Jared Geddes and Dr. Robert Todd, Mechanical Engineering
The research that I conducted this year was in the area of sustainable building materials. I worked with a team of six engineers to develop a sustainable building material that would be able to withstand the heavy monsoon rains common to the area of Beira, Mozambique. Every year, these rains destroy up to 60% of the local buildings, consisting mainly of local residences made from mud, straw, and sticks. This destruction and the resultant flooding causes an unsafe and unsanitary condition for the local residents. One of the most dangerous aspects of this flooding is the problem of the sanitation. Latrines in the area are basically shallow holes in the ground that are usually overflowing. Whenever the flooding comes, the contents of the latrines are mixed with exposed and open wells. This contamination of the drinking water is detrimental to the local villagers. Many of them have no idea that their drinking water is being contaminated.
Our team set out to develop a building material or method that could be used to create latrines that would be resistant to flooding and would keep the contamination out of the wells. This was to be done using all local materials at little to no cost to the local people.
After studying and testing a variety of different methods, materials, and processes, we decided that the most effective way to make a sustainable solution to the problems mentioned above was to create a water-resistant brick using mud from termite mounds. This brick would then be lined around a round hole to significantly reduce the possibility of collapse. The bricks made from termite-mound mud would be fired to make them even more weather-resistant.
There is also a latrine design that we recommended as a way to reduce the smells, flies, and unsanitary conditions. This is called the Fossa Alterna. In order to make this work, after each use dirt, ash, and leaves must be added. This slowly fills up the pit over the course of one year. The following year, another pit is created and used until it is full. After the one year period, the first pit has sufficiently decomposed enough to be safe to use as fertilizer on a garden; the compost is then removed, and the first pit can be used again as a new latrine. This method can be used indefinitely year after year.
After implementing our latrine design and sustainable brick design in Mozambique with the local people, we were amazed at the positive response from the locals and their willingness to take ownership in the project. Overall, it was very well received and sustainable for the local people.