Where Innovation Meets the Most Basic Need

A working toilet may be a standard of living many of us take for granted. But in hundreds of communities recovering from the tsunami, sanitary, working toilets can mean the difference between health and illness.

Contaminated water becomes cleaner as it moves through the multiple chambers of the septic tank. Photo by CRS Staff

CRS and its partner, Kottar Social Service Society, recently piloted an innovative wastewater treatment system for community toilets that makes some of the most polluted water usable for agriculture. And best of all, the design is easily maintained by the families who use it.

The extraordinary design, engineered from fiber-reinforced polyester, is ideal for coastal communities with high water tables, exactly what is found in communities devastated by the tsunami. CRS' partner rolled out the project for some 225 families in one coastal village, Kottilpadu in the district of Kanyakumari, as a part of its Shelter Improvement program.

How do these super toilets work? The design treats the water at the source, preventing contamination of groundwater by extending the walls of the underground septic tank to six chambers. The contaminated water travels through the chambers, oxidizing the water through constant movement, with water becoming cleaner each time it moves into the next chamber. By the time the water passes through the sixth and final chamber, it is 90 percent free of contaminants. The water then passes through the gravel and soil of a filtration field to achieve the remaining 10 percent filtration needed to make it ready to return to groundwater or be diverted for gardening and agriculture use. When used in permanent settlements, the infiltration fields can be transformed into beautiful ponds surrounded by plants that naturally filter water through their roots.

The toilet structures themselves are made from prefabricated slabs that are bolted together. The structure, including the septic tank, can be dismantled and transported, which is ideal since many tsunami-affected families are still in transition between their temporary and permanent homes.

With the success of this first round of toilets, CRS is working with communities on the construction of five community toilet blocks and bathing areas in Nagapattinam, which has India's highest number of people living in temporary settlements. CRS and its partners are also in talks with the local government about including these super toilets in future government-sponsored treatment facilities in the permanent shelter locations.

CRS' work on this project has been accomplished in partnership with Kottar Social Service Society, the Tamil Nadu Tsunami Resource Center and with technical consultation from the Center for Scientific Research of Auroville, Tamil Nadu.

Anna Hrybyk joined CRS India in 2003 as a fellow and now works as CRS' deputy state representative in Chennai. Anna manages programs in tsunami response, HIV and AIDS, women and child protection and disaster preparedness, with expertise in water and sanitation technology.