When it comes to waste disposal in Nigerian homes and neighbourhoods, there is no city wide central sewage system as you would find in some developed countries, but is Nigeria even developed? Each unit of home in this country tries to create their own sewage system, and a tank built into the compound where waste and other effluent are stored. Such waste storage units are most times below the ground.
The correct building practice is to dig a hole, which should be planned to be commensurate to the number of persons that will live in the housing units, for smaller homes, a smaller tank will be planned, and for bigger housing units like blocks of flats and other multiple dwelling units, then do a concrete work which will seal the waste into the ground.
Digging for the storage tank to be underground is ideal because you would not want waste to flow out or mix with other items in the compound like water sources or farms and vegetations, this could contaminate the water sources or vegetables, leading to disease outbreaks. The Nigerian building code recommends that sewage tanks and their attached soak away systems be underground.
These soak away pits are then lined with block work to form the side walls of the tank. Looking at it from the top, you will think its a small room being built underground, of course its a room, just not rooms for human habitation! We also use reinforced concrete columns to make the corners. The importance of these columns are for the structural integrity, and also for the prevention of lateral pressure which might bear down on the tank from the top. We also make a middle concrete beam to round the soak away and septic tanks. These reinforced beams are needed because of stability.
The next step in the construction of soak aways are the plastering, the plaster work is for the septic tank side, where the effluent is stored, it is important that the effluent will not seep through the tank walls and mix with the ground water in the surrounding areas.
The section of the soak away where waste water is meant to seep away is at one side, usually left open in between blocks to slowly let off excess water into the surrounding ground, as opposed to the soak away where the effluent is supposed to be stored till they degrade.
The decking work on septic tanks are meant to form a rigid cover for the soak away, this will prevent the risk of people or other domestic animals from falling into the pit. The decking will also be reinforced as other decking slab done in home construction. An opening is then left for the evacuation of waste when it gets filled. It is recommended that septic tanks/soak away systems be constructed to last for a long time before evacuation, so that home owners/dwellers should not be going through the inconvenience of evacuating waste regularly.
When it comes to waste disposal in Nigerian homes and neighbourhoods, there is no city wide central sewage system as you would find in some developed countries, but is Nigeria even developed? Each unit of home in this country tries to create their own sewage system, and a tank built into the compound where waste and other effluent are stored. Such waste storage units are most times below the ground.
The correct building practice is to dig a hole, which should be planned to be commensurate to the number of persons that will live in the housing units, for smaller homes, a smaller tank will be planned, and for bigger housing units like blocks of flats and other multiple dwelling units, then do a concrete work which will seal the waste into the ground.
Digging for the storage tank to be underground is ideal because you would not want waste to flow out or mix with other items in the compound like water sources or farms and vegetations, this could contaminate the water sources or vegetables, leading to disease outbreaks. The Nigerian building code recommends that sewage tanks and their attached soak away systems be underground.
These soak away pits are then lined with block work to form the side walls of the tank. Looking at it from the top, you will think its a small room being built underground, of course its a room, just not rooms for human habitation! We also use reinforced concrete columns to make the corners. The importance of these columns are for the structural integrity, and also for the prevention of lateral pressure which might bear down on the tank from the top. We also make a middle concrete beam to round the soak away and septic tanks. These reinforced beams are needed because of stability.
The next step in the construction of soak aways are the plastering, the plaster work is for the septic tank side, where the effluent is stored, it is important that the effluent will not seep through the tank walls and mix with the ground water in the surrounding areas.
The section of the soak away where waste water is meant to seep away is at one side, usually left open in between blocks to slowly let off excess water into the surrounding ground, as opposed to the soak away where the effluent is supposed to be stored till they degrade.
The decking work on septic tanks are meant to form a rigid cover for the soak away, this will prevent the risk of people or other domestic animals from falling into the pit. The decking will also be reinforced as other decking slab done in home construction. An opening is then left for the evacuation of waste when it gets filled. It is recommended that septic tanks/soak away systems be constructed to last for a long time before evacuation, so that home owners/dwellers should not be going through the inconvenience of evacuating waste regularly.
Can the middle beam be added higher up as a secret beam before the final beam penultimate to the final casting?
ReplyDeleteVery useful bit of information for home owners.
ReplyDeleteCAN BLIND BLOCKS BE USED
ReplyDeleteCan solid block be used also
ReplyDeleteWhat side is smaller. The septic portion or the liquid waste portion ?
ReplyDelete