30 Sanitation and Cleanliness for a Healthy Environment
How to make a concrete toilet platform
A well-made concrete platform will last many years. One 50 kilo bag of cement is enough
to make 4 platforms or 2 platforms and 2 ring beams (see page 31). You will also need
reinforcing wires, bricks, and boards to form the mold, and a piece of wood cut to the shape
of a keyhole to mold the hole. This platform is square, but you could make a round one.
1. Lay down a plastic sheet or used
cement bags on
flat ground. On top
of this, make a
mold of bricks or
boards about 120
centimeters long,
90 centimeters wide
and 6 centimeters
deep.
2. Place a wooden “keyhole” mold in the
center, to shape the toilet hole. You
can also use bricks to
block out the hole,
and shape the hole
after the concrete
is poured.
3. Make a concrete mix of 1 part cement,
2 parts gravel, 3 parts sand, and water.
Pour the concrete into the
mold until it is
half-way to
the top.
4. Place reinforcing wires 3 millimeters
thick on top of the wet concrete. Use 4
to 6 wires going in each direction. Make
handles of wire 8 to 10 millimeters
thick, and set
them in the
concrete
near the
corners.
5. Pour the rest of the concrete, and level
it with a block of wood.
6. Remove the keyhole mold when the concrete
begins to harden (after about 3 hours). If you
used a brick mold, remove the bricks and form
the hole into a keyhole shape. Leave the slab
overnight and cover it with wet cement sacks,
damp cloth or a plastic sheet. Wet it several
times a day to keep it damp for 7 days. Keeping
it wet lets the concrete dry slowly so that it
hardens well and becomes strong.
7. When the concrete is completely hardened,
place the platform over the pit. To make the
pit more secure, also use a concrete ring
beam (see page 31).
8. Make a cover for the hole out of concrete or
wood. It can have a handle, or can be made to
be moved by a person’s foot, to avoid getting
germs on the hands.
Platform improvements
Because germs and worms can collect near the hole, foot rests to stand
on will reduce the risk of health problems. If people prefer to sit, make a
round hole and a concrete seat.
To make a mold, use 2 buckets of different sizes, one inside the other.
There must be several inches of space between sides of the inner bucket
and the outer bucket. Weight the inner bucket with rocks so it stays on
the bottom, and pour concrete into the space between buckets.
To make a dry toilet, you can use this platform with a urine-separating
toilet bowl (see page 37).