Leach Pit Toilet

Sanitation

 

  • In 1996 CSV, with assistance from UNICEF, established a sanitation park in the CSV campus (Kumarappapuram) – to give the users and agencies a better understanding of construction details, specific features of each sanitation unit, maintenance requirements, and costs involved. The sanitation park has been replicated in the states of Maharashtra, Himachal, and Andhra Pradesh funded by the state government, for the state of Maharashtra CSV was the Key resource agency for training on water and sanitation.
  • CSV constructed community toilets with biogas plants for generating cooking gas and electricity. These units were constructed at the following locations:
  1. CSV campus at Kumarappa Puram, Wardha, MS
  2. Ecotech Village, Boldawadi, District Hingoli, Maharashtra
  3. Antarbharti Ashram, Dabha, Nagpur, Maharashtra
  4. National Institute of Rural Development, (NIRD), Hyderabad
  5. Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development (APARD), Hyderabad

 

  • CSV has carried out R & D for recycling spill water (on Hand Pumps and wells); handling and treating Grey water at its source (Soak Pit); using Animal waste (Dung and Urine) for generation of Biogas and manure-making; utilizing  Agro waste for composting and bio residue stove for cooking and heating.

 

  • CSV provided technical guidance to districts and the villages that participated in the “SANT GADGE BABA GRAM SWACCHATA PURASKAR”, instituted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of Maharashtra.

 

  • CSV in collaboration with TATA developed and popularized a very efficient water filter “Arogya Water Filter”. This water filter can be fabricated at the village level using local resources like rice husk ash, sand, pebbles, and a nominal amount of cement.

 

 

  • CSV has developed the following technologies in the field of solid and liquid waste management:
  1. Leach Pit Toilet with complete superstructures
  2. Spill water recycling unit
  3. Biogas (Deen Bandhu and Balaji) to handle animal waste
  4. NADEP Tank for making manure from agro waste
  5. Four Peat Vermicompost tank for efficient recycling of organic waste
  6. Soak pit for handling sludge or gray water
  7. Anganwadi Toilets for Kindergarten Students

 

Leach Pit Toilet

CSV has evolved the “Wardha Model” of leach pit toilets which requires a minimum amount of water to clean the pan and the person. This is feasible because of the following features:

 

  1. Specially Designed Toilet Pan: The ceramic toilet pan is designed with a 45-degree slope. This pan requires very little water to flush the night soil. Due to the sharp slope, night soil moves directly from the pan to the leach pit, saving a lot of water.
  2. Flap Seal: The flap seal is fitted at the rear end of the toilet pan. The metal flap seal opens only at the time when night soil is flushed and thereafter it closes itself. The flap seal wards off smell and flies and the gas generated in the pit escapes through a vent pipe. In Wardha Model toilets there is no provision for a water seal because even the smallest water seal of 15 mm requires 10 liters of water to clean the pan and water seal.
  3. Leach Pit:  From the leach pit excess water gets absorbed in the dry soil surrounding the pit and the night soil decomposes into nutrient-rich manure.  Due to very little water, the pathogenic microbes present in the night soil are not able to move more than one meter away. For safety, it is necessary to construct the leach pit toilets 5 mt away from any water bodies like Open wells, tube wells, etc.

 

Dissemination of Leach Pit Toilet Technology

 

  1. The Leach Pit Toilet was accepted by CAPART for wider dissemination of the technology (CAPART is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India).

 

  1. The Leach Pit Toilet design was approved by UNICEF, Mumbai for wider dissemination.

 

  1. The Leach Pit Toilet model was replicated extensively by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of Maharashtra.