Facing Challenges on a Bridges Trip
As many experienced Bridges volunteers may know; a new volunteer coming to Nicaragua from the United States may face many challenges; dealing with cultural differences (culture shock), dealing with the sticky heat, lack of understanding, experiencing a new language, a first look at a “developing” country, etc. However, one of the biggest challenges that a new volunteer may face is getting comfortable using the latrine!
Working with Bridges and volunteer groups for more than a year has taught me many important life skills. Every group leaves me with a little more knowledge and with even more questions. Diverse groups from different areas of the United States create fresh, exciting and always changing experiences. Nevertheless, no matter how different one group may be from the next, there always seems to be a few underlying obstacles that most group members have to tackle, one of them being: squatting to take care of business. This article will be dedicated to dissecting the advantages and disadvantages/differences and similarities of modern toilets and latrines; and hopefully an idea of what an alternative may be.
One may not know that the average U.S. citizen uses up to 74 gallons of water a day; one-third of which goes swirling down the toilet bowl (Steinfeld and Anderson)! On the flip side of a toilet we encounter a latrine which uses no water at all. Keep in mind that according to the World Bank over 40% of the world’s population does not have access to improved sanitation facilities as of 2010. One of the obvious advantages of a toilet is the clean, comfortable and smell-free atmosphere. Whereas a latrine may be accompanied with dirty, smelly and a not so comfortable sitting position (however over 70% of the world’s population use this squatting technique, or a squat toilet). Both a toilet and a latrine are able to hide excrement from the visible eye. But what happens to the water and excrement once it leaves the body? In the United States most “dirty” water is shipped to cleaning facilities where the “dirty” water is treated. Whereas in Nicaragua the “dirty” water may end up flowing directly into one of the thousands of water sources; lakes, rivers, oceans (due to lack of infrastructure and resources, and/or poor distribution of existing funds). Many sources have claimed that up to 80% of Nicaragua’s fresh water sources are contaminated. Another advantage of a latrine is that the waste can be controlled and turned into safe byproducts (if the latrine is well made and maintained). However, a dirty latrine can cause many problems, such as; an increase in the chances of gastrointestinal illnesses, horrible smell, area for insects to produce, and can cause low self esteem for families and/or a community.
As one can see there are both good and bad aspects to the two fecal dispensary systems that we use. Is there a different way “to go”? In the era of “going green”, one step may be installing self-contained composting toilets (SCCT’s). SCCT’s are relatively cheap (ranging from $750 - $1500) and do not use any water and actually turn human waste into compost; which can then be used for fertilizers. Using a SCCT could potential save over 6,600 gallons of water per year per person (Steinfeld and Anderson). SCCT’s are clean and look just like a normal toilet but have a built in composting chamber where the user adds some sawdust or popcorn to ensure the breakdown of aerobic material, which is then used (intentionally or not) to fertilize and enrich the soil beneath us.
Whether one decides to come to Nicaragua on a Bridges trip or not; using a latrine may be in the near future. Now that we have discussed the three options and the ups and downs of each; I hope that when one does come to Nicaragua and has to use a latrine the experience will be at least more educational and one will know where your business is going. So the next time you
find yourself despising the latrine, keep in mind the amount of water that you are saving!
