Latrine 101

The most basic of basics. . .  a latrine usually consists of a pit, a slab and a shelter. 

shelter

slab

pit

The pit holds the waste.   In its most basic of forms, it’s a hole dug in the ground.  Anywhere from the little cat hole you dig when you’re camping to a meter or greater hole dug for a more permanent latrine.  They can be dug by hand or by an auger.  They can be roughly cylindrical or rectilinear trenches.  They can be unlined dirt holes, they can be lined with precast concrete rings or walls, they can be lined with bricks faced with concrete or they can be plastic reservoirs (in the case of the highly advanced septic tank).  They can be located right below you or offset to the side.  They can be above the water table or below.  They can allow seepage or try to block it.  They can be used for one poop or twenty years of poops.  The best combination of all of these options depends on the money one has to spend, the geology and hydrology present, the number of users and their diet, government regulations, and the type of anal cleaning methods used (paper, leaves, corn cobs, etc.).

The slab is what you stand on.  In some cases, it doesn’t exist at all.  If it does exist, but simply, it’s a wood platform with a hole through which you poop.  More complex and robust ones are made of concrete.  If it’s simply concrete with a hole in it, there’s often a cover to close the hole when not in use to keep odor down and bugs out.  Nicer ones are concrete with a pan embedded.  In this part of the world, the pan is usually built for squatting.  The pan is typically made of porcelain, but a cheaper option is a concrete pan.  The pan is typically a pour-flush pan which has a U-shaped water trap below it (much like what you find in the West).  The trap acts as an odor and insect barrier.  When using the pour-flush, you poop into the pan then chase with a liter or two of water.  The poop gets pushed thru the trap due to the slug of water and spills out the bottom side into some sort of pit.  Some of the water is retained in the trap, maintaining the water seal.   For a bit more money and for a nicer, cleaner look, the slab surface can also be tiled.  The slab can either rest on soil or on the concrete lining of the pit.   Again all of these choices depend on many of the same elements as above, but also include issues of cleanability and status.

The shelter is what surrounds you when you’re pooping.  It can be made of pretty much anything, from bamboo and reeds, to metal poles and tarps, to bricks and mortar.  It provides privacy and helps keep debris out of the pit.  It darkens the environment to help reduce flies.  Some designs direct airflow down into the pit and then up thru a vent pipe, helping reduce odors, flies and mosquitoes.  Shelters vary dramatically in construction and dramatically in cost.  There can be a lot of materiality in them, and there can be a lot of status tied up in their appearance.