Tourist cottages in the Arctic: Possibilities of wastewater treatment

• Main Authors: Gunnarsdottir, Ragnhildur, Ingeman-Nielsen, Thomas, Jenssen, Petter Deinboll, Villumsen, Arne
• Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Technology Centre,Department of Civil Engineering 2009
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/clean_water_and_sanitation; SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation; Arctic; Kangerlussuaq; Sisimiut; permafrost
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/92451dd9-f30b-4cd2-9b30-82024ab52ddd

Det er nødvendigt at forbedre den sanitære situation i hytterne omkring Sisimiut og på vandreruten mellem Sisimiut og Kangerlussuaq. I dag er der toiletter i 7 ud af i alt 27 hytter i området. Manglende og dårlige toiletforhold gør at dagens situation ikke er acceptabel ud fra moderne krav til sundhedsmæssige og sanitære forhold. Når spildevandsrensning i kolde lande skal planlægges er der er flere faktorer som skal overvejes, og en af dem er klimaændringer og dermed også ændringer af permafrost som kan være et seriøst problem. Geologiske og logistiske aspekter skal også tages i betragtning, og disse varierer afhængigt af den enkelte hyttes lokalitet. The sanitary situation in the cottages in the area around Sisimiut and on the recommended route for wanderers between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq needs to be improved. Today there are toilets in 7 out of a total of 27 cottages. Open defecation is the general practice, and for the cottages with toilets problems with hygienically and environmentally safe disposal of the excreta exist. The current situation is unacceptable from a health and sanitary point of view. There are several factors that have to be taken into consideration when planning wastewater treatment in cold regions, one of them being changes in climate and thereby also changes of permafrost, which can be a serious problem. Geological and logistical aspects will also have to be taken into consideration, and they vary dependent on the location of each cottage.