Introduction:
Community sanitation and hygiene is a significant public health challenge, especially when it is associated with appropriate waste disposal. A clean environment and good sanitation are fundamental human rights yet remain elusive in many parts of rural and developing countries. Core community hygiene is a collaborative effort to provide good health and prevent the spread of diseases. One of the critical elements of community hygiene and sanitation is the appropriate disposal of human waste or excreta.
Human excreta or human waste is solid or liquid waste, namely feces and urine, expelled from the body. Human excreta is regarded as one of the primary causes of environmental pollution. Unsafe and improper excreta disposal causes air, water, and soil pollution and is the primary cause of spreading infectious diseases. Hence proper and uncompromising disposal of human excreta is a primary environmental health service that is indispensable for community health and well-being.
What Are the Risks Associated With Improper Excreta Disposal?
Studies report that over 90 % of diarrhoeal deaths are due to water contamination, poor sanitation, and inadequate hygiene. In addition, various fecal-borne diseases are typhoid, paratyphoid, viral hepatitis, cholera, hookworm infestation, dysenteries, diarrhea, and other intestinal infections. These diseases need prompt medical attention or can even prove fatal at times.
Human and animal waste are the primary sources of infectious pathogens. These organisms contaminate the soil, water, and air. Improper disposal of human waste acts as a breeding site for flies, bugs, and mosquitoes, which may further carry and spread the infection. In addition, it may even attract other animals or insects, which increases the potential for the spread of disease. These infections are transmitted from human to human or another host through various means such as water, food, fingers, or flies. Poor hand hygiene techniques, particularly in children, are majorly responsible for the spread of the disease. Hence appropriate and safe excreta disposal is crucial to prevent the community's spread of such fecal-borne diseases.
How Can Excreta Be Disposed of Appropriately in a Non-sewered Area?
Safe and appropriate segregation of human waste acts as a primary sanitation barrier in preventing the transmission of diseases. The excreta disposal methods differ for rural and unsewered areas from sewered areas. The methods of excreta disposal for unsewered areas are as mentioned below:
Excreta disposal for un sewered areas can be broadly classified into three types, namely:
1. Service Type Latrines:
-
It is also referred to as a conservancy system. In this system, the night soil is collected by human agency from a bucket or pail and later subjected to composting or burying.
-
It is one of the ancient practices still prevalent in many rural parts of developing countries.
-
It is not considered very safe and hygienic as the sweepers collect and remove the human excreta from the privies, pails, or cesspools.
There are various drawbacks to this type of service latrines. They are:
-
The night soil is a source of infection and insanitation.
-
Accumulated night soil attracts flies and other vermin, thus spreading infectious diseases.
-
It may result in soil and water pollution.
-
Employing human labor for this service is not coherent with human dignity.
-
It is a health risk to the individuals handling it or removing it.
-
Buckets may not be emptied satisfactorily.
The 1949 Environmental Sanitation Committee in India recommended all service latrines be replaced with hygienic sanitary toilets that do not require any human labor for clearing.
2. Non- Service Type Latrines:
-
It is also known as sanitary latrines.
-
Sanitary latrines need to fulfill certain criteria. They are:
-
Human waste should not contaminate any form of water or soil.
-
Excreta should not attract flies, rodents, mosquitoes, or other insects.
-
It should not cause any odor or be conspicuous.
Few types of sanitary latrines are:
a) Borehole Latrine:
-
It was introduced in 1930 by the Rockefeller foundation campaign to control hookworms.
-
The lavatory was designed as a circular hole with a diameter of 30 to 40 cm dug vertically into the ground to a depth of around 6 m.
-
A squatting plate made of concrete with a central opening and footrests is placed over the hole.
-
As the contents of the bore reach within visible range, it is covered with soil and mud, and a new one is constructed similarly. The human waste is acted upon by the anaerobic bacteria in the soil.
Advantages:
-
No need for manual labor to remove and handle the waste.
-
It is safe as it does not attract insects or provide a breeding site.
-
There is no danger of water contamination if constructed 15 m from the water source.
Disadvantages:
-
It is usually of small capacity.
-
Considering the higher subsoil water level and loose soil, digging the ground beyond three feet is difficult.
b) Dug Well Latrine:
It is an improvisation over the bore latrine. It is wider with a diameter of 30 inches and a depth of three meters.
Advantages:
-
It has an increased capacity and longer life than a borehole latrine.
c) Water Seal Latrine:
-
Water seal latrines are also known as hand-flushed toilets.
-
They are designed mainly for use in rural areas.
Two broadly used designs of water seal latrines are:
-
PRAI type: this was developed by Planning Research and Action Institute in Lucknow
-
RCA type: this was a government initiative designed by Research cum action projects. RCA is the most widely accepted design throughout the country.
The salient features of the RCA latrine are:
-
It is located 50 feet away from a water source to prevent contamination.
-
It comprises a squatting plate with footrests, a pan to receive the night soil, a trap which is a bent pipe that retains water and seals the latrine from the external environment, a connecting pipe that connects the latrine to the pit, a pit or dug well which is 30 inches in diameter and three to four meters in depth to retain the night soil, a desired type of enclosure, and a septic tank that could collect the waste and be disposed of timely.
d) Sulab Sauchalaya:
It was designed by a private firm from Patna. It comprises a special pan and a tight water seal. It is connected to a three feet deep pit.
e) Aqua Privy:
It is a water-tight chamber filled with water and comprising a short drop pipe that dips into the water from the latrine floor.
3. Latrine for Camps and Temporary Use:
They are four types:
-
Shallow trench latrine.
-
Deep trench latrine.
-
Pit latrine.
-
Borehole latrine.
Conclusion:
Human excreta is a prime cause of environmental pollution and is responsible for spreading various infectious diseases. Hence safe and hygienic disposal is mandatory. Unsewered areas have no proper connection to a sewage or drainage system. Hence sanitation is of utmost importance in a non-sewered area. With the advent of technology and modernization, high-end latrines can be constructed for the safe and appropriate disposal of human waste, thus ensuring community safety and sanitation.
