Kvip Latrine
Nearly 100 percent appeared neat and met the conditions for hygienic latrines. However, only one of the household latrines and none of the institutional latrines visited were properly sealed around the roof to create the ventilation that characterizes the KVIP latrine and helps prevent fly infestation. A typical latrine can serve six to eight people, although a single family generally maintains it. Our field technicians spend several days meeting with the community to discuss the importance and impact of a composting latrine, what the needs are for building one, where it should be located, and the required maintenance.
The Rotary Club of Accra South is to build a 10-seater Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine (KVIP) worth 8,000 dollars for the chiefs and people of Whuti Traditional Area in the Volta Region.
The project is to provide access to safe and healthy clean lavatory facility in order to improve sanitation in the area.
Speaking at the launch of the Club’s anniversary at the weekend in Accra, Mr Robert Mills, President of the Rotary Club of Accra South, said the facility, scheduled to be completed this year, is just one of the many projects lineup to be undertaken.
He said the anniversary also served as a platform for members of the Club to take stock of previous events in order to strategize for the future.
He said, “Our tenth anniversary is dedicated to do more projects to bridge the gap between the haves and the haves not by supporting the less privilege in our societies”.
Mr Mills said the group had instituted a five year strategic plan, which would focus mainly in the area of water and sanitation, as well as disease prevention and treatment.
“Under these we hope to increase equitable community access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation methods, and to educate communities about safe water.” he said.
Mr Mills explained that the disease prevention efforts would be geared towards building capacity of health care professionals towards combating the spread of HIV and AIDS, malaria.
“We will also enhance the health infrastructure of local communities, educate and mobilise communities towards the spread of major disease”, he said.
Mr Edwin Sam, Past President of the Club, said with a group of seven, the club’s membership now had grown to 40.
Kvip Latrine
The Club, in line with it motto, “Service Above Self” has undertaken social responsibilities to help improve the lot of the community, especially the underprivileged.
Recounting some the achievements, he noted that the Club through its community service had roofed the health post, refurbishment and stocked the library of Gomoa Nyanyanor with certified Ghana Education Service books to boost the educational standards in the area.
Mr Sam said the Club had among other gestures donated recreational facilities to the Anglican Basic School at Admrobe, in the Eastern Region and refurbished the children’s playground of the formerly Accra Zoo.
“The group has supported several People Living with HIV and AIDS in Akwatia.
With collaboration from International Needs an NGO, we have freed young women from the Trokosi shrines in the Volta Region and has offered training in various vocations.“, he said.
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in sanitationExecutive Summary
The single VIP is a ventilated improved pit. It is an improvement over the single pit because continuous airflow through the ventilation pipe vents odours and acts as a trap for flies as they escape towards the light.
Kvip Latrines
| In | Out |
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Introduction
Despite their simplicity, well-designed single VIPs can be completely smell free, and more pleasant to use than some other water-based technologies.
Flies that hatch in the pit are attracted to the light at the top of the ventilation pipe. When they fly towards the light and try to escape, they are trapped by the fly-screen and die. The ventilation also allows odours to escape and minimizes the attraction for flies.
Design Considerations
The vent pipe should have an internal diameter of at least 110 mm and reach more than 300 mm above the highest point of the toilet superstructure. Wind passing over the top creates a suction pressure within the vent pipe and induces an air circulation. Air is drawn through the user interface into the pit, moves up inside the vent pipe and escapes into the atmosphere. Care should be taken that objects, such as trees or houses, do not interfere with the air stream. The vent works best in windy areas, but where there is little wind, its effectiveness can be improved by painting the pipe black. The heat difference between the pit (cool) and the vent (warm) creates an updraft that pulls the air and odours up and out of the pit. To test the efficacy of the ventilation, a lit cigarette can be held over the user interface; the smoke should be pulled down into the pit and up into the vent and not remain in the superstructure.
Kvip Latrine
The mesh size of the fly screen must be large enough to prevent clogging with dust and allow air to circulate freely. Aluminium screens, with a hole-size of 1.2 to 1.5 mm, have proven to be the most effective. Typically, the pit is at least 3 m deep and 1 to 1.5 m in diameter, depending on the number of users. Deep pits can last up to 20 or more years.
As liquid leaches from the pit and migrates through the unsaturated soil matrix, pathogenic germs are sorbed to the soil surface. In this way, pathogens can be removed prior to contact with groundwater. The degree of removal varies with soil type, distance travelled, moisture and other environmental factors and, thus, it is difficult to estimate the distance necessary between a pit and a water source. A minimum horizontal distance of 30 m between a pit and a water source and 2 m between the bottom of the pit and the groundwater table is normally recommended to limit exposure to microbial contamination.
When it is not possible to dig a deep pit or the groundwater level is too high, a raised pit can be a viable alternative: the shallow pit can be extended by building the pit upwards with the use of concrete rings or blocks. A raised pit can also be constructed in an area where flooding is frequent in order to keep water from flowing into the pit during heavy rain.
A single VIP toilet can be upgraded to a double VIP. A double VIP has an extra pit so that while one is in use, the contents of the full pit are allowed to drain, mature and degrade.
If a urine-diverting user interface is used, only faeces are collected in the pit and leaching can be minimised.
Health Aspects/Acceptance
A single VIP can be a very clean, comfortable, and well accepted sanitation option. However, some health concerns exist:
- can contaminate groundwater;
- Pits are susceptible to failure and/or overflowing during floods;
- risks from flies are not completely removed by ventilation.
Operation & Maintenance
To keep the single VIP free of flies and odours, regular cleaning and maintenance is required. Dead flies, spider webs, dust and other debris should be removed from the ventilation screen to ensure a good flow of air.
Treatment processes in the single VIP (aerobic, anaerobic, dehydration, composting, or otherwise) are limited, and, therefore, pathogen reduction and organic degradation is not significant. However, since the excreta are contained, pathogen transmission to the user is limited. This technology is a significant improvement over single pits or open defecation.
Single VIPs are appropriate for rural and peri-urban areas; in densely populated areas they are often difficult to empty and/or have insufficient space for infiltration. VIPs are especially appropriate when water is scarce and where there is a low groundwater table. They should be located in an area with a good breeze to ensure effective ventilation. They are not suited for rocky or compacted soils (that are difficult to dig) or for areas that flood frequently.
The design of Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines
The purpose of this paper is to discuss general design criteria for VIP latrines and to review recent developments in VIP latrine design.
MARA, D.D. (1984): The design of Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines. UNDP Interregional Project. (= United Nations Development Programme Interregional Project , 47 ). Washington: The World Bank URL [Accessed: 11.10.2013]