Technology brief

Community-managed
toilets
Introduction
Community-managed toilets are technically very similar toindividual toilets, except they are larger and serve a greaternumber of users. A range of sanitation systems can be used,
including simple pits, pour flush toilets, urine separation andcomposting, as well as septic tanks and sewerage.
The main difference between
individual toilets andcommunity-managed toilets isin the way they are operated
and maintained. Maintenanceof household toilets is generally
carried out by a family
member, but for larger blocksof shared toilets the users willneed to take responsibility
for agreeing on a method tocarry out maintenance tasks
and then participate in its
implementation. It is importantthat the maintenance method
is acceptable to all users.

Fig 1: Urban community-managed toilet block
Inspired by community-managed toilet blocks
in Mumbai and Pune

Community
meeting space

Caretaker’s flat

Sinks to wash clothes

1 | Community-managed toilets

Separate entrances formen and women.

Schemes of this sort have been very
effective where there has been strong
community leadership and a real desire in
the community to improve conditions.
In high-density population areas whereproperties have flushing toilets, it issometimes possible to install a piped
sewerage scheme. Advantages of thissystem include ease of use, acceptability,
and a significant reduction in bad odours.
However, disadvantages are the relatively
high capital cost, construction difficulties
in congested areas, and the disposal of
the effluent at the end of the system. The
topography of the area may well make or
break this type of system.
Community-managed toilets should not
be confused with public toilets, which areconstructed in public places such as bus
stations and markets for use by the generalpublic, usually on a pay-per-use basis.
Although there may be some overlap,
community-managed toilets are generally
for use by a smaller identifiable groupof users.

Funding
Communities are typically encouraged toform a group to collect money to pay forconstruction. Capital costs (as opposed torunning costs) are sometimes subsidisedby external organisations or NGOrun credit
schemes to make the project affordable;
however, the community must have thecapacity to fund and manage runningcosts, making capacity building within thecommunity as important as providing thecapital funding.

Design and construction
Any of the toilet designs discussed in theHousehold sanitation technical brief can beadapted for use in a community-managed
system. Important design decisions
include: the best location for the toilets inthe community; the number of seats tobe installed; the facilities to be provided

2 | Community-managed toilets

for women, children and people withphysical disabilities; and arrangements foraccessing water and electricity supplies (iflighting is to be fitted). Installing bathing
and laundry facilities can also ensure thatthe unit is more widely used and valued.
The community might require support withthese decisions.
If tradesmen within the community havethe necessary construction skills they canbe employed by the community group.
Otherwise the community group will need
the support of an external organisation
to employ a local contractor to carry out
the work.
Key design issues specifically applicable tocommunity toilets include:• Separate facilities for men and women.
•A ppropriately designed facilities forchildren and people with physicaldisabilities.
•C onstruction of the floor – consideringdrainage and cleaning; disposal ofgrey water; need to construct floor
in removable sections for access andmaintenance if the design involves pits orpipes beneath the floor.
•C onstruction of the superstructure – thisshould be made from locallyavailable
materials, eg bricks and mortar walls witha solid concrete or tiled roof, or wood witha reed or grass roof. Thought should begiven to the likely amount of users per
day as this will affect the number of units
required. The superstructure should bewell ventilated to remove odours, andhave a low light level to discourage flies.
•L ocation – The location should beaccessible and well lit so that users do not
feel vulnerable after dark.
Guidance on the type of sanitation system
required (eg pit toilets, septic tank) anddesign considerations should also bereferred to.

Management and maintenanceOnce the toilets are constructed, acommunity-elected management teamtakes over the running of them. The
success of this process is critical to thesustainability of the project. Support
is often needed in setting up themanagement system and starting to use
and maintain the toilets. The management
group will have to make important
decisions concerning:• Maintenance – should the group
employ a caretaker or could households
share responsibility for cleaning andmaintenance?
• Cost – how much should be charged
for use of the facility (money could becollected on a per visit basis or moreusually on a daily/weekly/monthly basis)?

•C ollection – who should collect the money
and should the group open a bankaccount and register the community
group?
•A ccess – should the toilet be locked witha key (or keys) held by the caretaker or byeach household?
•P ublic or private – should the block be apublic toilet and open for use of people
from outside the community who pay
for each use, or should it be a private
toilet and only for the use of people fromwithin the community who are part of thescheme?
Key factors to the success of the project
are likely to be the motivation of the group,
how well they know and trust one another,relative socioeconomic status and theirfinancial and organisational skills.

Felicia Burgar,
helps to keep
the communitymanaged
disabled-friendly
toilet block clean,Sinkor, Monrovia
Liberia

WaterAid/Ahmed Jallanzo

3 | Community-managed toilets

Advantages and disadvantagesof community managed toilets:
Advantages

Disadvantages• Service can often be provided tothe poorest of the poor, and topeople traditionally excluded fromsanitation projects.

•T hey require a high capital cost.

• Separate facilities designed especially forchildren or marginalised members of thecommunity can be installed.

•T he community may need help toorganise fundraising and/or accessfinancial support.

•T hey require a high level ofcommunity organisation.

•P lanning and construction often
require input from skilled engineers
and contractors, although local
skilled and unskilled people can assist• The capital and operating costs are shared in construction.
between many households and therefore•P oor organisation or lack of commitment
are lower than for individual toilets.
may lead to unsatisfactory maintenance,
conflict between users and disuse of thefacility (which can become a health hazard
if not cleaned regularly).
• They are ideal for areas where housing
density is very high and space forindividual toilets is limited.

•F acilities created exclusively forthe use of a particular community
may cause resentment fromneighbouring communities

A note on hygiene

A note on equity and inclusion

The risks of coming into contact withpathogenic bacteria are infinitely greater
during the process of anal cleansing.
A single soiling of hands during analcleansing would afterwards spread
millions of pathogenic cells into theenvironment. It is therefore vital to place
handwashing facilities near to toilets.
An example of a basic handwashingfacility is the tippy-tap – a plastic bottle
suspended on a Y-shaped stick or string,with soap attached, that can be tippedover to pour out water without touchingor contaminating the bottle (see www.
tippytap.org).
Hygiene is discussed in more detail in ourhygiene technology brief.

Consideration should be given to accessand ease of use by all in the community,including disabled people and children.
The design for any toilet should besensitive to both genders and localculture. Specific attention should begiven to menstrual hygiene issues. Users
with special needs should be provided
with an opportunity to design their own
adaptations for toilets.

4 | Community-managed toilets

Useful resources
www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~cen6ddm/
CommunalSanitation.html
Links to articles, publications, reports
and photos on community-managed
sanitation blocks around the world,complied by the School of Civil
Engineering, Leeds University.
Burra S, Patel S and Kerr T (2003)
Community-designed, built and managed
toilet blocks in Indian cities. Environment andurbanisation, vol 15, no 11. International
Institute for Environmentand Development. Available at:
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/15/2/11.pdf

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Tilley E, Lüthi C, Morel A, Zurbrügg C andSchertenleib R (2008) Compendium ofsanitation systems and technologies. Eawag/Sandec. Available at:www.eawag.ch/forschung/sandec/
publikationen/compendium_e/index_EN
WaterAid India (no date) Community
managed toilets: understanding where it canwork. Available at:www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/communitymanagedtoilets.pdf

Part of a series of WaterAidtechnology briefs available atwww.wateraid.org/uk/technology

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit,determined to make clean water, decent
toilets and good hygiene normal foreveryone, everywhere within a generation.
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