WEDC Guide No. 25: Simple pit latrines
Pit latrines are one of the oldest forms of formal sanitation in the world and for many they are still the best. Pit latrines are simple to build and can be constructed using local materials and technologies. Compared with other forms of sanitation they are relatively cheap, easy to operate and maintain and, if properly used, help prevent the spread of excreta related diseases. For most low-income communities in the developing world, the pit latrine in one form or another will be the most appropriate means of excreta disposal. This guide describes how pit latrines work and the components of pit latrines. It also examines some of the main problems that can arise with this simple form of sanitation.
© WEDC, Loughborough University, 2014
Author: Bob Reed Quality assurance: Rebecca Scott
Edited and illustrated by Rod Shaw
Designed and produced by WEDC Publications
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Published in
WEDC GuidePublisher
© WEDC, Loughborough UniversityVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2014Notes
This guide was published by the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University.ISBN
9781843801627Other identifier
WEDC_ID:21751Language
- en