Why not an elevated latrine over a wheeled removable storage tank that hooks to a pickup truck?
Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
11–20 of 44 posts
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#12Very interesting. I wonder if it then makes sense to run additional services such as power and drinking water parallel to those pipes for similar efficiency? I wonder if camping festivals and conferences such as CCC camp would benefit from this at all?
Original author here: yes of course, this project should be improved and many other additional services wil be added. I will also study a camp with UDDT to have a less amount of sewage. The camps in my project contain free areas for agriculture, in addition to a school , a police station, and markets so the camp could be 90% independent. This project could be applied for any camp. It is basically studied to be applie…
You should see if you can reach out to the Chaos Computer Club for their Camp conference (in theory, running next in 2023).
The distribution of utilities throughout their campsite is quite a logistical challenge.
I think your work also assumes a nice flat wide open space that you can work with, whereas in that specific scenario there's other obstacles in the way.
Anyway, really cool. Thanks! :)
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#13It seems outhouses every block would be a much more simple and economical design. They just require vertical excavation, which can be done by hand if space is constrained but labor is available. When the camp is dismantled (hopefully everyone is resettled quickly) then you just fill it in with dirt.
The durability of the infrastructure should be informed by how long the camps tend to exist. My first result is a world bank[1] blog that says it's about 17 years. So a more automated system like plumbing would probably save resources over the long term, but who ever thinks about long term costs of infrastructure for refugees?
[1] https://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/2019-update-how-long-d...
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#14I just recorded a voice memo this morning with an inspired idea related to this. Water in a box, pee into the box, poop into compost bags, collect and restock weekly. I’ve done manual labor digging trenches, working with construction, all that. Also been homeless for 2 yrs in SF/SV for what it’s worth, doing said work (do not have resources for coding interviews, trying to save). With compostable or washable containers, I have no idea why one would make a sewage system in a camp. Being a (former) engineer as well, I can appreciate the thought put into it.
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Original author here: yes of course, this project should be improved and many other additional services wil be added. I will also study a camp with UDDT to have a less amount of sewage. The camps in my project contain free areas for agriculture, in addition to a school , a police station, and markets so the camp could be 90% independent. This project could be applied for any camp. It is basically studied to be applie…
What is the lowest temperature the studied project’s environment would experience? How viable is this in colder climates? Also, great write up!
In this project, PVC pipes are used. These pipes are in danger of freezing when surrounding temperatures are nearly 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
PVC pipes get brittle in cold weather and fracture where they freeze.... A low voltage, 120-degree or less, should be installed as an internal pipe heater to keep it from freezing.
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#16For this kind of application, I'm a big fan of this idea [1] (there is a more recent example of something similar out of the UK but I can't find it now). It uses a mechanical "flush" mechanism that basically just individually bags the waste and stashes it below the toilet. When full, the bags are pulled out (themselves in a bigger bag) and just taken to the dump. A great alternative to building custom sewer and treatment infrastructure. There are examples of this kind of tech being used in places (e.g Antananarivo that has slaves that flood regularly) that don't have or cannot easily get sewers installed.
[1] https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2013/12/entreprene...
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#17Very interesting. I wonder if it then makes sense to run additional services such as power and drinking water parallel to those pipes for similar efficiency? I wonder if camping festivals and conferences such as CCC camp would benefit from this at all?
I’m not an expert, yet… But my habit has become: anytime you spend the time and effort to put any conduit in the ground… Put four more in.
I have never been anything but happy and relieved that I have done this.
Pipe is cheap. Digging is not.
Edit: Do not put drinking water lines and sewage lines in the same trench.
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#18For this kind of application, I'm a big fan of this idea [1] (there is a more recent example of something similar out of the UK but I can't find it now). It uses a mechanical "flush" mechanism that basically just individually bags the waste and stashes it below the toilet. When full, the bags are pulled out (themselves in a bigger bag) and just taken to the dump. A great alternative to building custom sewer and treat…
This same approach is used in fully developed areas for things like outdoor schools for kids. Another variant in the more luxury area is boat rentals, using the heads here can result in unpleasant smells for later users even if holding tanks are pumped - you basically put a special bag with a cat litter like substance into the actual toilet, then when you hit the dock you take the bigger bag out (if more than one use).
Bottom line, less is more and leverage solutions that have demonstrated actual market traction. A lot of stuff geared towards the poor has no market in the paying world for a reason - it's crap (no pun intended).
Perhaps there is a human manure angle that gets missed with these other approaches, and they may be more resource intensive in terms of plastic?
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#19For this kind of application, I'm a big fan of this idea [1] (there is a more recent example of something similar out of the UK but I can't find it now). It uses a mechanical "flush" mechanism that basically just individually bags the waste and stashes it below the toilet. When full, the bags are pulled out (themselves in a bigger bag) and just taken to the dump. A great alternative to building custom sewer and treat…
From the article, it costs $1 per use. And ends with plastic bags full of (maybe sterilized) human waste being thrown in the trash. This is a solution to what exactly? A lack of Toilet as a Service products?
Re: Designing a standard sewage network for refugee camps
#20It seems outhouses every block would be a much more simple and economical design. They just require vertical excavation, which can be done by hand if space is constrained but labor is available. When the camp is dismantled (hopefully everyone is resettled quickly) then you just fill it in with dirt.
The durability of the infrastructure should be informed by how long the camps tend to exist. My first result is a world bank[1] blog that says it's about 17 years. So a more automated system like plumbing would probably save resources over the long term, but who ever thinks about long term costs of infrastructure for refugees? [1] https://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/2019-update-how-long-d...
17 years is much longer than I would have expected. Long term thinking is a good point.