How Eco-San works
Working of the eco-san/dry toilets
These “Eco-San” toilets are constructed with two vaults above the ground. A specially installed squatting pan diverts the urine out of the unit where it is drained into a small plant bed. The faeces are “deposited” into one of the vaults; after each use the faeces are covered with a cupful of ash. The first vault is used for about six months or until it is three-quarters full; it is then sealed and the second vault used. As the second vault is in use, the faeces in the first vault decompose. The decomposition process reduces the faeces in volume and kills all dangerous pathogens. At the end of the cycle, the decomposed faeces are removed for use in ornamental gardens as a soil amendment or it may be simply burnt.
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Urine is pathogen free while rich in phosphate and nitrogen; it can be safely used on all crops as a substitute for expensive commercial fertilizers. Thus in farm communities it is collected and used in fields while in non-farm communities the urine is drained into flower beds or beneath a banana tree.
