138 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
BETTER LATRINES
The latrine or out-house shown on the previous page is very simple and costs almost
nothing to make. But it is open at the top and lets in flies.
Closed latrines are better because the flies stay out and the smell stays in. A closed
latrine has a platform or slab with a hole in it and a lid over the hole. The slab can be
made of wood or cement. Cement is better because the slab fits more tightly and will
not rot.
One way to make a cement slab:
1. Dig a shallow pit, about 1 meter square
and 7 cm. deep. Be sure the bottom of the pit is
level and smooth.
2. Make or cut a wire mesh or grid 1 meter
square. The wires can be ¼ to ½ cm. thick and
about 10 cm. apart. Cut a hole about 25 cm.
across in the middle of the grid.
3. Put the grid in the pit. Bend the ends of the
wires, or put a small stone at each corner, so that
the grid stands about 3 cm. off the ground.
4. Put an old bucket in the hole in the grid.
5. Mix cement with sand, gravel, and water
and pour it until it is about 5 cm. thick. (With
each shovel of cement mix 2 shovels of sand
and 3 shovels of gravel.)
6. Remove the bucket when the cement is
beginning to get hard (about 3 hours). Then
cover the cement with damp cloths, sand, hay,
or a sheet of plastic and keep it wet. Remove the
slab after 3 days.
If you prefer to sit when you use the
latrine, make a cement seat like this:
Make a mold, or you can use 2 buckets
of different sizes, one inside the other.