Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Wind Speed Thresholds for Adjusting Conventional Design Criteria for the Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine without Compromising Odour Control

Peter Appiah Obeng, Eric Awere, Panin Asirifua Obeng, Michael Oteng-Peprah, Samuel Barnie

Journal of Engineering Research and Reports · pp. 353–362 · Published 26 Dec 2022

10.9734/jerr/2022/v23i12790

Abstract

Aims: The objective of this paper is to re-evaluate the wind speed threshold at which the 100 mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC) vent pipe may be used without compromising the ventilation rate required for effective odor control in a ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. The paper also sought to investigate the chances of leveraging upon high wind speeds to grant user preferences for multiple windows and installation of insect screens, which are conventionally forbidden. Study Design: A comparative experimental design was carried out in a VIP latrine with internal cubicle dimensions of 1.2 m x 1.5 m built over a pit of cross-section 1.2 m x 2.5 m and depth of 3.0 m which was fitted with a 100 mm PVC vent pipe. Place and Duration of Study: The experimental setup was located on the compound of a public basic school in Prampram, a peri-urban coastal community in Southern Ghana. The setup was monitored for twelve hours a day (5 am to 5 pm) for twelve days. Methodology: The experimental setups comprised of four designs of the VIP latrine: single-window and multi-window designs each with and without insect screen in the window. The ventilation rate in each modified design was monitored simultaneously with the external wind speed. Results: The results of the study indicate that the 100 mm PVC vent pipe could attain the recommended ventilation rate of 20 m3/h at an average wind speed as slow as 1.5 m/s as compared to the 3 m/s previously suggested.  The influence of wind speed on the ventilation rate is insignificant at wind speed variations not exceeding 0.5 m/s when the 100 mm PVC vent pipe is used. Conclusion: At an average wind speed of 1.5 m/s, either the multiple-window design or insect screen used in combination with the 100 mm PVC vent pipe could attain the recommended ventilation rate and should not be outrightly forbidden. However, a wind speed threshold of 2.5 m/s is required for the adoption of the multi-window design with insect screens when the 100 mm PVC vent pipe is used.

VIP latrine ventilated improved pit vent pipe wind speed odour control on-site sanitation

References (7)

  1. 1 The design of ventilated improved pit latrines
  2. 2 A Review of Dry Sanitation Systems [DOI]
  3. 3 Redesigning the ventilated improved pit latrine for use in built-up low-income settings [DOI]
  4. 4 Optimising ventilation to control odour in the ventilated improved pit latrine [DOI]
  5. 5 Design and construction of household ventilated improved pit latrines: gaps between conventional technical guidelines and construction practices in Cape Coast, Ghana [DOI]
  6. 6 Roofing materials for thermal performance and environmental integration of buildings [DOI]
  7. 7 Addressing Technical Flaws in VIP Latrines in Lesotho: A Community Intervention in Qacha’s Nek D istrict [DOI]

Cited by 5

Understanding why Ghanaian informally trained artisans construct the ventilated improved pit latrine the way they do

Panin Asirifua Obeng, Emmanuel Amponsah Donkor, Eric Awere · Water Practice & Technology · 2025

Compliance of private ventilated improved pit latrines to odour and fly control guidelines: A technical audit in selected regions of Ghana

Panin Asirifua Obeng, Emmanuel Amponsah Donkor, Eric Awere · Heliyon · 2024

Showing 2 of 5 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

22

Page views

0

PDF downloads

2

Outbound clicks

5

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.