank is a key component of a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas where municipal sewer service is not available. A septic tank generally consists of a buried, watertight container normally made of concrete. It is connected to an inlet wastewater pipe at one end. The tank design usually incorporates two or more chambers, separated by dividing walls that has openings located about midway between the floor and the roof of the tank.

As wastewater enters the first chamber of the tank, solids settle to the bottom of the septic tank forming sludge while grease and fat float to the top, forming a scum layer. The scum helps prevent odours escaping and stops air entering. Anaerobic bacteria developed in the tank decompose the waste discharged and help to reduce the built up of sludge. Gas generated is vented through the gas exhaust pipe. The anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions inside the septic tank also deactivate some of the disease germs that are found in sewage. The liquid component flows through the dividing wall into the second chamber, and, if present, to a third chamber, where further settle-ment takes place. The treated effluent flows out of the tank through an outlet pipe as new wastewater enters. The T-shaped outlet baffle on the outlet pipe prevents the sludge and scum from leaving the tank (Figure 20).

Waste that is not decomposed by the anaerobic digestion eventually has to be removed from the septic tank through the sediment suck pipe or access port. Maintenance of the tank can be carried out through the access port. How often the septic tank has to be emptied depends on the volume of the tank relatively to the input of solids. A properly designed and normally operating septic system is odour-free and should last for decades.

The septic tank latrine is one kind of hygienic latrines accepted by the Viet Nam’s Ministry of Health. Effluent from septic tank latrines has physiochemical and micro-organism parameters which meet the Vietnamese standard and can be discharged to water resource (ponds, channels) where it is diluted to reduce pollution level and concurrently supply nutrients to plankton to enrich food for aqua-organism.

LỚP 6

Figure 20. A septic tank latrine

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3.4.2 Hand washing

The implementation of a sanitation system should be combined with thorough hand washing with soap, so that peo-ple are well protected from pathogens and diseases will not spread. Keeping hands clean is the single most effec-tive (and cheapest) way we can take to prevent getting sick and spreading germs to others. Effective hand washing (Figure 22) protects best against diseases transmitted through faecal-oral routes and direct physical contact. It for example reduces diarrhoea by nearly half and decreases respiratory infections.

When should you wash your hands?

• Before eating

• Before and after handling or preparing food

• Before and after caring for someone who is sick

• Before and after treating a cut or wound

• After using the toilet

• After changing nappies or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet

• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

• After contact with blood or body fluids (like vomit, nasal secretions or faeces)

• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

• After touching garbage or dirty things Figure 21. washing hands

There are still many people who rarely use soap for hand washing, thus, creating lasting behaviour change and ensuring hand washing with soap becomes a social norm are key com-ponents of hygiene and sanitation programmes worldwide.

Figure 22. Effective hand washing

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Figure 21. washing hands


In Viet Nam, the development of sanitation and improved hygiene is slow. UNICEF (2007) reports that 52% of the rural population has some sort of sanitation facilities, but only 18% of these facilities meet the hygiene standards of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. There is not only a lack of sanitary facilities on household level. Schools and public areas are also concerned. This lack of sanitation leads to contamination with bacteria, viruses, parasites via water, soil, food and unwashed hands. But not only the lack of sanitation facilities causes contamination, another issue is that some people prefer to defecate in the open nature and do not use toilets, because they think that it is cleaner. This behaviour contributes to the prevalence of pathogens. As a result of poor water quality and poor standards of hygiene and sanitation, more than 20,000 people die every year in Viet Nam. It affects all people, but especially the poor and disadvantaged are concerned.

Another important aspect is the hygiene. In rural Viet Nam only 12% wash their hands with soap before meals and only 16% after defecation. So the lack of safe water and sanitation is a very urgent issue. Good education is also needed to convince people to use sanitary facilities. Better sanitation and hygiene do not only improve health, but also strengthen social and economic development.

Figure 23.open toilet in Kien Giang Province

A baseline survey about the sanitation situation in Au Tho B village in Soc Trang Province showed that only 10% of house-holds had their own hygienic latrines. Some people (about 13%) defecate in holes, which they later cover and most people (about 77%) defecate in the sea. These practices have resulted in unsanitary conditions for the villages and an unsightly land-scape.

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Annex: Potential activities

This section contains a list of potential activities which could be included in lessons on water, waste and sanita-tion. The activities are designed to enhance students’ understanding of these three topics, the significance of these topics for environmental protection and how the resources can be used sustainably.

Teachers should choose which activities they think would best enhance their students’ understanding of water, waste and sanitation. This list of activities is not exhaustive. Teachers should feel free to include other activities when necessary.

Water

Activity 1: Water Use ‘Mind-bubble’

Activity 2: Crossword

Using the numbered clues given below, ask students to fill in the blank squares in the crossword with the cor-rect water-related word. Students could be given a copy each, or they could work in small groups to complete the crossword.

It is recommended that this activity is carried out at the begin-ning of Lesson 1 as it will help teachers gauge how aware their students are about water.

At the beginning of Lesson 1, ask students to write down what they know about water. For what activities do they need water, where do they get their water from, what is water, where do we find it and so on. Write the term ‘water’ in a central bubble on a large piece of paper (or board). Ask students what they have written down. Their answers should be summarized into key words or phrases and put into other bubbles surrounding the central bubble. Figure 24 shows how the Mind Bubble could initially look like.

Figure 24. Mind Bubble

DOWN

1. The gas phase of water.

2. Competing uses of water can lead to water __________.

4. Another name for water cycle.

5. Liquid water in the form of droplets that has condensed and then is precipitated.

7. Ability of liquids to rise in narrow cracks or tubes, or in porous material, in opposi-tion to gravity.

8. The change of the physical state of matter from a gaseous phase into a liquid phase.

10. The use of ____________ water can damage plants and harm humans and animals.

12. A physical water state.

15. During the dry season, some areas in Vietnam can experience serious water ________.

16. A structure created in the ground to access groundwater

18. A necessary activity, which every human has to do to stay alive.

ACROSS

3. An activity that humans need water for, to get some things clean.

6. Water, which you can store easily from your roof.

9. Water that is located beneath the surface of the ground.

11. A disease, which can affect people through polluted water, contributes to malnutrition and is a main cause of death, especially for children younger than 5 years.

13. The process of making things becoming salty.

14. It drives the water cycle.

17. The top or surface of the groundwater zone.

19. Place where water can be stored as surface water.

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Activity 3: Cloze exercise

Below is an extract from a speech delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon at the World Water day in New York in March 2012. Some words have been deleted from the speech. Students are to fill in the blank spaces in the speech using the words in the list below.

water / risk / agriculture / competition / hungry / scarcity / political / population / security / rights

“Over the coming decades, feeding a growing global ________ and ensuring food and nutrition security for all will depend on increasing food production. This, in turn, means ensuring the sustainable use of our most critical finite resource – ________.

The theme of this year’s World Water Day is water and food_________. Agriculture is by far the main user of freshwater. Unless we increase our capacity to use water wisely in ________, we will fail to end hunger and we will open the door to a range of other ills, including drought, famine and ______instability.

In many parts of the world, water _______ is increasing and rates of growth in agricultural production have been slowing. At the same time, climate change is exacerbating _______ and unpredictability for farmers, especially for poor farmers in low-income countries who are the most vulnerable and the least able to adapt.

These interlinked challenges are increasing _______ between communities and countries for scarce water re-sources, aggravating old security dilemmas, creating new ones and hampering the achievement of the funda-mental human ______to food, water and sanitation. With nearly 1 billion people _____ and some 800 million still lacking a safe supply of freshwater, there is much we must do to strengthen the foundations of local, national, and global stability.”

Activity 4: How do we get drinking water?

Break the class up into small research teams. Explain that each group is going to be responsible for one (or more, depending upon size of class) area of research. Their job is to use sources of information to find out as much as they can about a given area of water collection/treatment. Each member of the group must make brief notes and understand the area well enough to be able to explain this to another group.

Provide each group with one or more of the research cards and each member of the group with a copy of the note taking sheet with their work booklet. Allow the groups time to use fact books, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, the Internet, CD-ROMS, magazines, journal articles etc. to help research their topic cards and complete their note tak-ing cards.

Activity 5: Identify contamination pathways

Ask the students to identify which types of water sources are found in their communities: a river or stream, a pond, a lake, a dug well, etc. Ask the students to form groups according to the type of source in their area.

Invite each group to depict their source in the way they prefer, for example by making a drawing using markers, paint or pencils, using tear and paste/cut and paste methods, or making a 3D small-scale model using material that is available in school, at their homes and in the community.

When each group has depicted their source, ask them to identify the practices in the community that contaminate the source and the uses that people make of water from the source (water uses). Ask them to use different co-loured cards for contaminating and water uses.

Let each group present its product in class, explaining the different uses and how these may affect the quality and quantity of the water available now and in future. Ask them to mention also the environmental, economical, social and health consequences. (Who will be affected negatively by which uses?).

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Activity 6: Safe drinking water

Ask students to show the preparation of safe water according to what is locally feasible. For example, where people may not have access to enough fuel to boil water, focus on solar disinfection. Facilitate a discussion about feasibility of the various treatment methods.

Let students make a drawing on the importance of safer drinking water in whatever way they wish (free expres-sion). Let them take the drawings home to show and, if agreed, put it on the wall at home. The next day/les-son, facilitate an open discussion about what they have done at home with the drawing and how their parent(s) reacted.

Teachers can link the activity with an experiment (e.g. solar disinfection, SODIS) of drinking water, link with a visit to the local water facilities, etc.).

Activity 7: Water saving

Ask students to call out different amounts of water that different everyday tasks use e.g. flushing the toilet, taking a shower. Ask students why we need to worry about water conservation, what are the implications for wasting water. Let them think back to the costs (monetary, environmental etc.) of water production and delivery.

Facilitate discussion on what we can do to help, what changes we could implement to help reduce the water we use and make sure we don’t waste any. Draw up a list of ideas with the class.

Activity 8: Gauge students’ existing knowledge of waste

It is recommended that this activity is carried out at the beginning of Lesson 2 as it will help teachers gauge how aware their students are about waste.

First step: Describe what you understand by the term “waste”.

Ask the students to write down what they understand by the term “waste”. Students could answer individually or as a part of a small group. Ask students what they have written down. Their answers should be summarised into key words or phrases.

Second step: Make a list of the things you throw away.

Everybody uses resources and produces waste. The students should make a list of the different types of waste that is produced where they live. They only read out what they have written to gain an impression of the kinds of products that are thrown away.

Third step: Can you group these things into different categories?

Now that the students have an impression of the different waste products they produce, they can try to group them into different categories, for example organic waste, such as banana peel.

Waste

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Organic waste Hazardous waste ...

Banana peel

Leaves/litter

Mango peel

...

Pesticides

Batteries

Oil

...

...

Table 2. Example of different waste categories

After the different categories have been named, a table should be created on a large piece of paper (or board), so that the different waste products can be grouped into the different categories as shown in Table 2.

Fourth step: How do you dispose of your waste at the moment? Do you dispose of different things in different ways?

The students think about how they dispose of their waste (for example, burning or burying) and add these disposal methods to the table, next to the different products.

Fifth step: What other kinds of waste that is produced by other people or companies could the students think of?

The students should brainstorm other waste products. These products should be added to the table. If a new cat-egory is needed (for example, hazardous waste) it can be added to the list.

Activity 9: Trash through ages

Looking back into the lives of previous generations reveals many interesting facts about how their lives were differ-ent from those we live today. Not only did people make and do without many technological advances we now take for granted, but they generated less waste by reusing and recycling many items. Comparing our lifestyles and habits to those of past generations reveals much about how modern society lives and suggests ways we could reduce our use of natural resources and the amount of waste we generate.

Have the students list some modern conveniences we have today (e.g. plastic wrap, paper, gas/electric devices for cooking, lighting etc.) and what their ancestors might have used instead (e.g. banana leaf for packaging, woven bags for shopping, bamboo trunk for writing on, coconut oil).

Divide the class into small groups and assign each a different time period in history. Have each group research its time period and make a poster illustrating the kinds of trash items they would have generated then. Each group should explain its poster to the class. What kinds of things can you tell about a culture by examining its waste? What do the differences in trash indicate about the lifestyles of the people living then?

Make a time line and mount the posters at the appropriate period. Have students write an essay on how and why the materials people throw away have changed over time.

Ask the class what people did before the convenience products we use today were available. Give each student a card with the name of an object we use today and have them come up with an alternative product used in a different time period but which does the same thing. How would the waste generated by the alternative differ from that gener-ated by the product used today?

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Have the students interview their parents, grandparents, or other adults to find out how the products they used as children, and the type and amount of trash they generated, are different from today.

Tell the students they are archaeologists from the Year 3000 and have discovered an old landfill from the Year 2010. What sorts of items would they find? What conclusions could they draw about our society from looking at its trash?

Have the students (individually or in groups) select a foreign country and research the amount and types of trash it generates. Have students report back to the class and discuss how their society and habits differ from those in other countries. What can different countries learn from one another?

Activity 10: Review of effective waste treatment

At the end of Lesson 2, the students should have a look at the table 2 they created (activity 8). After learning how to treat waste effectively, the students should have a look at the list they prepared earlier. The students should review and mark their list, according to whether their actual waste disposal is appropriate (mark with green) or whether it can be improved (mark with red). The effective disposal method should be added to the list if it is missing.

Activity 11: Make poster on how to dispose waste effectively

Ask students to design a poster about waste - for example, with a visualisation of how to dispose of the different types of waste effectively and what you shouldn’t do with waste. The poster could use words and pictures to raise awareness and could then, for example, be displayed at the school.

Activity 12: Research and presentation of products and the resources needed to produce them

Students could undertake research into certain products they use, such as plastic bags, and find out which resourc-es are needed to produce each product. With the information gained, the students can learn which resources can be saved if people avoid or reduce using this product. Through preparing a short presentation they could present the product and the resources needed to make it to their classmates and learn presentation skills at the same time.

Activity 13: Write a story

The students could use their imagination and write a story about the life cycle of a resource which is used by hu-mans, such as a piece of wood. The story should have two endings, one with effective disposal and the other with an inappropriate method of disposal. The story could be about a small quantity of crude oil and start like this: Crude oil was created long ago from tiny sea organisms, such as algae, mixed with sediments and buried under anoxic condi-tions. Through the impact of high temperature and pressure and over a long period of time, the organisms converted into crude oil. Oil can be found deep in the ground and it is being extracted in oil wells because humans need a lot of it for fuel and other things, such as the making of plastics. One product is the plastic bag, which is used for carrying things…

Activity 14: From smart consumption to green living

Everybody should try to reduce the amount of his or her own waste production. The students should think about the task and then brainstorm which waste products they might be able to reduce. The students can also think further and add more actions to their list, which will contribute to a “greener” or more sustainable living and which will reduce en-vironmental impacts in the home, in school and at work. One example is using energy. When you consume energy, you can’t see the resources which are directly needed for energy production or the waste produced in the process. However, resources are needed to make energy, such as wood or coal and “waste” is generated, such as green-house gases. Everybody’s contribution to using less energy could be switching off the light or other electric devices when they don’t need it.

After the students have brainstormed, the best ideas should be collected and written down on a large piece of paper. This could be displayed in the school, so that everybody will be reminded to improve their daily behaviour. Addition-ally, students can also create little reminders or posters which can be fixed directly onto the products they use.

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Activity 15: Investigate the community

In this exercise students will collect data on recycling and solid waste in their local community and find the answers to the following questions:

1. What is the population in your community?

2. How much garbage is produced?

3. How is garbage disposed of? Possibilities include putting it in a landfill, recycling, waste-to-energy, composting, and shipping to other places.

4. How much does it cost to dispose of waste per ton?

5. Is there a recycling and/or composting programme in your area? Is it run by a public or private organisation? How can citizens participate in the programme? What types of resources are being recycled? How much is being re cycled?

Then students compile this information into a fact sheet, write articles for the school or local newspaper, or in any way possible share it with your school, family, community, church, and other groups. This exercise can be done once or twice each year to record the changes that have occurred.

Activity 16: Start an effective school recycling programme

Designate a coordinator for the recycling programme. The more people get involved, the more successful the pro-gramme will be. School administrators, janitors, teachers and students should be included.

Make arrangements with waste collectors or recycling vendors to collect the material on a regular basis at a specific location on the school grounds.

Determine what materials are to be recycled. Schools can recycle paper generated in administrative offices and classrooms. Schools may consider recycling newspaper, corrugated card board, aluminum beverage cans, plastic, and glass (food and beverage containers) to further reduce their solid waste stream. Composting of yard wastes (brush and leaves) might also be considered.

Establish a system for separating, collecting and storing recyclables. Place properly-labelled containers for paper in the front of each classroom. Place well-marked bins for aluminum and glass near wastebaskets in all areas where food is prepared or eaten. Decide who will collect recyclables, how frequently the collection will occur and what equipment will be necessary.

Educate the school community about the programme. Send a memo detailing the programme to administrators, teachers, and staff. Schedule time for explaining the programme. The education can be done by students, teachers, administrators, or recycling coordinators. Sometimes, the message is better received when delivered by students. Explain the necessity for recycling in the school by referring to the environmental needs, and the fact that we are throwing away valuable resources. Explain how the programme will work. Show samples of the materials to be re-cycled. Explain the importance of keeping recycling containers free of contaminants (e.g., chewing gum, food waste, paper napkins/towels/tissues, waxed paper, aluminum foil, plastics).

Display recycling poster and set up displays in prominent locations in the schools. To unify the programme and to heighten its visibility, use the standard recycling symbol or a recycling slogan on all recycling containers. Consider sponsoring a contest to acquire a suitable slogan, or ask the art teacher if students may design a poster and deco-rate storage containers during art classes.

Setting good examples for youth to follow is an important task for the schools. If children develop the recycling habit in school, they will probably practice recycling at home and elsewhere in the community; thus the school should be proud of its efforts to “give its trash a second chance.”

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Activity 17: Packaging design fair

Packaging is useful and necessary, but also contributes to our solid waste stream. Students will explore the function of packaging and how to make packaging both effective and environmentally sound.

Have the students look through magazines and cut out pictures of packaged products. (Students could also bring in a commercially packaged product they are interested in studying). Ask the students to look at their product and de-cide what the designer was trying to accomplish. Discuss the functions and drawbacks of the packaging. What is the packaging made from? What materials were used? Is any of the packaging designed with the environment in mind?

Have the students design a new environmentally-sound alternative to their chosen packaging. The designs should address waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, as well as public safety, shipping weight, costs of packaging material, advertising, and public demand. New design parameters should include some or all of the following: minimum re-source extraction, minimum use of energy in processing, minimum transportation, selection of reusable or recyclable resources, design for reusability and recyclability, use of non-hazardous materials, and more.

Have the students list the materials they used in their alternative packaging and explain their choices. Each student should present their new design and explain the functions and environmental impact of the new packaging. Display the students’ new packaging designs (or actual items, if applicable). Each item should be accompanied by a para-graph explaining the new design, its impacts, and why it is better than the old one.

Activity 18: Brainstorming “What is sanitation?”

It is recommended that this activity is carried out at the beginning of Lesson 3 as it will help teachers gauge how aware their students are about sanitation.

The students should think about the term “sanitation” and describe what they understand by the term and what else they know about sanitation. Students could answer individually or as part of a small group. Write the term ‘sanitation’ in a central bubble on a large piece of paper (or board). Ask students what they have written down, their answers should be summarised into key words or phrases and put into bubbles surrounding the central bubble.

The ‘mind bubble’ can be added-to during the lesson or during subsequent lessons and may be useful for students to visualise what they have learnt during the lesson.

Activity 19: Draw a poster about the contamination pathway

There are different ways for pathogens to pass from person to person. After the students have learnt about how con-tamination could occur. They could draw a poster which illustrates their ideas. Students could answer individually or as a part of a small group. Before they start, they could brainstorm different ways of contamination.

The drawing could also include how and at which point infection disease could be stopped. The students could, for example, make a barrier across one of the arrows as shown in Figure 25 (this drawing is not exhaustive, students are encouraged to be creative).

Sanitation

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Figure 25. Prevention of contamination pathways

Activity 20: True or false

Ask students to identify whether the following passages are true or false:

1. Urine in the bladder of a healthy person is sterile (meaning it contains no pathogens). Only very few dis eases are transmitted via pathogens in urine.

2. Urine diverting dry toilets (UDDT) produces valuable compost, which can be used as fertiliser.

3. Faeces do not have to be stored before they can be used as fertiliser.

4. The urine diverting dry toilet (UDDT) has two vaults, so that two people can use it at the same time.

5. Flies don’t carry disease to humans.

6. The implementation of a sanitation system should be combined with hand-washing, so that people are better-protected from contact with pathogens.

7. Urine and solid faeces are collected and stored separately, because urine contains a large number of pathogens.

8. Personal hygiene and hand-washing help to prevent spreading pathogens to other persons.

9. Washing my hands with water, will prevent me from getting sick and spreading diseases.

10. Aerobic bacteria developed in septic tank decompose the waste discharged.

11. The contents of a healthy septic tank form 3 layers: the scum layer of fats and greases; the layer of sludge formed by solid particles in the sewage settling to the bottom of the tank; and the clear zone of treated efflu ent.

12. A properly designed and normally operating septic system is odour-free and should last for decades.

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Answers:

1. True

2. True

3. False, because the faeces should be stored at the very least for six months, however, up to 2 years is preferable, to greater reduce the risk of disease.

4. False, because the vaults are used alternating, so that while one vault is in use, the faeces previously collected in the other vault can dehydrate and decompose.

5. False, because flies may carry diseases, if they get in contact with the faeces and then get in contact with the food.

6. True

7. False, because the reason for the separation is that pathogenic organisms cannot grow in faeces with out moisture and therefore urine is collected separately in a watertight tank, so that the vault for the solid faeces stays dry. Urine, itself in the bladder of a healthy person is sterile (meaning it contains no pathogens - only very few diseases are transmitted via pathogens in urine).

8. True

9. False, because soap is also needed for cleaning hands after contact with faecal material to prevent the transmission of the bacteria, viruses and protozoa that cause diarrheal diseases.

10. False, these are anaerobic bacteria.

11. True

12. True

Activity 21: Transmission

Put a little glitter or flour on some students’ hands. Have those students shake hands with other students, who should then shake hands with other students, and so on. After everyone has shaken hands with at least two people, ask your students if they have glitter or flour on them. Discuss how shaking hands can spread germs and brainstorm ways to avoid germs and the spread of germs. Repeat the activity, only this time have the students whose hands have flour or glitter wash their hands before they shake hands with other students. Does the class notice a difference?

Activity 22: Travelling germs

Demonstrate for students how germs can spread in the air. Take a little bit of baby powder and pretend to sneeze by blowing on it. Students can see where the baby powder spreads and understand the importance of covering their mouths when they sneeze. Then ask students what should happen after they sneeze. Show them the “germs” of the baby powder in your hand. Together with the class, brainstorm a list of times when people should wash their hands. Have students copy this list into their notebooks and create a tally chart. Students can review their charts and log in whenever they wash their hands. This will help them to practice healthy hand washing habits.

Activity 23: Reminding box

Have students design a tissue box or paper towel display that reminds people to wash their hands. Why should people wash their hands? When should people wash their hands? How should people wash their hands? These are questions that can be addressed in their designs. Students can share their projects and then display them in the school bathrooms.

Activity 24: Potato germs

Slice a potato, and blanch it to kill any germs that may be on the potato already. After lunch or recess, before students have washed their hands, have them each handle a small slice of potato. Then, have students wash their

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hands using proper technique and handle another potato slice. Put each slice in a separate, labeled plastic bag. After about five days, have students draw both slices in their science notebooks. What is different between the potato slices? Why do they think the slices are different?

Activity 25: Hand washing song

Have students make a hand washing song and sing them together in a choir. They can use their own words to a popular song. One example can be seen as this link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQVdnTbnUeA

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Figure 26/27/28. Green, Clean Day 2013

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Figure 26/27/28. Green, Clean Day 2013

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems Program (ICMP/CCCEP)

No. 14 Thuy Khue Road,

Hoan Kiem District,

Hanoi, Vietnam

www.giz.de/vietnam

All used photos are either GIZ property or are under free usage by creative commons. The drawings, excluded figure 22, are done by Mrs. Stefanie Gendera, GIZ, 2013.

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