PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

PUBLIC LECTURE BY PROF. ABIR MULLICK

PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

National Institute of Design cordially invites you to lecture 'PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS' by PROF. ABIR MULLICK at 5.00 pm on 23rd June 2011 at NID Auditorium, Main Campus, Paldi, Ahmedabad.

 

PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

Abir Mullick National Institute of Design abir.mullick@gmail.com 992-492-3820

 

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PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

 

Background

India’s economic growth rate is among the fastest in the world, chiefly due to informationtechnology and knowledge-based industries. However, an estimated 55% of all Indians, or closeto 600 million people, still do not have access to any kind of toilet. Among those who are mostaffected are those who live in urban slums and rural areas. Toilets are unavailable to mostIndians; 54% of urban slums dwellers do not have access to toilets and 74% of the ruralpopulation defecates outdoor. While local governments have attempted to provide freecommunity toilets, they are almost unusable due to lack of maintenance. Poor sanitation isprevalent; about 535,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea andother infections due to poor sanitation, lack of hygiene, and open defecation that contaminatesdrinking water. Also, 73 million working days are lost every year due to sickness resulting fromconsumption of contaminated water and no sanitation. The current technology for public latrinesis seriously outdated requiring 750,000 scavengers to collect excreta from 13 million bucketlatrines.5 Only 15% schools have toilets, resulting in high female drop-out rate due feminine and

 

Work

At the National Institute of Design, Abir Mullick, Professor, Georgia Institute of technology, USAresearched the needs of public toilet users living in urban slums. Prof. Mullick is aFulbright-Nehru Scholar in-Residence at NID. Using multi-modal research methods, Prof.

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PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

Mullick and his team (Shikha Agarwal, Ashok Kumar and Pushplata Swarnkar) have studied theneeds of independent users (those who can operate on their own), dependent users (elderly,children and people with disabilities) as well as care providers of children (parents) anddependent adults. Since most public toilets neither support safe use by disabled users nor allowreceiving care, their work has adopted a universal design approach, ensuring that all usersreceive equal access to public toilets.

 

Design Thinking/Intentions

Intended usersFor men, women, children, elderly, people with disabilitiesFor independent users, dependent users and caregiversFor standing users, seated users, children and crawlers

Customizable environmentEnable creating various stall sizes for independent, dependent and interdependent useLocate faucet, storage, electricity and support within easy access

Special attentionCreate outdoor like stalls for habitual experienceMaximize ventilation and daylight through use perforated walls and roofsConsider cultural issues like gender (men vs women), family, caste, waste, privacy, assistanceAttend to safety issues like lockable doors, better illumination, non-slippery floors, wall supportsAllow combining toilet / bath stalls when needed to enlarge space for family use and for

socializationAttend to issues of abuse (open faucets), vandalism (broken hardware) and scarcities

(electricity)Reduce water use, generate grey-water and harvest rain waterOdour - incorporate adequate ventilation and water seal like in WC for prevent doorUse solar energy for hot water supply

TechnologyDevote attention to manufactureable materials and technology for off-site productionIncorporate plumbing, drainage, sewage, water and waste technology in stall design

ToiletIncorporate wall supports and storageProvide better body support in squat latrinesDesign squat latrine for many different age groups and body sizesMaximum daylight, airflow and ventilationDesign for water economyProvide recessed lighting

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PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

Include better floor drainage and around squat panProvide door handle and locks for all usersIncorporate dustbins for easy throw and maintenance

Bathing FacilityIncorporate wall support and storage for accessories, clothes and personal belongings

Include seating for older people and childrenProvide easy-to-open faucets, door handle and locks for all usersBetter drainageRecessed lightingDustbins for easy throw and maintenance

SinkBuilt-in support, accessory holderAllows childcareFor standing users and crawlersFacilitates use by children

HallwayWide enough for walking and wheelchair useBuilt-in drainage for floor cleaning and dryingBuilt-in seats for waiting usersSeats allow luggage storage and locking

UrinalsOutdoor like urinals for standing men, boys and crawlersAllows washing for those bound by cultural/religious reasonsAllow storage of personal belongings

OtherSpace for robing/disrobingEqual number of toilets for men and womenImproved colour and appearance for higher visibility

 

The Design

The design of new public toilets is a modern solution to an age-old problem grounded in history,tradition and social norms. Here are some important features of the public toilets: 1. They are factory made prefab units, installed on site. The off-site construction and on-siteinstallation allows setting large number of public toilets and address the shortage. 2. The prefab units are bathroom and toilet stalls; they can be installed individually orinterconnected to form a combined structure. When used individually, the stalls serve as familyunits; in small cluster they are for shared use; and in large interconnected groups, they are for

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PUBLIC TOILETS FOR INDIAN SLUMS

community and public use. 3. When stalls are interconnected for public use, a scaffold like structure is attached in front toserve as walkway. Depending on the weather condition, the walkway is covered or leftopen-to-sky. 4. The stalls can be stacked up to create two storied public toilets. In that case a per-fabstaircase is attached to access the upper floor. 5. On the outside, the scaffolding serves as a large billboard for advertising and for publicservice messages. This offers a revenue generating opportunity. 6. The stalls are extremely well ventilated and lit, to simulate the outdoor experience and inviteuse. 7. The stalls’ roof allows for easy drainage and rain water harvesting. The folded roof providesmaximum strength and facilitates solar collection. 8. The stall interiors can be mass customized so users (children, adults, men, women, theelderly and people with disabilities) can tailor them to suit their individual and collective needs.Made up of panels like storage panel, faucet panel and support panel; they (the panels) can beorganized in many ways to create many different interiors choices fundamental to universaldesign. 9. The toilet interiors have supports for those who need. They also have faucet and clotheshangers. These positions of features can be reorganized if needed. 10. The bathroom interior has seating options for those who need it. They also have faucet,shelves and clothes hangers. Everything can be organized. 11. The new squat latrine incorporates a buttock support; this helps maintain seated posture.The latrine also addresses sitting needs of children, pregnant women and people withdisabilities. 12. The latrine incorporates many water saving technologies including low water use and easydisposal of human waste. 13. The walls have hollow core structure to incorporate plumbing and electricity. 14. The bathroom and toilet stalls are made up of plastic material to withstand mass use,address cleaning problems and prevent damage from public use. 15. The floors in stalls and in walkways are perforated for hose cleaning and easy drainage. 16. Inspired by the wireless cell phone technology, the public toilets do not require physicaltechnology for waste disposal. Underneath the stalls are holding tanks that collect human wastein air tight, impervious containers. Periodically the human waste from the tanks is sucked outand hauled away in vans fitted with mobile suction technology. This frees public toilets from thelimitations of sewer and septic and they can be set up anywhere. 17. The human waste can be used to generate gas at remote locations. 18. Based on an economically sustainable model, the new toilets have the ability to create fivenew businesses, increase tax base and generate new employment: a) mass production of toiletstalls, b) sales, service and maintenance of toilets, c) waste collection, d) use of waste for gasgeneration, and e) use of scaffolding for advertising.

 

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