Types of toilet and their suitability
Practical Action
The simplest form of pit latrine is a hand dug pit that is unlined and covered with a series of
wooden logs strapped together allowing the user to defecate into the pit. This system can
gradually be improved as illustrated in figure 7.
Advantages
Construction costs are low (householders can
perform a large part of the work themselves)
Technology is simple and understandable
Allow range of anal cleansing materials
Do not require water to operate
Disadvantages
Possible groundwater contamination if the pit
is not completely lined
Not easy to construct in rocky or unstable
ground
Fly and smell nuisance
Raised Latrines: When the groundwater is high or the ground is too rocky to excavate by hand
there is a case for using a raised pit latrine (other latrine types can also be raised although it is
more common for simple pit latrines to be raised). One major disadvantage is the lack of privacy
afforded to the users of the latrines. More information is provided by Scott (2005).
Slab type: There are numerous types of slabs that can be used for a latrine, each with different
benefits. The purpose of the slab is to hold the weight of the user over the pit, provide a clean
surface for the users feet and drain liquids into the squat hole. A variety of materials can be
used such as timber, reinforced concrete and un-reinforced concrete slabs in a dome shape to
avoid tensile forces. San-plats are often added onto traditional latrine slabs to provide a clean
surface, foot plates and a suitably shaped squat hole.
Stoppers : Flies and smells can be the biggest problems associated with simple pits which can
be controlled to some extent with a drop-hole cover or stopper.
Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrine
During the 1980s the VIP latrine was developed in Zimbabwe. The main drivers for design were
to eliminate two unpleasant aspects of using on-site sanitation systems, flies and smell.
Furthermore, the reduction of flies can also reduce the transmission of disease.
Put simply, the technology facilitates the flow of air through the system. One important aspect is
that the inside of the toilet should remain dark as means of attracting flies up a vent pipe where
they will eventually die and fall back into the latrine. Further information and details on
construction can be found in the Practical Action technical brief ‘Ventilated Improved Pit
Latrine’.
Advantages
Construction costs are low (householders can
perform a large part of the work themselves)
Technology is simple and understandable
Allow the use of a range of anal cleansing
materials
Do not require water to operate
Controls smells and flies
Disadvantages
Possible groundwater contamination if the
pit is not completely lined
Not easy to construct in rocky or unstable
ground
Does not control mosquitoes
Vent pipe increases costs and can make
construction more complicated
Need to keep inside of latrine dark
Increased odour outside
4