The disposal of refuse can have a significant effect on the health of communities. Where villages do not have adequate water and waste disposal, such as latrines, there is a high risk of exposure to faecal bacteria which can cause diarrhoea and the transmission of disease such as E. coli. and typhoid. In the rainy season, exposed waste can contaminate streams used for drinking water and is also known to encourage fly and mosquito breeding.

Nick Spencer and Wang Kanai have made significant contributions towards this essential work and the trust would like to thank them for their kind support. This project has also received significant contributions from an anonymous source.

The installation of latrines has clear benefits to health. They will facilitate in the safe disposal of human waste thereby reducing the risk of contact and spread of disease.

Project details

We have chosen a simple "pour flush" latrine as the best form of sanitation to install. They are cheap, easy to install, easy to maintain and prevent any fly or odour problems which make them pleasant to use. We already install this type of latrine in villages when we install a clean water system.

Before any work can take place, our Karen manager will organise a survey to identify suitable villages and locate where the latrines can be installed. The location of the latrines is very important and while they must be close to the houses, they must be well away from any water source to avoid contamination. It is also vital to get the co-operation of the village headman and committee because they will organise labour for the construction.

First a pit will be dug, between 1.5 and 2 metres deep. The pit walls will be lined with concrete or peat and bamboo depending on how accessible the village is (the concrete moulds need to be delivered by truck). A concrete platform is constructed to provide a hygienic floor for the latrine, and a ceramic squat is situated above the pit. A wide concrete "L-joint" pipe is used to connect the ceramic squat to the pit. This gives the ability to redirect the waste to a different pit, once the first pit is full. A simple bamboo and teak hut is then built to provide shelter and connected to a source of water for hand washing.

Approximately three litres of water needs to be flushed through the system after use which carries the waste to the pit. The bottom of the pit is not lined, enabling the water to soak into the ground. This is not a problem as long as the latrines are situated well away from any drinking water sources. We will build 15 latrines a month for six months, helping 18 villages in total. We aim to provide a latrine for every 10 people, as recommended by the World Health Organisation - Fact sheet on sanitation, but this may not always be possible in villages where there are no existing latrines. The size of Karen villages can vary between 50 to 400 people, so the number of latrines will therefore vary between each village. Some villages have no latrines at all, and some will have a limited amount, so we anticipate installing five latrines for each village. It will take between 1 to 2 weeks to install the latrines in a village.

All construction work must be carried out in the dry season between (November to May) because it is difficult to transport all the materials and gain access to the remote villages in the wet season. All planning and survey work must therefore be completed during the rainy season in time to start the work in November. A Karen man is employed to manage this project. The success of this project depends on good hygiene and proper use of the latrines. All the schools now have an education program for hygiene, teaching the children about the importance of hand washing. Many of the villages are already aware of good hygiene practices, but we make sure the village committee understands how to care for the toilet facilities and to protect any water supplies from contamination.

We will provide the villages with a quantity of soap; however disinfectant and bleaching agents are not suitable for this type of latrine as they will build up in the soil, causing problems in the future.

Sustainability

With proper education, the latrines will require little maintenance as they are not mechanised. Once the pits fill up, they must be filled over and a new pit must be dug near by. The concrete pipe can be moved to link up with this new pit, thereby avoiding the need to move the shelter. Latrines are estimated to last around 10 years before a new shelter will need to be built.