ECORESTORATION & SANITATION

Eco-restoration and sustainable development are closely interlinked with the interplay of ecology, sociology, economics and culture. Eco-restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. Four basic steps are used in ecological restoration and rehabilitation :

identification of the cause for degradation

elimination of toxic soil pollutants, addition of nutrients to depleted soil, addition of new topsoil and elimination of disruptive species

protection of the area from further degradation and from the disruptive effects of fires

monitoring restoration efforts, assessing success and modifying strategies. Eco-restoration is the collective effort of knowledge and technology generated by scientists, the commitment of policy-makers and involvement of local communities.

Soak pit

For Eco-restoration, SVADES is promoting Water Conservation and its judicious use, Plantations, Sanitation and use of Bio-Fertilizers and Bio-Nutrients. Annually during Monsoon season, SVADES undertakes plantation of saplings in Primary School having compound walls. SVADES has adopted 25 schools to promote plantation and inculcate habits of preserve and conserve nature among students. Till now, over 25,400 saplings have been planted in these schools. School children are imparted ecological environment training and they take up the responsibility of nurturing and maintaining these plants. The success rate has been 70 to 80% as children, teachers and principal are involved.

As water is becoming a scarce commodity, SVADES is concentrating on Roof Water Harvesting and Recharge of Bore-Wells. Both these actions will improve groundwater quality and quantity. The roof water can also store in water tanks for use as and when necessary.

Sanitation is another essential area where SVADES has many success stories. To improve quality, Sanitation has been of the main focus area. SVADES has developed a unique design of the cabin and soak pit which is robust and uses the least amount of water for cleaning. SVADES constructed its first Household Sanitary Latrine (HSL) in 1996 which is still operational. Sanitary latrines have been made constructed for schools as well as at individual household level. Swachh Bharat Mission gave a further push to this activity.

From 1995 itself SVADES had initiated addressing the Sanitation issue in the rural villages’ while the “Swatch Bharat Mission” had been framed in 2014. By constructing Household Sanitary Latrines (HSL) in 1996, SVADES had pioneered in Swatch Bharat mission and now in 2020 by initiating constructing Household Sanitary Bathroom (HSB), SVADES had pioneered another activity.

Through strategic partnerships with leading corporates and support from government agencies, SVADES has successfully constructed a range of sanitation facilities across project locations. Each initiative is complemented by mandatory awareness drives and hands-on training sessions for beneficiaries, ensuring safe sanitation practices, hygiene awareness, and long-term maintenance of the infrastructure.

14,171 Household Sanitary Latrine units (HSL)

1,563 Household Sanitary Bathroom units (HSB)

80 Household Sanitary Latrine and Bathroom units (HSL-B)

152 School Sanitation Units (SSL-School Sanitary Latrine units) separate for both girls and boys, along with teachers in the Panchayat Primary Schools of 152 different villages of Gujarat

More than 70 Baby Toilets in different Aanganwadi

SVADES is training women members of the SHGs for the production of Vermin-Compost using bio-waste. This produced Vermin-Compost is being used in their farm fields as well as they have started selling of Vermin-Compost and thus have supportive earnings.

HOUSEHOLD SANITARY LATRINE (HSL)

HSL is a global need of today. Nearly 3 billion live without basic sanitation in the world. Six decades after freedom, three-forth of India’s population still using ‘open space’ for defecation. In villages, people are suffering numerous problems related to health, hygiene and sanitation, due to lack of latrine facilities. HSL provides hygienic conditions, avoids health problems especially of women and aged people. People can have good standard of living and social status through HSL. It also decreases environmental pollution and gives a clean and hygiene atmosphere.

To provide low cost Household Sanitary Latrine and to educate them about the clean environment aspect has been one of main focus of SVADES. A Survey was conducted in the villages before 1995 to find out the basic requirement needed by those who are below poverty line. The Survey threw light on requirement of Household Sanitary latrine. At that time only 2% of the community were having this sort of facility and as such they had to faced lot of problems in travel to distance place for Latrine especially during Monsoons for fear of being beaten by snakes, scorpion etc. The community sanitary latrine did not succeed in the villages as no one took the responsibility of cleaning the facility.

WHAT IS HSL?

Generally, many types of latrines can be built in houses. But at village level, due to shortage of water and limited resources, cheap and facilitative soak well latrines are beneficial to construct. So Household Sanitation Latrines (HSL) would be the best option for village people. Picture 1 shows a typical HSL constructed by SVADES.

Specialities of Soak well latrines :

It is cheap, permanent and durable

No gas and stink releases from it and environment can remain unpolluted.

Only 2 liters of water is needed for one visit.

It can be built on any type of soil.

No extra expenses for maintenance

It facilitates hygienic environment.

The Latrine Cabin is constructed from pre-cast hollow blocks:

The size is 3 feet by 3.8 feet

Clear height is 6.6 feet

The pre-cast roof slab is in two pieces, each 2 feet by 2.6 feet and 2 inches thick

This design provides robustness and rigidity

The cabin also remains cool during summer

The Latrine Soak Well is of special design:

Constructed from bricks with a honeycomb structure

It is 10 feet deep and has a diameter of 4 feet

The precast round cover is in two pieces and has a thickness of 2 inches

This design ensures effective permeability for both water and human waste

HOUSEHOLD SANITARY BATHROOM (HSB)

HSB is a global need of today. Nearly 3 billion live without basic sanitation in the world. Six decades after freedom, three-forth of India’s population still using ‘open space’ for defecation. In villages, people are suffering numerous problems related to health, hygiene and sanitation, due to lack of latrine facilities. HSL provides hygienic conditions, avoids health problems especially of women and aged people. People can have good standard of living and social status through HSL. It also decreases environmental pollution and gives a clean and hygiene atmosphere.

For bathing, the community uses the open space nearby their home covered with some cloth or plastic material. There is no adequate disposal system of the grey-water in the village

Due to non-proper grey-water disposal and lack of safe, hygienic and secure bathing space, there are multiple issues in the village which needs to be addressed:

Nuisance of flies and mosquitoes contributing to poor community health especially children and elderly people. Bathing in open and dark also increase chances of insect bites

Women of the house have to take bath in Dark (either early in the morning or late at night)

Privacy, Dignity, and Safety of Women is compromised

Chances of Crime against Women increases

Proper body hygiene can’t be assured, unproper cleaning of private parts leads to infections and rashes

Pregnant ladies face serious issue of maternal health under such unsafe and unhygienic conditions

During Menstruation, it becomes difficult to clean themselves regularly and have to wait till no one is around, or till dark to change the spoiled cloth. Many times, they throw sanitary pads/cloth at the same place where they bath or even reuse the cloth after washing

To avoid all the above issues, need of constructing a closed and secured bathing space with disposal of grey-water is necessary. To provide low cost and sustainable Household Sanitary Bathroom and to educate them about the clean environment aspect has been one of main focus of SVADES.

WHAT IS HSB?

When people are poor and unable to meet even basic daily necessities, maintaining hygiene becomes a secondary issue. Bathing regularly is more like performing a ritual, neglecting its basic function of maintaining cleanliness. This situation prevails in most parts of rural India. The issue of survival and basic sustenance holds much deeper value than building bathrooms.
Generally, many types of bathrooms can be built in houses. But at village level, due to shortage of water and limited resources, cheap and facilitative brick bat soak well bathrooms are beneficial to construct. So Household Sanitary Bathrooms (HSB) would be the best option for village people. Picture below shows a typical HSB constructed by SVADES with bathing before and after situation.

Specialities of Bathroom with a Brick Bat Soak well:

It is low-cost, permanent and durable

No grey water in the open space and environment can remain unpolluted

It can be built on any type of soil.

No extra expenses for maintenance

It facilitates hygienic environment

It facilitate the safety to the women folks

The Bathroom Cabin is constructed from pre-cast hollow blocks:

The size is 3.6 feet by 4.9 feet

Clear height is 6.6 feet

The pre-cast roof slab is in three pieces, each 2 feet by 2.6 feet and 2 inches thick

This design provides robustness and rigidity

The cabin also remains cool during summer

The Bathroom Soak Pit is of special design:

The size is 3 feet by 3 feet and 6 feet deep

Covering of the 200 micron LDPE sheet

The unit is layered with fresh brick bats in three graded sizes—small at the top, followed by medium and large—to ensure optimal filtration and structural integrity

This design takes care of water permeability

Designed to efficiently percolate 20–25 buckets of water per day

HOUSEHOLD SANITARY LATRINE AND BATHROOM UNIT (HSL-B)
RESTORING DIGNITY THROUGH SANITATION

Access to basic sanitation remains one of the most urgent global challenges of our time. Nearly 3 billion people worldwide still live without safe sanitation facilities. In India, despite decades of progress, a significant portion of the rural population continues to rely on open defecation, resulting in serious health, hygiene, and environmental risks.

WHY SANITATION MATTERS

In rural communities, the absence of household latrines and bathing units exposes families—especially women, children, and the elderly—to multiple vulnerabilities. SVADES addresses this critical gap through the Household Sanitary Latrine and Bathroom Unit (HSL-B), which offers:

Safe and hygienic sanitation to prevent disease transmission

Enhanced dignity and comfort, particularly for women and senior citizens

Improved social status and quality of life

Reduced environmental pollution, fostering cleaner village ecosystems

THE HIDDEN CRISIS: BATHING IN THE OPEN

In many villages, bathing is done in makeshift enclosures—open spaces near homes covered with cloth or plastic sheets. This practice, combined with the lack of proper grey-water disposal systems, leads to a host of challenges:

Breeding grounds for flies and mosquitoes, increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases

Women forced to bathe in the dark, compromising safety and dignity

Lack of privacy, heightening vulnerability to crimes against women

Inadequate personal hygiene, resulting in infections, rashes, and reproductive health issues

Pregnant women face serious maternal health risks due to unsafe conditions

Menstrual hygiene is severely compromised, with unsafe reuse of cloth pads and delayed cleaning

SVADES’S COMMITMENT

SVADES is dedicated to transforming rural sanitation through:

Construction of low-cost, sustainable, and secure HSL-B units for rural households

Implementation of proper grey-water disposal systems to protect environmental hygiene

Community education on sanitation, personal hygiene, and environmental cleanliness

The HSL-B initiative is not just about infrastructure—it is about restoring dignity, protecting health, and empowering communities to lead safer, healthier lives.

WHAT IS HSL-B?

When people are poor and unable to meet even basic daily necessities, maintaining hygiene becomes a secondary issue. Use of latrine and bathing regularly is more like performing a ritual, neglecting its basic function of maintaining cleanliness. This situation prevails in most parts of rural India. The issue of survival and basic sustenance holds much deeper value than building bathrooms.

The HSL-B Unit, a combined unit of a Latrine and Bathroom, is more than a structure—it is a symbol of respect, resilience, and renewal. It empowers communities to live with dignity, safeguards women’s rights, and fosters a healthier, more equitable future.

Specialities of Latrine with a Soak Well:

It is cheap, permanent and durable

No gas and stink releases from it, and the environment can remain unpolluted.

Only 2 litres of water are needed for one visit.

It can be built on any type of soil.

No extra expenses for maintenance

It facilitates a hygienic environment.

Specialities of Bathroom with a Brick Bat Soak Pit:

It is low-cost, permanent and durable

No grey water in the open space and environment can remain unpolluted

It can be built on any type of soil.

No extra expenses for maintenance

It facilitates a hygienic environment

It facilitates the safety of women folks

The Main Combo Cabin is constructed from pre-cast hollow blocks:

The size of the latrine cabin is 3 feet by 3.8 feet

The size of the bathroom cabin is 5 feet by 3.8 feet

Clear height is 6.6 feet

The pre-cast roof slab is in five pieces, each 2.1 feet by 4.8 feet and 2 inches thick

This design provides robustness and rigidity

The cabin also remains cool during summer

The Soak Well and Soak Pit are of special design:

Latrine – SOAK WELL:

Constructed from bricks with a honeycomb structure

It is 10 feet deep and has a diameter of 4 feet

The precast round cover is in two pieces and has a thickness of 2 inches

This design ensures effective permeability for both water and human waste

Bathroom – SOAK PIT:

Size is 3 feet by 3 feet and 6 feet deep with a covering of the 200 micron LDPE sheet

The unit is layered with fresh brick bats in three graded sizes—small at the top, followed by medium and large—to ensure optimal filtration and structural integrity

This design takes care of water permeability

Designed to efficiently percolate 20–25 buckets of water per day