First Indoor Urine Diverting Dry School Toilet inaugurated in Romania

This project demonstrates how, without a connection to public facilities, safe, comfortable and hygienic school sanitation can be realised

30.11.2009 |Margriet Samwel

On November 27, 2009, the very first indoor Urine Diverting Dry School Toilet (UDDT) was inaugurated in Romania. The UDDT facility was constructed in cooperation with the local Romanian partner Femei pentru un Viitor Curat, FVC from the neigbour village Garla Mare, for the primary school in Vrata, Mehedinti County. The project was carried out in the frame of the project "Safe Sanitation, Health and Dignity" and received financial support of Fondation Ensemble, France and MATRA KAP, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The technical design was supported by the Hamburg University of Technology, Germany.

Vrata is a rural village with 1500 inhabitants, located on the borders of the Danube. The village has no central water supply and hence citizens and school use pit latrines as toilet. The groundwater is severe polluted with nitrates and bacteria. The pit latrines of the school available for 150 children and school staff, was in an unhygienic and detoriated condition. On request of the staff of the local school and administration a new UDDT and hand wash facility was constructed for the primary school of Vrata.

Entrance of the UDDT toilet

This project demonstrates how even without a connection to public facilities, safe and comfortable sanitation can be realised, how children can be protected against spreaded germs, how groundwater can be protected against infiltration of nitrates and micro organsim from pit latrines. No water is wasted by flushing toilets. Due to climate change, water saving sanitation systems will be in of more and more mportance in Romania.

The UDDT facility, including extra waterless urinals for the boys, is attached to the school, which is a novelty for rural romanian villages not having access to a central water supply or wastewater system. Children and teachers don´t have to leave the school when visiting the toilet which will give them an almost unknown feeling of comfort. The toilet products will be sanitised and reused in the agriculture according to the guidelines of the World Health Organisation
The UDDT facility will be taken properly in use after some minor little adjustments have been made to the system.

Simple hand wash facility

More information
margriet.samwel@wecf.eu
olivia.radu@wecf.eu

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