Abstract
We investigated motivating factors for use of urine diversion and dry toilets (UDDT) at the household level in two communities in Tamilnadu, India. From 2011 onwards, over 60 UDDTs were built in Bootheri and Kalvarayan Hills, Tamilnadu to provide families with sanitation facilities where there is no infrastructure for sewage transport and treatment. A UDDT is a stand-alone model of a toilet which requires very little water and enables the user to reuse human excreta – urine and dried human feces – as manure in gardening and farming. We interviewed eleven UDDT users to understand their motivation for shifting from open defecation to using a UDDT. The information gathered through the interviews provided insight into the individuals’ values and reasons for behavior change, contrasting with the organization’s rationale for promoting UDDT use, which centered around factors such as lack of water availability for flush sanitation, eliminating the spread of disease from human waste, and the potential for reuse of human excreta as fertilizer. Privacy and convenience emerged as the primary reasons quoted by the interviewees for the continued use of the UDDTs. Other factors included the fertilizer benefit of the reused excreta, improved time management, avoidance of ridicule and embarrassment, and their financial contribution towards the construction of the UDDT. While the organization offered a context-adequate sanitation solution, our investigation shows that the behavior change of the toilet users was driven by different motivations. This case study investigates the motivation that drives UDDT users to use the toilet in the long run. The study is addressed to project implementers who wish to provide sanitation solutions in different parts of the world.
