Turks Seat - Latrine Upgrade

Pit latrine - not a happy place to poop

Forms and reinforcement wire

The finished "tube"- the top rim will be painted

Add a cover and the Turk Seat is complete

 In the annex of San Antonio, there are some nasty latrines. These are simple pit latrines - a hole in the ground, with a concrete slab with a hole in it and sheet metal building structure. The problem is that not everything that is supposed to go in the hole, goes there. Since these are used by more than one family, no one seems to take responsibility for cleaning the poop, pee or vomit that don't make it into the hole.

My solution is the simple Turks Seat - a small concrete "tube" that funnels everything into the hole and gives a clean seat, instead of squatting over the hole. The fabrication is easy and cheap - about $2 each.

You take a 5 gallon plastic bucket - usually 12" diameter and 14" high - and make an 8" diameter tube (at least 14" high) out of sheet metal or layers of cardboard. Center the tube in the bucket (oiling the sides will aid release) and secure it in place by filling with sand or rocks. Make a 10" diameter x 13" tube of wire mesh and insert that in the gap. Fill with concrete, let set for 2 days, flip over and pop concrete ring out of bucket. The top can be further smoothed by rubbing on a fine plaster mixture and painted, or covering with a plastic toilet seat. The interior could also be smoothed and painted to aid cleaning and sanitation.