Urban low cost sanitation

Contractor built latrines located in urban developments are more likely to lead to the success of a pit latrine project than either direct labour or self help construction. Contractors are not constrained by govern­ment regulations and can often, for example, use alternative methods to obtain materials in short supply, or pay incentive wages to the labour force for work not just atten­dance. A self help construction project is likely to be successful in a rural environ where the community is united under a central figure -the village elder. But the fight to survive in an urban habitat often results in mater­ials being sold for more important things such as food and medicine, and not the construction of the latrine. Urban Government direct labour built latrines can suffer from the severe restrictions of government rules and regulations which dictate the purchasing procedures, but not how much is necessary to bribe storekeepers to release materials to the project.