Rethinking the latrine design process
The customer must sit at the top of the
design process therefore products must be designed to meet
their needs. In some households the constraint may not be
financial but rather the lack of a design or technology that
can meet their aspirations and situation. In most cases affordability
is an issue and there is likely to be a niche in the market
for good quality but cheaper latrine designs.
Latrines are usually designed by engineers working to a technical
specification and not to a target cost or to meet the needs
of the consumer. Further limitations may be imposed by over
zealous building standards and health regulations, e.g. Ghana
and the KVIP. The net result is an over designed technically
correct latrine which few can afford. This approach needs
to be changed to that of risk limitation, extreme affordability
and an appreciation that a latrine perceived to be sub–standard
by health officials is still significantly better than no
latrine at all. The biggest hurdle in many areas is actually
encouraging families to use a latrine and stop open defecation.
Defecation in a pit rather than in the open breaks the faecal-oral
route. This health benefit should be accepted by programme
implementers, who should concentrate on promoting latrine
up-grading to maximise the benefits.
If building standards can be relaxed, a whole range of innovative
solutions become possible which are capable of making the
acquisition of a latrine much cheaper. International Development
Enterprises (IDE) describe the three building blocks of making
cheaper designs as:
• Miniaturisation – are 3m deep pits necessary?
Will a 1m deep pit coupled with a reliable emptying service
work just as well?
• Affordability to the rural poor price is always important.
Are expensive concrete slabs absolutely necessary? Are there
cheaper alternatives?
• Expandable – This enables households to build
latrines in small affordable sections. House building processes
in developing countries are incremental i.e. the owner first
saves to buy the land, then saves to pay for the cement for
the foundations, then for the bricks etc. Its not completed
all at once as in the Northern countries. House building is
matched with the family income flows and avoids the need for
banking services.
Practical steps to making
a latrine design effective and cheap
1. Analyse what the technology does
2. Set specific cost targets
3. Identify key contributors to cost. Analyse each component
and rank them
4. Design around each of the key contributors to cost
before finding acceptable trade offs. These include
• Capital for labour – rural poor usually
have lots of time, but no cash
• Quality vs. Affordability – if its really
cheap then a design life of a few years could be acceptable.
5. Make changes based on field test experience
6. Always go through fields testing if you move to a
new place
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When the shackles of regulation and convention are removed,
local masons and artisans are often the best source of innovation
and product development. They are aware of their customers’
needs, and the availability of materials, and if successful,
will have pride and a stake in the use and further development
of the innovation.
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