Built as an extension to the school building, the EcoSan toilet is a heated, well-ventilated spacious chamber with separate specially-designed cabins for girls, boys, teachers, and persons with physical impairments. The running water is used only for hand washing; otherwise, it is a completely closed water-free system with waste composting technology.
The institutional EcoSan toilets built in Baurci and Copceac are the first of the five sanitation projects that have started in the Gagauz Autonomy at the initiative and with the financial contribution of the autonomous region’s authorities. The technical assistance and the financial support are provided through the “ApaSan” project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).
Alexandr Charnavskii, deputy chairman of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, thanked the donors for choosing the Gagauz Autonomy to invest in sanitation. “Two years ago we knocked at your door and you opened it for us. Through these projects, we will achieve two central objectives: preserve the good health of the population and introduce sanitation services in the region,” he said at the inauguration event.
As it still happens in many rural schools of Moldova, the pupils and teachers of Baurci and Copceac were using outdoor pit latrines throughout the year including in chilly weather. Irina Ialama, deputy chief doctor of Copceac, recalled that the incidence of both gastro-intestinal and respiratory diseases was alarmingly high in the locality. “The EcoSan toilet is a substantial investment into our children’s health. We, doctors, can finally say without any reservations that the school has got good conditions,” she said.
In order to ensure the proper operation and maintenance of the EcoSan facilities, the school administration worked out a plan and a group of children were trained to teach their peers. Referring to this, Simone Giger, SDC director of cooperation said addressing pupils: “Your role is very important for the further development of this project. We celebrate not only the inauguration of your EcoSan toilet, but also the World Toilet Day, because creating decent sanitary conditions is an issue of human dignity and human rights.”
To date, 50 rural schools in Moldova have been equipped with Ecosan toilet blocks serving more than 16,000 children and teachers. Jonathan Hecke, ApaSan project coordinator, explained that the Swiss project aimed to promote smart and cost-effective sanitation solutions in Moldova. “In most cases, EcoSan fits perfectly local conditions. However, high demand for this type of toilets is also due to the fact that people have got rid of embarrassment after the construction of the EcoSan toilets started in their localities,” he said.
Unlike conventional pit latrines, which are common in rural Moldova, EcoSan toilets do not pollute ground water. As a reminder, 80% of the shallow wells in rural Moldova are already contaminated causing severe health problems amongst the population, especially children. EcoSan, short for Ecological Sanitation, is a progressive environmental technology largely used in Sweden, Germany and other countries.
Since 2001 the SDC Water and Sanitation Programme in Moldova has been supporting the construction and improvement of water supply and sanitation systems in rural areas, in partnership with local public authorities and with the active participation of communities.
