India, Jan. 17 -- Govt policy think tank asks chief secretaries to extract nutrients from human excreta and use them in place of fertilsers

Explore the possibility of extracting essential nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and carbon from human excreta and replace fertilisers used in agriculture with them, the Niti Ayog has advised all states.

Faecal sludge is a rich source of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K), the three essential nutrients used in crop production across the world. But India relies heavily on imports to meet its demand for phosphorous and potassium, which are now limited and depleting further.

Intelligent use of faecal sludge, which is currently being disposed of indiscriminately, is an easy s...