ECOSAN : Prefabrication Work

Site Work

Selection of the site: is important. It has to be big enough to accommodate the full compost toilet, that is the squatting area as well at the filter bed, and collection pots, with access to chambers for clearing. Size: 5'6" x 4'4" . Further a small kitchen garden to where the wash water and urine can be chanelled is needed. Mark of toilet including filter bed pit and pit for urine mud pot

Foundation: Excavate soil upto one and half feet deep. Construct basement with soling (rough) stones with cement mortar 1:8. And then a foundation for six mor inches up to the ground level.

Chambers and Plinth: The bottom of the chambers is made out of cement concrete. Three vertical sides of the outer walls, the partition wall dividing the chamber into two are first constructed with cement mortar, hollow blocks or bricks upto a height of 2 feet.

The masonry work is done, making provision for the piping work namely the one inch pvc pipes connecting to the urine hold in the two slabs, and fixed and connected to the pot outside. . Another PVC pipe will connect wash water holes in both chambers to the filter bed.These two pipes should be fixed before the squatting slab is fixed.

The construction is done such that the fourth vertical wall consists of two detacheable slabs, such that the slabs fit well and removal of one does not expose the next chamber.

The inner portion of the two chambers should alsobegiven a finishwithmortar.

The RCC detachable slab 1:5 mortar with iron handle would be fixed with on the rear portion of the chamber. It could be removed when compost is to be taken out.

The squatting slab could have cement finish, red oxide finish or ceramic tiles.

Super structure

Super structure can be built with hollow blocks or bricks of 7" feet.Roof is amust to prevent rainwater entering compost chamber. The roof may be Ferro cement or ordinary slab with a slight inclination.

Filter bed and Urine Collection pot

18" x 18" x 18", pit with 6" basement to be constructed with brick.

Filtering materials: Bottom layer: rough sand, middle layer 3/4 inch blue metal, top layer: 1 1/2
inch blue metal. Saplings should be planted inside the filter bed.

Mud pot should be filled with water and three holes made singly with sharp instrument. It should be buried under the ground and the urine pipe from the HCEST should be within the pot. The pot covered with a lid, which should have a hole in the middle.

While burying the pot care should be taken so that the holes should be away from the basement of the toilet. In the vacant side near the filter bed and urine collection mud pot pit banana, papaya, coconut seedlings should be planted.

Improvements/ enhamcements

Several improvements and enhancements have been made to the basic design to make the ECOSAN more appropriate. One such innovation is to make the toiler face northward and the detacheable slabs at an angle such that the sun's radiation helps in quickening the processs of converting the excreta to manure. The other is using rain water harvesting techniques, and solar panels for providing night lighting for the toilet.

One such design is the Toilet cum Bathroom Complex (TBC) in Kameshwaram panchayat [Nagapattinam]. It consists of one toilet for men and one toilet for women with a bathroom in-between. The rainwater from the two roofs runs off into a tank below the bathroom. The solar panel on top of the gents' bathroom roof supplies power for the TCB. The walls of the ladies toilet and the bathroom are made of locally made country bricks. The gents toilet is made of bamboo. To cover up the gaps between the bamboos and to provide for a smooth interior, the internal surface of the bamboo wall has been lined with recycled gunny (or jute) bags plastered with a lean soil-cement mortar. The roof is lined with clay tiles supported on bamboo rafters. Strip ventilation is achieved with bamboo and brick lattices. The TCB has been constructed a cost of about Rs 80,000.