SANITATION
TOILETS, GREY WATER, HYGIENE, RAIN WATER, WASHING AND BATHING
If you are remaining in any location for some period of time either a semi permanent/permanent means of sanitation is going to be necessary. Human waste/sewage in itself can cause various illnesses from harmful pathogens present ranging from Hepatitis A, Gram negative bacteria (a large group including E.coli ) remembering while on occasion an infection, although somewhat unpleasant may last briefly others can last longer, reoccur, or in more severe cases cause severe medical problems and even death. Infection borne from a sewage contaminated water supply can produce Cholera and Typhoid too, another concern that could be present during longer term disaster or flooding scenarios.
Here is looking at a few methods of remedy should a breakdown of the water/sewage system occur and you remain home as a bug in Prepper or if you have a more permanent Bug Out Location.
My memories of township living and toilets as a child, a bucket someone had to empty in the morning, used at night, as it was unsafe to use communal toilets during the hours of darkness.
THE PIT TOILET
Looking at the pit toilet, this should serve five people at least a year before you need to build another.
Never pour harsh cleaning chemicals into a pit toilet, it will destroy the very bacteria required for breakdown.
Using a concrete base and toilet bowl can be used into the build.
Caution
A pit toilet is deep, if small children are about a lock should be fitted to the door if you use an basic hole method, it is not unknown for a small child to fall into one of these with disastrous consequences.
HYGIENE
Hand washing at the toilet site cannot be stressed enough, trust me on this one, at one particular village i was staying while in Uganda half of them including myself came down with which i was certain a toilet born food preparation infection down to no hand wash provision at immediate pit toilet, while i carried my personal bag and water it was evident very few embraced safe hygiene, i was told 'it just happens now and again' ! Lesson learnt. I did explain the necessity of hygiene etiquette and that it doesn't have to 'just happen' One of the biggest killers within Africa of children under 5 is diarrhoea , last thing you want is a dose of toilet born infection when in the middle of a scenario which is why on site and next to the toilet hand wash provisions are essential, all to easy to be in a hurry but a minutes haste can be a weeks remorse. Below a simple tip milk bottle hand station i made.
Note - Do not use any chemicals if you are using hole or pit disposal with a digester
Girls - Stand up and pee !
Avoid have to sit in unsanitary toilet locations or half disrobing in the bush to take a pee. Various outlets, camping shops, ebay, Amazon etc.
Simple solution, the Kampa Khazi, from Argos, Amazon, camping stores etc.
Disposal of waste.
Problem remains how to dispose of waste if using the bag in toilet method, burying would be one option to consider, whether individual or into a larger covered hole or pit, the use of a digester could be implemented to speed up breakdown, do not add any other chemicals if using digesters which could inhibit breakdown. Any method using the movement of untreated waste should only be used as a short time solution, it should be stressed that handling of untreated waste is not desirable or safe, great care and stringent hygiene should be observed.
Disable your toilet to prevent flush by removing the link (lever flush toilets) if using a bin bag as a waste receptor in a standard toilet. If you are going to bury waste in a pre dug pit and are using bio degraders as mentioned before do not add any form of chemical in the liner. The use of basic fire ash is suitable, keep some by the loo for this purpose, not only does it reduce smell it slows harmful pathogen multiplication due to it's ph level. Keep a bucket of fire ash next to the toilet.
Basic hand washing, a bowl that preferably fits the sink. You could simply remove the trap and place a bucket underneath to collect the grey water so sink use is retained. Ensure water, shown here in milk bottle and liquid soap nearby.
BATHING
With no bath possibly available, although ideal to use if you have as a bug in prepper and the the drains are in operation, a basic strip wash with a flannel using a bucket is a simple option, if you are indoors and cannot stand in the bath for a strip wash consider a piece of plastic sheet or another towel to squat or stand on, it avoids getting the floor wet and the reintroduction of dirt to your feet, you may find it easier to stand and use a bowel from the sink. Outdoors a solar shower is a cheap option and will heat the water in the sun. Remember the idea is to maintain hygiene and conserve water, not to soak either you or the floor in water wastage. I shall certainly be using collected rain water for this purpose as opposed to using drinking water, boiled rain water with the addition of a little Dettol. Remember collected rain water will not be safe as it is, especially once it has been left stored in a water butt, whilst here i discus it's use for washing / bathing introduction of stored untreated rain water into a cut or abrasion must not be overlooked. All these methods i have used before and if needs must will do it again. Have a wash/bathroom kit ready if you are bugging in or have the space, use it only for personal hygiene.
Simple washing kit. Bowl for general face and hands, bucket is for strip washing. Place a plastic sheet to stand on if strip washing. Upnote as somebody kindly mentioned on F.B A garden tray can be purchased to stand in.
A simple homemade mini gravity shower, large milk bottle and a cheap tap shower with one end sealed off. Paint black hang in the sun or as shown here hang indoors behind a window, obviously the water heating relies on sunlight strength.
GREY WATER
What is grey water?
Grey water is that which comes from the bath, shower, basins, laundry and/or kitchen sink. It is not to be confused with black water, which is sewage that comes from the toilet. Unlike black water, which is toxic and must be discarded and never treated for re-use, grey water can be recycled and used safely to:
- Flush your toilets;
- Wash your yard; and
- Dampen down dusty approach roads near the house in country districts.
Common grey water problems -
- Wash water that is stored becomes progressively anaerobic (due to residual aerobic bacterial activity that exponentionally depletes the dissolved oxygen). It is an ideal breeding medium for pathogenic bacteria that produce sulphide gasses.
- Grey water that is not treated properly is 'fatty' and gives off an offensive odour (from the build up of dissolved anaerobic and sulphide gasses), especially when stored for a few days. It can smell really badly when irrigated out over vegetation.
- Laundry, bath and kitchen sink wash water typically has a high fat content (from soaps, body and cooking fats), causing grey water to become slimy – not good for the grass!
Untreated grey water should not really be stored but used promptly and in limited quantity, be aware of soaps and fats, using an additive can help but as a rule always use untreated grey water promptly and limit it's use as much as you can.
RAIN WATER HARVESTING
Our rain collector, a recycle bin, have since added another giving a total of 280 litres. Total cost was under 5 pounds, all i had to buy was some sealant for the bottom outlet, hose is from an old washing machine, bottom outlet fitting a child's inflatable beach toy i took apart.
Unlike grey water this has many other uses including for our gardens, washing, washing up and if needs require drinking, however a few things to consider first. Roof collected rain water is in no way safe to drink, apart from the bird poo etc that may wash into the collector take a look in the base of your collector and you'll see why, i have a net which i empty to filter out the dirt in ours but some still gets through and an overlooked fact these containers, water butts etc are not exactly food compliant however in an emergency in order to survive it is better than dying of thirst.
Yes rain can contain chemicals too, probably more so if you live in a heavily industrialised area, consider while your water filter or method may remove harmful pathogens from the rain collected water will it remove chemicals ? Again in the context of survival and short term it is very negligible whether that matters unless the particular scenario at the time involves radiation or downwind ofchemical fire etc.
Perhaps if you are considering rain water collection for emergency drinking water adapt some large plastic containers to get away from direct roof collection, these could be filled from a polythene run off etc, when it comes down to thirst any collection receptacle is used.
Back home we had no running water when i was younger, we had rain collection into a steel barrel, the water, when it had any was used for washing etc, it would of course be boiled for use. Fresh clean drinking water was readily available but you had to go fetch, short walk same as the loo but at night unsafe, i was brought up with the fact drinking water is just that for drinking and cooking if rain collection was available. Waste it meant fetching more or borrowing the neighbours wheel barrow and taking our two large water holders, not much fun in baking hot weather or when it's tipping down !
