Ventilated improved pit latrines : Zimbabwean brick designs
Morgan, Peter R. | Mara, D. Duncan | Blair Research Laboratory
This paper describes the most recent developments in the design of ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines in Zimbabwe. A VIP latrine was developed in Zimbabwe in the 1970s as an odorless, fly-free toilet suitable for use in both rural and low-density urban areas. Recently, the Blair Research Laboratory (Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe) has developed a number of low-cost brick VIP latrines, which are described in this paper. Brick latrines are now preferred in both urban and rural areas of Zimbabwe to the ferrocement and mud and wattle latrines for the following reasons: (a) they are cheaper and easier to construct than the ferrocement version in rural areas; (b) wood for the construction of the mud and wattle latrine has become scarce, and for conservation reasons the Government of Zimbabwe is discouraging its removal and use; and (c) although its materials cost is higher than that for the mud and wattle latrine, a brick latrine is preferred in the rural areas to the latter as it is a more permanent facility which is generally regarded with pride as a status symbol by its owners.
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