The Elephant Toilet
It’s a sad fact that in some countries i.e. Liberia, as many as 14% of people don’t have access to a toilet of any sort. Open defecation and poorly constructed and badly placed toilets are all too common throughout Western and Sub-saharan Africa. Without access to sanitation facilities people are forced to go to the toilet in unsafe, unclean places often without any privacy.his is not only uncomfortable and undignified but causes disease and infects water supplies. Pump Aid has developed the Elephant Toilet as a low cost, technology appropriate design.
A pit 3 metres deep is dug and lined. A concrete slab, with two ‘elephant ears’ (from which it gets it’s name) to stand on, is laid over the pit. The design allows for solid and liquid waste to be separated to promote faster decomposition and lower impact on the groundwater. The construction uses community sourced bricks rather than wood, a thatched roof covers the toilet to complete a fully private enclosure. For soap, a Seso bush, known for it’s antiseptic qualities, is planted outside the toilet. It is watered by the stream of waste water from hand washing.
When the pit is full (and this will take several years) the concrete slab is moved to a new pit and a fruit tree can be planted over the old one. The fruit it produces supplements the diet of the local community or can be taken to market to bring much-needed income for the community.