Number of Community Toilets Calculation

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I design and build sustainable, environmentally friendly projects that bring clean water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene to rural communities. 

I'm trying to determine how many toilets are needed for a rural community. Is there a formula to calculate this? Which factors weigh the most in the formula, in addition to the number of people? 

Is the number different if toilets are at the household level and community/group toilets? 

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23 Answers

  1. It varies country to country, region to region, for which country you are looking for?

    The general calculation is: Fresh water requirement(per member)*0.8(or 0.85)= waste water generation per member.

  3. Dear Brian

    It's a challange but I think the number of toilets will depend on the distribution of scattered homes and the plot area, streets also so providing less distance , important points

    _ collecting wastewater in septic tanks 

    _ providing clean water 

    If you have the map we can help

  4. Depending on the weather, you can study the ecological toilet, that works well where it has low rain precipitation.

  5. Thank you to everyone for all of the great information.  Yes, there are a lot of factors that go into deciding exactly how many toilets to provide.  I was just looking to be able to make a quick estimate, and from the information provided I will be able to do that.   The project is going to be in Colombia, and has about 150 households.  They are subsistence farmers, and so I think I will be talking to them about composting toilets.  Right now 96% of the community goes to the bathroom in the open, and so, as someone suggested, we will need promotion, and to educate the community.  This project is in its infancy, and I still have a lot to learn about the community, but everyone's comments are very helpful.  

    Lokesh, do you have a design for the fabricated bioreactor? 

    Jürgen, Thanks for the link to the SPHERE manual.  I'll give it a read.

    Prem, thank you too for the links you provide.  It looks like they will be very helpful.

     

  6. French English

    Bonjour

    je pense que je suis à même de vous apporter la solution.

    Il ne s'agit pas en fait de nombre de toilettes mais du traitement de la défécation produite dans ces toilettes. Quand une famille installe un dispositif proche de son domicile, qui lui appartient, elle l'entretien et le préserve de dysfonctionnement.

    Quand une famille est réliée à un dispositif collectif, elle ignore complètement ce qu'il advient des excréments qu'elle produit.

    un dispositif individuel coute nettement moins cher qu'une implanation collective.

    Avec un dispositif individuel efficace il n'y a plus de vidange, plus de dysfonctionnement, plus d'odeur, plus de production de résidus boueux. En plus si le dispositif est -biologique- la famille peut arroser le jardin potager avec l'eau de sortie du système. Ce qui supprime toute pollution de l'environnement et des sous sols.

    Il faut donc implanter un dispositif d'épuration des excréments pour chaque habitation en prévoyant une zone d'arrosage suffisante pour disperser le liquide épuré.

    C'est une autre conception d'urbanisme, plus étendue que sur la hauteur mais qui dans le temps ne donne plus aucun soucis.

    Par contre le collectif va nécessiter un réseau de collecte, une zone de traitement, une station de traitement et tout compte fait le liquide rejeté se fera toujours dans l'environnement avec toute la pollution qu'il contient 

    Car en collectif les usagers injectent tout ce qu'ils peuvent dans le réseau et principalement des porduits chimiques. 

    Avec un dispsotif biologique il supprime l'utilisation de tout produit chimique: un grand pas vers la protection de l'environnement  

    english

     Hello I think I am able to bring you the solution.

    That is not actually number of toilets but treatment of defecation produced in this toilet. When a family sets a device near his home, which belongs to him, it maintenance and preserves it malfunction.

    When a family is related to a device group, she completely ignores what happens to the waste it produces.

    a device individual is significantly cheaper than a collective presence.

    With an effective individual there more drain, more dysfunction, more smell, more production of muddy residue. In addition if the device's biological family can water the vegetable garden with water out of the system. What removes any pollution of the environment and sub soil.

    Therefore, implant a device for treatment of excrement per house by providing a sufficient spray area to disperse the clean liquid.

    This is another design of urban planning, more extensive than on the height, but that gives no more worries at the time.

    However the collective will require a collection network, area of treatment, a treatment plant and ultimately rejected liquid will always occur in the environment with all the pollution that it contains 

    As collective users inject everything they can in the network, mainly chemical products. 

    With a biological dispsotif it removes the chemical use of any product: a big step towards the protection of the environment

     

  7. Yes the number of latrines/toilets necessary is definitely different if one is taking into consideration households and community or group toilets. In regards to households, depending on the culture, one needs to sometimes have separate toilets/latrines for the women/girls and separate ones for the men/boys. Then in order to assure young children use the toilets/latlrines, the sanitation programme should have a latrine adapted to children's use which is located very close to the house or kitchen so the child/children do not have to walk far, particularly at night. So the number depends on the number of households and the composition of the households.

    With regards to group or community latrines/toilets separate ones should be constructed for the females and the males. I would have to do some more research and look at my notes from various sanitation projects I have worked on in the past to be able to give advice regarding the ratio of population to number of community toilets necessary.

    But do not forget to plan hand washing facilities in proximity to the community or group toilets for if you do, you have almost defeated the health improvement aspect possible.

    1 Comment

  8. I fully agree with Maria and EAWAG, one toilet ​per household is the rule but the first thing to take into account, at least in rural communities of Latin America,  is that the initiative is responding to the local demand for sanitation services. If it does not exist would be necessary to promote it before to invest in sanitation infrastructure.

  10. Hello Brian!

    Recently, I did an interesting course about Planning and Design of Sanitation Systems and Technology by the hand of Eawag and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. I can tell you that I learnt a lot thanks to this MOOC.

    There isn't any "formula" to calculate the toilets; just you have to consider the domains (household, community and muninipal) and use the clues which are provided in guidelines like a Planning Framework for improving City or Rural-wide sanitation services. Take some case studies similar to your sanitation project; you'll always find the case studies really interesting. 

    Sorry for going on and on :) I am going to get to the point:

    You should design 1 toilet per household (always 1 toilet for 60 m^2).For public toilets in rural comunities you can project 1 toilet for every 25 people (I could study the case study in Lusaka (Zambia) and in this rural community there is a toilet for every 27 people).

    To get affordable solutions, you have to keep in mind the type of sanitation system and the financial data; you should identificate the service options to do the action plan for:
    - off-site (sewered) sanitation
    - on-site sanitation (VIP latrines).

    And finally, don't forget that in a sanitation planning you have to consider:

    * the socio-cultural acceptance

    *the government support

    *the legal and regulatory framework

    * the financial and institutional arrangements

    * and your skills as engineer ;)

     

     

    1 Comment

    1. It is very hard to imagine it, from where I live in Japan. 

      We are probably the Toilet Nation - in some way obsessed about hygiene etc.

      2 Comment replies

      1. You are most likely right about that rural areas of those developing nations are beyond what anyone in more affluent societies experience. I stayed in Bangalore and Yangon in Burma, but both places offered the min. or least basics during my stay: that is, a private bathroom at my quarter. but I observed that there were impoverished areas pretty much everywhere - outside the gated residence.

  11. I  believe there should not be a common formula for community toilets. It depends on the community and their customs. An European Government organization did such a project in Northern Namibia, where families traditionally live far from each other, even  in a 'village'. (There has always been enough space). For them community toilets are traditionally unacceptable, in spite of the good intention of the organizers, the toilet project was not successful. Community showers were more successful, because washing oneself for this particular community is a social event.

  12. Not sure, but you will find benefit in making sure your systems use https://envirofluid.com/worksafe-environmental-chemistries/triple-7/water-wastewater-treatment/triple7-odour-control

  14. Try by all possible means to consider 1 toilet per household.  This results in households taking responsibility for the care and maintenance of the toilet, and they will normally be very willing to contribute something towards its construction, even if this is digging the pit, collecting sand for concrete and plastering, etc.  Sustainability is so much higher under these situations

  15.  

    Dear Brian Luenow

    For 20 people -1 Toilet 

    Separate, internally lockable toilets for women and men are available in public places, such as markets, distribution centres, health centres, schools, etc.

     

    Toilets are no more than 50 metres from dwellings.

     

    Use of toilets is arranged by household(s) and/or segregated by sex 

    People wash their hands after using toilets and before eating and food preparation 

    Guidance notes

     

    Acceptable facilities: Successful excreta disposal programmes depend on an understanding of people’s varied needs and their participation. It may not be possible to make all toilets acceptable to all groups. Special toilets may need to be constructed for children, older people and persons with disabilities, e.g. toilets with seats or hand rails or provision of bed pans, potties or commodes. The type of sanitation facility adopted depends on the time of the intervention, the preferences and cultural habits of the intended users, the existing infrastructure, the availability of water (for flushing and water seals), the soil formation and the availability of construction materials. Different excreta disposal types for different phases of a disaster response are listed in the table below.

    Public toilets: In public places, toilets are provided with established systems for proper and regular cleaning and maintenance. Disaggregated population data are used to plan the number of women’s cubicles to men’s using an approximate ration of 3:1. Where possible, urinals should be providedFamily toilets: Family toilets are the preferred option where possible. 

    One toilet for a maximum of 20 people should be the target. Where there are no existing toilets, it is possible to start with one for 50 people and lowering the number of users to 20 as soon as possible. In some circumstances, space limitations make it impossible to meet these figures. In such cases, advocate strongly for extra space. However, it should be remembered that the primary aim is to provide and maintain an environment free from human faeces.

     

    https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ckBUTqAErSIC&pg=PA295&lpg=PA295&dq=%22%E2%80%8BA+maximum+of+20+%E2%80%8Bpeople+use+each+%E2%80%8Btoilet&source=bl&ots=phJi5eGvt_&sig=XHtcbntnpSS15Cg5zWiFYuAX3rg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw7uDTiNnTAhXLuY8KHe1BD7IQ6AEIOjAD

     

     

    https://books.google.co.in/books?id=XultiNgf0cIC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=%22%E2%80%8BA+maximum+of+20+%E2%80%8Bpeople+use+each+%E2%80%8Btoilet&source=bl&ots=oKmQBnT4_u&sig=3GqBbYy1g70uEELXgSonEQpu3mI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw7uDTiNnTAhXLuY8KHe1BD7IQ6AEIPjAF

     

    https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjw7uDTiNnTAhXLuY8KHe1BD7IQFggmMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spherehandbook.org%2Fen%2Fexcreta-disposal-standard-2-appropriate-and-adequate-toilet-facilities%2F&usg=AFQjCNHVWfnUvx7XcW2bjrSaRHB9QrGoTA&sig2=2TCMl26ssplq_eBKC1C0rw

    Regards,

    Prem Baboo

    1 Comment

  17. Hi Brian,

    the SPHERE Handbook names "A maximum of 20 people use each toilet (see guidance notes 1–4 and Appendix 3: Minimum numbers of toilets at public places and institutions in
    disaster situations)." As for families, we had -in development, not humanitarian situations- good experiences made with a maximum of 4 families using 1 septic tank with an individual cabin for each family, provided the septic tank could be placed on intersecting (family) compounds. Note, that toilet refers in this context to indivuidual cabins, not the more expensive subterranean part, the solidly built septic tank / 3 chamber latrine. You can download the SPHERE handbook here: http://www.sphereproject.org/resources/download-publications/?search=1&keywords=&language=English&category=22

  19. I have worked in rural areas in Peru and Bolivia, and the number of toilets depends in different factors, one of them is the cultural aspect. In my experience one toilete for every five people is the right number if the toilet is for one family. In some cases this can be shared by two families. If you want to built public toilet for a rural community you can project 1 toilet for every 15 -25 people. 
     

  20. Please look at the geography -- the physical distance any individual has to travel to avail of the toilet facility. First thing is that at least 1 toilet is there for every 30 children coming to school if it is in the vicinity of Rural Community. Second point where at least one toilet is necessary is near to Choupal or Gathering centre where old men spend most of their day time.

    Third point is that apart from the above, at least 1 toilet should be with in 5 minutes walking distance for 15 to 20 persons (children included.)

    MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS what processing is done for safe disposal of human excreta/ grey water. Rural community should make it feasible to deploy a suitable sized FABRICATED BIO-REACTOR in which heat value could be added by mixing animal dung slurry and after anaerobic digestion in Multi chamber bioreactor, not only Biogas can be generated and used for cooking by some families that can provide care for the toilet upkeep but the almost clear water can be released for irrigation of trees and community grazing grounds for animals.

  23. Pl. refer public toilet guidelines 'Sulabh Toilets' in India......generaly at municipal level 1 toilet per 15 citizen of that concerned service area 

     

    Swachh Bharat 30 persons per tioilet   and further there are advancemenagment in septage handling   Open Defection Free+ & ++ levels.