Acknowledgement

Concept, Script and Technical Support

Mr. A r u m u g a m Kalimuthu
Technical Advisor-Water Supply & Environmental Sanitation
Plan International (India), New Delhi

E d i t e d by

Ms. Verity Corbett |

Programme Support Manager
Plan International (India), New Delhi

Pictures Drawn

C h i l d r e n in t h e T s u n a m i a f f e c t e d a r e a
C. Ashok Kumar (16), V. Selvavlzhi (16)
Manivannan (14), V. Jeyaveni (IS)
Nagapattinam District, Tamilnadu, India.

Design and development

Mr. L.Peter
Executive Secretary,
Rural Education and Action for Liberation (REAL)
Dindigul,Tamilnadu.

Facilitation artist

M r . A.J. K e n n e d y
!
Drawing Master,
Dindigul,Tamilnadu. ;

Printer

Tacto Graphics
Dindigul, Tamilnadu.

First Edition August 2006

No part of this book may be .sproduced in any form
without the written permission of Plan International (India)
 Content

Site Selection 5
Fixing the right dimensions 7
Fixing the layout & earth work 9
Construction of basement & lining of leach pit 10
Selection of Pan 13
Placing Pan, P-trap (water seal) and stoneware pipe 14
Sealing of joints 15
Floor finishing 18
Superstructure construction 19
How to use your toilet 20
Materials required 23
 Do you
want to construct
an affordable &
cost effective latrine
in your house?

If your answer is

"Yes" read on!

a simple guide for

the i-.ons traction of
"afTurdubtc
A cost effective" latrine
 Is your h o u s e situated in a dry/semi arid climate
region with no problem of water logging/shallow
water table* (ground water table is not shallow
i.e. less than 10ft)?

If your answer is "Yes"

A leach pit toilet would
serve your needs ...

The procedure for construction of single

leach pit pour flush toilet is very simple ...
just follow the steps
narrated in the booklet ...

•Village/Area prone to water logging/shallow water table is usually situated in

coastal belt, perennial rivcrbanks and valleys, in the project site, if the water level
in a bore well/open well is less thai) 10 ft, it can be considered as water
logging/shallow water table area. In such location, avoid leach pit toilet
construction and promote EcoS;m,

a simple guide for

the constnjt:l:ii)[i ol
post effective" latrine
 Let us understand various parts
(components) of a
single leach pit pour flush toilet

Ventilator

Runoff
Buffer

a simple guide for

f:h<! construction Of
"drfcjrdi.ihtr:
& cost err«[:i-iv(.i" latrine
 Step
Site Selection
Proximity: As far as possible, the toilet should be located
very near the house/residence for convenience. As
shown in the figure, using an existing wall of your house
would reduce construction cost.
Bath a t t a c h e d t o i l e t

wall

Site condition:
Avoid construction of leach pits in low-lying areas to
prevent runoff water entering the leach pit.

a simple guide for

the construction nf
"afforctobii! &
cost effective" latrines
 Permissible safe distance:
Maintain a safe distance between leach pit and drinking
water sources.
Though safe distance between a leach pit and drinking
water (ground water) sources varies from soil to soil, as a
ruleofthumb...

rr
L 9d (Ort 4 5 f t J
J Horizontal distance "

^ D r i n k i n g w a t e r source Toj |et >

J j ^ N G r o u n d level

1U- - Leach p i t

r
i
l«

3 d ( o r ) 15ft.
>
Vertical distan e

Groundwater table |

m ! ii'JDW.,*

Horizontal distance between the leach pit and water

source can be 9 times the depth of leach pit (or
approximately 40 feet).
Vertical distance between the leach pit bottom and
ground water table should be 3 times the depth of leach
pit (or approximately 15 ft).

g simple guide tor

the construction of
"affordable
& cost effective" latrln«
 Step
Fixing the right dimensions
Depending on space availability around your house and
what you can afford, decide whether to construct just a
toilet or bath with attached toilet for the sake of
convenience.

Suggested size for only a toilet:

Leach pit inner diameter: 3ft. and height: over 6ft.
Basement inner size: 3'6" x 3'6" (refer design)

PLAN
, 1:3:6 c o n c r e t e Plastering

36" / 3inch CC/F$ro Cement Slat?

(slope 1:12 cm)

SECTION - AA

a simple guide for

the construction nf
"affordable; &
cost effective" latrine
Leach pit inner diameter: 3ft.; Leach pit height: over 6ft.; Basement
size: 7ft x 4ft (refer design).
Bath Attached Single Leach Pit Toilet Drawing

4V2 inch Honey comb brick work or CC rings

-1:3:6 Concrete Plastering

2 inch dia waste water pipe
- 36" H/ 3inch COFerro Cement Stab
' ^ X
9"
|
X ,
lyj
-H 9" h-

° H
1
9"
12" h-
"H 15" !
Stoneware pipe __ r Honey Comb
(slope 1:12 cm) ->•'••-]*-

PLAM SECTION - AA
C.R. Masonry (CM 1:5} i 1 1:2:4 Cement Concrete viitii Smooth FTnisfliig
[ I i — Sand till!

-w 12" H-
SECTION - I
 Step
Fixing the layout & earth work
Using lime powder, mark the layout on the ground before
earthwork.

After marking, excavate the soil for the basement

foundation and leach pit. l - l 1 / 2 f t . deep pit is sufficient for
basement foundation. The leach pit depth can be over
6ft.

« simple guide for

the construe!ion ot
^affordable &
cost ftlfective" latrine
Step 4
Construction of basement &
lining of leach pit
Use locally available construction materials for the
basement and leach pit lining construction - mud or
cement mortar can be used.

Materials normally used for basement construction are:

• Rough stone/boulders
• Brick/fly ash brick
• Hollow blocks/solid blocks

Materials that can be used for leach pit lining include:

• Rough stone/boulders
• Brick/fly ash brick
• Cement/ferrocement rings
• Bamboo mats etc.

I a simple guide for

10 | the construction at
, affordable,
i Si cost «fTt?i;tive" latrine
 a Simple guide for
the construction of
"affordable A
cost effective" latrine 11
 While constructing the leach pit, take care of the
following:
• Weep holes or honeycomb arrangements in the lining
of leach pits are to be made only below the topsoil
level.
• The lining of the leach pit should be sealed completely
bytopsoil if the formation isloose(max. u p t o 2 f e e t ) .
• Raise the lining 3-6 inches above ground level to
prevent runoff entry into the leach pit.
• Soil/stoneware pipe from the P-trap should extend
well inside leach pit (minimum of 3 inches projection)
• Leach pit should be covered with RCC or ferrocement
slab and sealed thoroughly.
• Do not provide a vent pipe to the leach pit like septic
tanks.

- Top Soil (seal c o m p l e t e l y )

Cover slab (seal p r o p e r l y )

Stoneware pipe (slope 1:12 c m )

Honey c o m b a r r a n g e m e n t s

a simple gy]d« for

the LL/'.'.'.-'i' V.on of
"affordable
& cost effective" lotrln*
 Step 5
Selection of Pan
There are two types of Indian water closets (pans)
available in the market (footrest attached and without
footrest attachment)

• Use a pan with the footrest attached to avoid

construction faults wherever possible.
• For children toilets use small pans (20 inches size)
• For the convenience of physically challenged people
use western type pans.

M.

Various types of pans such as ceramic, mosaic, micro

concrete and fibre/plastic are available in the market.

a simple guide for

the construction of
"affordable 4
cost effective" latrine
13
Step 6
Placing Pan, P-trap (water seal) and
stoneware pipe
Assembling of pan, p-trap and stoneware pipe is an
important part of toilet construction. Use a sprit level to
carefully level the pan and fix the P-trap to it. Fix the pan
in such a way that the back edge of the pan is located at a
distance 9 inches from backside wall of the toilet.

& simple guide for

14 thp construction of
"affordable
& cost effective" la*rln»
 Step 7
Sealing of joints
The joints between the pan & p-trap and p-trap &
stoneware pipe should be sealed properly to prevent any
leakages. Wet cloths/gunny bags dipped in cement slurry
can be used to seal these joints.

After fixing and sealing the joints, fill the basement with
brick ballast and sand. Ensure tight packing around the
pan assembly.

a simple guide for

the construction of
"affordable &
t o i l elective" latrine
15
While fixing the basin, proper alignment is essential.
Avoid following mistakes.
Similarly, if you are fixing the footrests yourself, avoid the
following construction faults.

Fixing the footrest wrongly makes use

uncomfortable.

a simple guide for

"zftorti'irjlc &
the construction of

cost effective" latrine

Step 8

Floor finishing
Floor finishing can be done with good cement mortar.
Provide proper slope towards the pan. Please note that
the top edges of the toilet pan should be below floor level.

a simple guide for

18 the construction of
"affordable
& c:rwt effective" latrine
 Step
Superstructure construction
Depending on what you can afford, select the right
materials for the superstructure construction. Materials
such as thatch, palm leaf, reeds, fertiliser/gunny bags,
hollow blocks, solid blocks, bricks, ferrocementslab, etc.,
can all be used.

If your area receives normal rainfall and has no high

raised buildings surrounding your toilet, roof cover for
the toilet is not really necessary.

a simple guide for

the construction of
"affordable &
cost cffoctive" latrine
 How to use your toilet

Before use, pour a

litre of water to wet
the pan.

Position yourself
properly over the
pan.

After defecation,
flush the toilet.
Ensure Feacal
matter passes into
the water seal.

a simple guide for

the construction nf
20 "affordable:
& cost effective" latrine
Wash your hands
using soap, ash or
mud.

Keep your toilet

neat&clean

After use, keep the

toilet door shut.

ft Mmpli guide for

the Construction of
"affordable 6.
cost effective" latrine
 Please note

Do not put a vent

pipe on your leach
pit. The vent pipe
is only needed for
septic tanks and
not for leach pits.

A deeper leach pit

lasts longer than
the shallow pit, it is
advisable to go for
a deeper pit (over 6
ft.)

A leach pit model is

not advisable for
water logged or
water scarcity
areas. I n such
conditions, eco-
san is a preferable
design.

a simple guide far

the c;on;;lTiit:ti<]" of
"offordtiblc
Ik cost effective" latrine
The construction materials required up to basement level
for single toilet unit are:

Component Materials Required

Using cement rings: 6 rings of 3 ft.
diameterand 1 ft. height
Leach pit or
Using honey comb brick
construction: 225 bricks, 15kg
cementand 0.7 eft. sand
Leach pit 6mm rod (steel) - 5kg, binding wire,
cover slab cement 14kg, sand 0.7 eft and
broken stone chips 1.41 eft.
550 bricks, cement 40 kg, 15 eft
Basement sand, 3.50cft brick ballest, 1 pan, 1
p-trap and 1 stoneware pipe.

a simple guide for

tUft construction of
"affordable &
cost effective" latrine
 Cost Estimate
Since materials cost varies from place to place, no cost
details are incorporated in this booklet. Experience
shows that a bath attached, thatched superstructure
model costs around Rs. 1,250/- and bath attached hollow
block model costs around Rs.2,500/-

a simple guide tor

24 the construction of
"affordable
A co*,I *rieLtive" latrine
 Plan
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Designed and developed by

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M-2/179, R.M. Colony, 12th Cross,
Dindigul - 624 008, Tamilnadu, India.
Ph: +91 451 2432242 Fax: +91 451 2427799
email: real(5>md4.vsnl.riet.in
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WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION
Guide