Marta is an American native who settled in India in 2012 and started working in the remote villages of Uttar Pradesh.  She is building self-cleaning and no maintenance toilets called evapotranspiration in the villages under the project name “Better Village Better World”.

Marta is an American native who settled in India in 2012 and started working in the remote villages of Uttar Pradesh. She is building self-cleaning and no maintenance toilets called evapotranspiration in the villages under the project name “Better Village Better World”.

The total cost to construct one unit of this toilet is approximately Rs 10,000 while a normal toilet under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan costs Rs. 17,000. To curtail costs, they use broken bricks and recycled materials wherever possible, including fly ash bricks and used tires. Apart from occasional cleaning of the squatting platform no other maintenance is needed.

Till now she has built 166 toilets. Marta spent her own money on 82 toilets. The villagers help her with manual labour.

As per the latest Swachhta Status Report 2016, 52.1% of the rural population of the country still defecates in the open. Uttar Pradesh has the population of 204.2 million (2012 census) and only 35% of its households have toilets.

Problem and solution

In 2012, Marta surveyed a village in Uttar Pradesh. In the survey the majority of the villagers wanted toilets in their homes and communities. Marta explained different toilet models to the villagers. They choose “evapotranspiration” toilet model which is self-cleaning and no maintenance toilet. Also, this model requires less land to construct. Marta believes that “asking, listening, observing over time is key to understanding what people want.”

Marta is also a co-author of different books, research papers and has developed a theory for three-pronged strategy on development that incorporates health, education and the pieces of infrastructure.

The speciality of evapotranspiration toilet model

A normal toilet’s tank is filled with urine, faecal matter and water. The waste is later emptied either manually or using machines. Due to the opening in the septic tank the urine and faecal matter enter the soil causing health issues. But this evapotranspiration toilet is self-cleaning and maintenance free. The waste is filtered without human intervention and there is no soil pollution. This has been certified by FICCI Research and Analysis centre.

It is an on-site sanitation system for the chemical and biological treatment and reuse of household blackwater. It was developed and popularised over the last two to three decades by permaculture practitioners in different countries, especially the U.S. and Brazil.

How does evapotranspiration toilet work

As shown in the picture, the toilet consists of several layers consisting of soil, sand, small stones, big stones and finally a layer of recycled tyres. All these layers work together to clean the tank.

The substructure layers together use the anaerobic digestion, capillary action, evaporation, and transpiration processes to filter, release and absorb the waste matter. Anaerobic digestion converts a portion of the human excreta into biogas, exiting out the back-standpipe.

The digested matter travels up and out through capillary action. The nutrients leave the system by incorporating into the plants’ biomass through mineralisation and absorption through its roots, while evapotranspiration removes the liquid, either transpiring through the plants or evaporating at the surface of the soil.

Effectiveness of the toilet model

• User surveys: The team follows up with the toilet users, conducting several usage and performance surveys.
• An accredited laboratory, local government authorities, engineers and sustainable architects all reviewed the toilet model.
• The FICCI Research and Analysis centre collected samples from the toilets. The required parameters tested are within the permissible limits. Coliform and E.coli were not detected in the water hand pumps neighbouring the toilets.

Marta is aiming to build another 100 toilets in the remote villages of Uttar Pradesh. Let us come together and help her in building the toilets.

Dear Donors,

A heartfelt thank you for supporting our initiative so overwhelmingly. With your generous contributions, we have successfully raised 4.34 lakh rupees, from which we have received 3.29 lakh rupees so far. With the amount, we are constructing 31 toilets in 31 homes of Alawalpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

The work has started in full swing since the last two days for 4 toilets. We are working actively in coordination with the beneficiary families to complete the toilets as soon as possible.

“With 7 family members including women and children, the absence of a toilet at home used to feel like a curse. Yet, my family had little idea how to install a toilet at our home, apart from being worried about the huge cost it incurs. Now I can proudly say that my house will have a toilet very soon,” says an elated Santosh Kumar, one of the beneficiaries.

We will update you soon with the detailed invoices of the raw materials bought and utilised so far.

Keep your help pouring in and spread the word.

With Love,

Better Village Better World team

Dear Efforts For Good Community,

I wish to convey my deep gratitude for your unbelievable support to the sanitation initiative. Till date, we have completed 50+ eco-friendly toilets in remote villages of Uttar Pradesh, all thanks to your gracious help.

Phulmati, a young woman from Alawalpur village, now has a toilet in her home.

“What the authorities could not do in so long, Madam has done it for us. We do not have to go in the open anymore” – Phulmati.

“We are all poor people here. Without Madam, we would not even have had this basic necessity.  Now the women in our village no longer have to put their dignity at stake. Also, there are much lesser diseases among our children and adults. We want Madam to continue her work for our village,” – Seema Devi, Alawalpur.

Pradip Kumar, who is wheelchair-bound, shares how the ‘latrine’ at his home has drastically reduced his woes.

“I don’t have to painstakingly travel miles every day and use the open fields with utmost discomfort.”

“The latrines that Madam has built in our village are greatly helpful.” – Atul, a young boy from Alawalpur.

Thank you Efforts For Good community for your generous help, which is enabling us to build so many toilets for the villagers.

We have received numerous enquiries about this unique, sustainable evapotranspiration toilet model. For a better understanding, aside from financial contribution, you can also team up with us as a volunteer and assist in building toilets. This will also help you learn more about the toilet model which you can later replicate in your own villages/towns.  

With love,                                                                                    Martha Vanduzer Snow,                                                            Better Village Better World