Progress and the demise of the dry toilet
February 12, 2009
Modernization hit Ladakh in 1971, when the Indian Army’s roads reached the mountain kingdom and opened it up to the outside world. Delhi’s central government imposed western models of progress on Ladakh in an effort to develop the region. Tourism and the abandonment of village life have resulted in a population boom in the valley capital Leh, putting a strain on scarce resources.
This dynamic has impacted all aspects of life in Leh, not least of all in the realm of sanitation. Traditionally, Ladakhis use the chaksa, a two-storey dry composting toilet. The toilet requires no water and is ideally suited to the arid Himalayan climate that receives only 15cm of water a year. Furthermore the system works in balance with the region’s agricultural needs as the decomposed waste is removed once a year and given to farmers as manure.
As Ladakhis’ lifestyles change and traditional practices are undervalued, the chaksa is increasingly viewed as too labor-intensive. Mounds of soak (sawdust, straw or ash) are required throughout the year to suppress the waste’s odors, and unless a deal is struck with nearby farmers, the clearance of the waste is considered too costly.
Tourists often find the squat toilets uncomfortable, and as a result flush toilets are installed in the town’s hotels. With no current sewer system, the septic tanks and sewage pits are rapidly filling and threaten to to contaminate Leh’s streams and springs which until recently were potable.
Is it possible to create a system that can effectively deal with the increase in solid waste, work in balance with the region’s ecosystem and be tourist friendly? Can a solution be created that regards ‘progress’ and ‘tradition’ not as incompatible, but instead as mutually reinforcing?
Sources:
The Ladakh Ecological Development Group
