Back To Main Index

Waste Water Treatment in Seychelles

As a country grows and develops so does the problem of waste and waste water. In a country like the Seychelles where tourism remains the backbone of our economy, it is most important that the waste we produce is well disposed of.

There are two main categories of waste water being discharged in the Seychelles everyday.

• Domestic Waste Water (household waste waters)
• Industrial Waste Water (industries & business waste waters)

Because there are different categories of waste waters, there are also different methods of treating  waste water.

• Septic tank and soak away pit
• Drain field
• Sewage Treatment Plant

Most domestic houses in the Seychelles use the simple design of septic tanks and soak away pits to dispose of their waste water. Depending on the nature of soil around them some houses use a drain field system while some are connected to a centralized waste water treatment system put in place by the government. 

When it comes to industries, hotels for example use what is called a Sewage Treatment Plant which runs independently from the government centralized waste water treatment system. There are two main types of Sewage Treatment Plant.

• The Rotating Biological Contractors
• The Activated Sludge System
• The Lilliput System

Close monitoring is important to ensure that the quality of waste waters being discharged into the environment is acceptable. In order for the government to keep track of this activity a set of legislations containing standards have been put in place in the Environment Protection Act. Before any project or activity is allowed to discharge any effluent into the environment it has to obtain authorization from the Ministry of Environment, and for authorization to be granted the quality of waste water coming from the activity must match the standards put in place by the authority. Samples are then collected from the waste water treatment system of the business and tested to assess compliance.

The standards set up by the authority vary depending on where the effluent is being discharged, ie. land or water.