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VENTILATED IMPROVED PIT LATRINE (VIP)
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Overview

A VIP latrine offers improved sanitation by eliminating flies and smell, through air circulation. The addition of a chimney draws air currents into the structure and through squat hole. Odours rise through the chimney and disperse. The structure of the toilet means that any flies attracted to the pit through the squat hole will try to escape by heading towards the strongest light source, which comes from the chimney. The flies exit is blocked by a wire mesh so the flies eventually die and fall back into the pit.
Source: www.practicalaction.org.

One can also have a double vault VIP. Only one pit is used at a time. Once the pit is full, the second pit is used and contents of the first one are left to decompose and the second pit used. When the second is close to getting full, the decomposed matter from the first pit is removed.

Advantages

  • No skilled labour required for construction and maintenance Low capital and operation & maintenance costs.
  • Excrements are better contained than in open defecation
  • Pit latrines use no water or very little water (in the case of pour-flush latrines) for flushing
  • Useful if population density is low, groundwater level is low, area is not prone to flooding and if community cannot afford a better system.


Disadvantages
Since pit latrines involve soil absorption, there is a danger of groundwater contamination
  • They cannot be used at all in crowded areas, on rocky ground, where the groundwater level is high or in areas periodically flooded
  • Require access to open ground and digging of new pits or emptying of existing ones every few years Emptying of pits can be very difficult (may require manual labour, pitsmay collapse)
  • Usually high level of odour and flies
  • Toilets cannot be situated in houses, hence lack of privacy and safety concerns especially during night time

Further Readings:
Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine.
Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development.
www.practicalaction.org
[C.eldoc1/d70d/undp1_080220zzz2B.pdf]
 



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