Flood Resilient Household Latrines in Port Harcourt City and Environs

Aside from being a city developing on a very low lying Niger River Delta as well as being coastal, Port Harcourt city and its environs now more than ever before experience unpredictable high intensity rainfalls.  These factors result in mass flooding of neighborhoods.

In these areas, one recurring problem is the overflow and clogging of latrines, as well as the erosion of pit and septic tank structures. The major problems arising from these are surface water contamination and loss of accessibility to the latrine during flood. Often, the most affected are the urban poor who live in densely populated neighborhoods where households share on-site latrines located outside their living rooms. For women in such areas, this is an issue as loss of access also translates to loss of privacy for defecation. The result is that most residents are now compelled to “wrap and throw” their excreta into runoffs; and further worsening the health risks and retarding local gains in sanitation coverage.

The project aims to engage landlords and artisans (who build latrines) to upgrade existing flood susceptible latrines, mostly pit and pour- flush; to the flood resilient brand, which are the Raised Off-set Pour-flush latrines. By introducing landlords to this type of latrine we encourage safe excreta disposal at all times.

The project will therefore pilot the new latrines by directly upgrading 100 existing latrines in various parts of the city and beyond, and train about 25 artisans on the skills required in building the latrines in order to localize the expertise. The benefits are multifarious:  the awareness will enable the users to demand  an upgrade for their own optimum health, economic, environmental and social benefits; the skills acquired by the artisans will enable them to broaden their knowledge and deliver appropriate and responsive latrines in various locations at various times.

By doing this, we would achieve a network of adaptive latrine builders collaboratively working to secure sanitation for poverty reduction. The Raised Offset Pour-flush latrine is an improved adaptation of the traditional pit or an extension of the pour flush latrine, and could consist of one or two pits. The toilet can be located inside the house if the user so wish.

Total Project Amount being solicited: US$154,000            CONTRIBUTE NOW!