The failure
of conventional water-based sewerage systems in Aboriginal communities
was very common. RADG found that the following criteria should be applied
to the development of a toilet for remote Aboriginal comunities:
- it should be a 'toilet with water' and white;
- it should be 10 metres from the home;
- hand washing water should be available nearby;
- low water use will be an advantage;
- a design that reduces blockage is preferred.
Pour-flush
toilets had a water seal of about 20 mm and were available in many
different designs. The water seal prevented odours from emanating from
the pit which in turn avoided attraction of flies. Its main features
were the storage pit, covering slab, bowl holder seat, the bowl with
a water seal trap and provision for water (Mathew, 1989). The bowl
was made from white, high density polyethylene in two parts that joined
together by a flare and taper: the upper bowl and the U-bend where
water remained after each flush to provide a seal. If a blockage occurred
in the U-bend it could be readily pushed through with a piece of rubber
hose thereby the material would drop down into the pit. The concrete
bowl holder seat and its support slab over the pit were produced from
sheetmetal moulds. A prototype pressurised cistern was also designed
that involved no moving parts or seals to replace the bucket flush
method.
