COST EFFECTIVE HOUSING TECHNIQUES

UNIT III

PART II LOW COST INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

Introduction:

 Housing is more than just a place to live; it is essential for a wholesome

family and community life.
 The quality of life in human settlements is heavily influenced by the
environment, available facilities, and resources.
 Basic needs for human settlements include clean air for Breathing, potable
water for Drinking, and efficient systems for waste disposal.
 Infrastructure services are crucial in addressing these basic needs, forming a
key part of housing development programs in both urban and rural areas.

Present Status:

 The current status of infrastructure services in cities and villages of most

Third World countries is unsatisfactory.
 Rapid population growth and the migration of poor people from villages to
cities have strained infrastructure.
 Major cities are experiencing overstrained infrastructure, particularly in the
areas of solid, sullage, and waste disposal, leading to deteriorating civic life.
 Yet in 1990, over a billion rural and urban residents were still without safe
water supply, and nearly two billion lived without proper sanitation.
 About 20% of the urban population was still without water supply.The
situation in villages was worse, with only 15% of households having access
to drinking water supply in 1988.
 The inadequacy of services in rural areas is highlighted by the 1988-89 NSS
(National Sample Survey), which showed that around 89% of rural
households did not have sanitary latrines.

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Technological Options:

 Over past three decades, many cost-effective technological options have

evolved in developing countries, focusing on:
 Supply of potable water,
 Provision of sanitary latrines in homes,
 Sewerage systems,Drainage of waste water,
 Collection and disposal of garbage.
 These technologies are aimed at improving housing and human settlements
and contributing to environmental upgradation.

Low-Cost Sanitation:
 Low-cost sanitation solutions aim to provide safe, affordable, and effective
sanitation options, especially in low-income areas where traditional sewage
systems may be impractical or too expensive.
 These solutions are designed to improve hygiene, reduce the spread of
disease, and protect the environment, without the high costs of conventional
sewerage systems.
 Modern technological solutions for improving sanitation and environments
in built-up areas, especially in cities and towns.
 Criteria for selection of a particular type of sanitary latrine for a spècific
community is guided by certain factors such as soil conditions, cost,
technical assistance, housing condition, and cleaning material, and at times
the requirement for mannure.
 Pour-flush latrines and twin leach pit , systems have proved to be among the
most successful of the low-cost sanitation systems.
a) Pit Latrines:
 Simple Pit Latrine is a basic structure built over a pit where waste is
contained.
 They are inexpensive and easy to construct but may pose environmental
risks if not managed properly.

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b) Pour-Flush Toilets:
 Similar to a traditional flush toilet but requires minimal water .
 Waste is flushed into a septic tank or pit, making it a more affordable option
in areas with limited water access.
c) Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrine:
 An upgraded pit latrine with a ventilation pipe to reduce odor and insect
presence, making it a more hygienic option.
d) Community Toilets or Shared Facilities:
 Community toilets have been tried in many developing countries.
 Public motivation and education programmes are often necessary to ensure
the success of such toilets.
 Shared toilet facilities are built and maintained for use by multiple families
or the entire community. While less private, they provide a cost-effective
way of serving high-density areas.
 The 'pay-ảnd-use' concept of community toilets promoted by 'Sullabh
International' has been recommended by the World Bank for adoption in 19
countries in South-East Asia, Africa and Latin America.
e) Septic Tanks:
 Septic tanks are a type of on-site sanitation system used to treat wastewater
in locations without access to centralized sewage systems.
 They are commonly used in rural areas, small communities, and homes
Wastewater from toilets, sinks, and other sources flows into a buried septic
tank.
 The tank is typically made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic and is designed
to hold and treat wastewater While more expensive than pit latrines, septic
tanks are still cheaper than centralized sewer systems and can be effective
for community-based sanitation.

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Benefits of Low-Cost Sanitation

 Reduces the spread of diseases like cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea by
providing safe disposal of human waste.
 Prevents contamination of water sources and soil when waste is managed
effectively.
 These systems are designed to be low-cost, making sanitation accessible to
people in low-income communities.
 Many low-cost systems can be built and maintained with locally available
materials and labor.
 Simple pit latrines and other basic systems often need to be relocated or
emptied, which can be inconvenient and costly in dense urban areas.

Domestic Waste Disposal

 Domestic/Residential waste is originated from single or multifamily house

hold units.

 These wastes are generated from the household activities such as cooking
(ashes) cleaning (dust) repairs (residues), hobbies (unuseables), redecoration,
empty containers, used packets, old clothes, books, papers, broken glass,
plastic items, broken and useless furniture.

 Domestic waste disposal refers to the management and elimination of

household waste, which includes various types of waste generated by
individuals and families in homes.

 Proper domestic waste disposal is essential to maintain environmental

quality, public health, and sustainability.

 Proper collection and disposal of domestic waste and garbage are essential to
preventing the environmental degradation in any human settlement

 The level of refuse-collection also varies considerably.

 Door-to-door collection of Waste facilities are often provided in every

individual house .

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 The characteristics of a particular refuse determine the appropriateness of

collection vehicles and the system for its treatment and disposal.

 A variety of containers are used tor storing domestic refuse, varying from
plastic and paper bags through bamboo or straw baskets, to metal containers,
cardboard boxes, and the like in different parts of the world.

Disposal Methods

 Recycling : Separating recyclable items to be collected or brought to recycling

centers.

 Composting : Converting organic waste into compost, which can be used as a

natural fertilizer.

 Sanitary Landfills : Controlled areas for disposing of general waste, designed to

minimize environmental impact.

 Incineration : Burning waste at high temperatures to reduce its volume, though

this can release pollutants if not properly managed.

"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is a foundational approach to waste management

and environmental sustainability. These three principles help minimize the
waste we generate, conserve resources.

 Reducing Waste: Minimizing consumption and choosing products with less

packaging reduces the volume of waste generated.

 Reusing Items : Reusing or repurposing items helps reduce waste and the need
for new materials.

 Recycle : Processing materials so they can be remade into new products,

reducing the need for raw resources.

 Proper waste disposal in households not only reduces pollution and saves
resources but also conserves landfill space and energy.

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Water supply

 Provision of safe and adequate drinking water is not only essential for
Suvival but also for healthy living.

 This is borne out by the fact that against the per capita water requirement of
225 litres daily, the actual per capita supply of potable water to residents of
Madras is only 78 litres daily.

 In Delhi and Bombay, level of water supply is of the order of only of 172
litres and 136 litres respectively.

 In the overall scenario, in Delhi, against the Population growth of cities has
already led to exhaustion of available water resources.

 Over-exploitation of surface and ground wåter resources have forced the

authorities to look for distant sources.

 In Bombay, water is supplied from various sources located 29 km to 120 km

away from the city.

 To supply a safe drinking water to every individual houses, after the proper
treatment of water

 The increased water supply increases the sanitation also. When there is
enough water for cleaning, bathing and removing the fecal matter with water
(water carriage system) then good sanitation can be maintained.

 the water carriage system (flush system) requires a very large amount of
water 99% to carry very small amount of night soil (fecal matter) (1%) and
as such a wastage of good quality potable water. Any way the diseases due
to poor sanitation are reduced.

Rural Water Supply

 As regards rural water supply position, only 41 per cent of the rural
population on global scale have convenient access to safe drinking water
supplies.

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 In most of the developing countries in Asia, the 26 percentage of rural

population covered with provision of safe water supply

 Open wells, ponds, streams and rivers still continue to be the traditional
sources for water supply in majority of the Indian villages.

 According to the IMRB study in India, the traditional open dug wells
continue to be the primary source of water for all purposes including
drinking water.

 The hand pump comes next. The dugwell-handpump-tap is generally the

order of preference.

 Nearly 10 per cent of the households collects drinking water from exposed
sources such as ponds, lakes and canals.

ACCELERATED RURAL WATER SUPPLY :

 An accelerated rural water supply program focuses on rapidly increasing

access to safe drinking water in rural areas, often through large-scale, high-
priority initiatives.

 This approach is crucial in regions with urgent needs due to high water
scarcity, poor water quality, or health risks associated with unsafe drinking
water. Here are key components of an accelerated rural water supply
program:

 Combine different water sources like groundwater, surface water, rainwater

harvesting, and treated water. This reduces reliance on a single source and
increases resilience.

 Technologies like borewells, hand pumps, or solar-powered pumps are

commonly used in areas where drilling deep wells is feasible and sustainable.

 Accelerated rural water supply programs are essential for improving health
outcomes, reducing poverty, and boosting productivity in rural areas.

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ENERGY :

 There is an increasing pressure on the conventional sources of energy due to

steep rise of population growth in developing countries.
 Moreover, there is also the question of affordability of the availablė
traditional sources of energy for the poor in rural as well as urban areas.

SOLAR ENERGY :

 Sun is the prime source of energy.

 Sun daily spreads an enormous amount of energy; out of which our mother
earth receives a very small fraction.

 The energy that is directly received through the solar radiation can be
classified as solar photovoltaic and solar thermal.

 The photovoltaic cells are used to turn sunlight directly into electricity.

 PV cells generate power through the interaction of tiny particles of light

called “photons” with electrons in the cells.

 The other way of harnessing the solar energy is by solar thermal means. In
this method sunray’s heat energy is used either for air, water heating or for
the production of electricity.

 A large portion of energy is used in the building industry, in manufacturing

the building materials and in space cooling and heating.

 Domestic and building sector accounts for an average of 45% of the

developing countries total energy consumption.

 Solar energy conversion into electricity by photo voltaic means and thermal
means both are very good options.

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The impacts are as follows:

 The pollution caused in the manufacturing of solar photo voltaic panels is

tremendous.

 The solar thermal chimney based plants require a very high chimney that
may be dangerous from strategic point of view.

Energy from Water :

 Water energy, commonly referred to as hydro energy or hydropower, is a

form of renewable energy harnessed from the movement of water.

 Large dams store water in reservoirs and release it through turbines,

converting kinetic energy into electricity

 Hydro power generation is a conventional renewable energy resource

utilization method that is most environmental friendly .

 Small hydro Power (up to 25 MW), included in the category of renewables

has a large share in the total achievement.

 Generated from the rise and fall of tides, tidal energy systems use
underwater turbines in areas with high tidal ranges. These systems convert
the movement of tides into electricity.

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