Dry Toilets in rural area of Ecuador
Thanks to the Santa Marianita neighborhood organization in Guano-Ecuador, and the persistence of their leaders, the construction of 15 dry toilets were delivered to the Mayor of the Municipality of Guano and the Prefecture of the province of Chimborazo to improve hygiene, privacy and quality of life in general of its inhabitants.In despite of being just one kilometer away from Guano, the capital of the canton, the neighborhood of Santa Marianita receive non-drinkable water just four hours a day. The irrigation water is scarce, thats why install a normal water toilet is not an intelligent solution.
Ecuadorian environmental standards require that a waste water treatment system must be built when installing a sewer system. It increases the cost of the work for the Municipality and the Prefecture, as well as for the residents. If a waste water treatment system is no installed, the problem of pollution is simply moved to another location
In addition, because of the volcanic soil of the working site, with large rocks buried at shallow depths, it is almost impossible to build a sewer system. The cost of digging in the ground, move the rocks and fill the trenches would be enormous.
With this background, the dry toilet in this area is a very suitable solution.
After being successfully tested in another community in the province, the original design of the dry toilet was modified to include a site where people can take a bath with privacy, and in coordination with the Barrio Santa Marianita, Red EcoSur with the support of the German organization DESWOS, built 13 dry toilets with shower for private houses and two dry toilets in restrooms at the main plaza in the neighborhood.
Thanks to external funding, the toilets have a very low cost that people can pay in small amounts, which will allow more toilets to be built in the short term.
This type of toilet saves resources to the Municipality and the Prefecture of the province due to the fact that it does not require sewer or sewage treatment. The Dry Toilet solves a problem of hygiene and basic health.
And most important: The Barrio Santa Marianita has shown that the unity, solidarity and perseverance can fulfill many of the dreams postponed for decades.

