Sanitation at the interface of environmental and social order: The example of northern Puducherry area
Sanitation is at the crossroad of human and physical geography. Same as "natural" wetlands, constructed wetlands are ecotones between aquatic and terrestrial environments. In Puducherry area, various types of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment have been implemented. This study focuses on the resources produced by these marginal zones, and how one can consider their values and constraints, on social point of view, as on environmental view. The qualitative and quantitative data produced during this study prove that the way the populations try to manage waste (water) is a mirror of the way society tries to manage individuals. Furthermore, even though it is considered that rural zones of south-east India do not have sanitation, this study demonstrate that there is a "traditional" wastewater management, which could be compared to certain treatment ecotechnologies.
After presenting the main results of this research, two examples will illustrate the socio-spatial characteristics of wastewater management in the northern part of Puducherry area (including Auroville and Alankuppam) area. The first will describe the geohistorical evolution of water pollution management, so that to determine what the current socio-spatial stakes of sanitation development are. The second part will be about plant species of constructed wetland, and about the various values of plant species selection. We will focus especially on vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty). Indeed, even though this species has various environmental and socioeconomic values, vetiver is not used in constructed wetland in the northern part of Puducherry.
Because it can improve human and environmental health, sanitation development can be considered as a major objective for sustainable well-being. But, one has to keep in mind that strategies of development are selected and adopted according to social and cultural criteria.
