Off mains toilets?

[johnjessop46]

In years to come you may like to engage the services of one of Blaster Bates successors as described in his record Laughter with a Bang :)

[Jaffna Dog]

From my experiences visiting the family in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where there is no mains water or sewerage anywhere and ground conditions are sandy soil with water table around 12 feet below the surface, supplying drinking water from open wells on each plot.

Toilets are a detached breeze-block cubicle with a 'squat' lavatory set into a concrete floor, draining into a septic tank with a soakaway, flushing is done with a bucket.

This arrangement works very well, there have never been any reported issues of water pollution from it despite the proximity of the water supply. The cubicle does need to be well-ventilated as they tend to smell.

[polygonum]

From my experience of visiting Jaffna, I got the worst gut bug I have ever experienced. By a huge margin. For about twenty years after I still got twinges that started at that time.

[Jaffna Dog]

thout a mains or any sewerage connection?

people about regularly as against a cafe serving coach tours.

ere is no mains water or sewerage anywhere and ground conditions are sandy soil with water table around 12 feet below the surface, supplying drinking water from open wells on each plot.

into a concrete floor, draining into a septic tank with a soakaway, flushi ng is done with a bucket.

sues of water pollution from it despite the proximity of the water supply. The cubicle does need to be well-ventilated as they tend to smel

What were you doing in Jaffna? and what did you eat to get the gut bug, the food is safe as long as it's freshly cooked, but don't drink the fermented coconut known to the locals as 'toddy' and described to white people as 'b eer', which it certainly isn't. Sri Lankan 'Lion' beer is very good though.

[pamela]

I have to admit that I was once roughing it and after seeing the sights at Polonnaruwa we pressed on by CTB (SLTB now) to Jaffna. Don't remember any tummy bugs there but we did feel rather unwell after eating in Colombo. I seem to recall taking antibiotics as a precaution.

It wasn't so much the sanitation (although it wasn't fantastic) but the lack of precaution by the locals. It just takes one hygiene slip when there are serious bugs roaming at large as poor Rod found out.

[polygonum]

Just went there because it existed! I drank toddy several times during my stay in Sri Lanka. No problem with that - so far as I am aware. And drank several beers - from memory most came from Nuwara Eliya. I have never been certain what caused the problem but at least one doctor was convinced it was salmonella. And I suspect tea rather than food.

[Chris J Dixon]

Some years ago, shortly after spending a month on holiday in France, including swimming in a murky canal adjoining one of the campsites we used, my then wife & I went along to a talk on wines, organised by her professional body, the Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management Association.

The meal afterwards was a seafood paella, which we really enjoyed.

A few days later it emerged that practically everyone else at the meal was suffering from serious food poisoning, and having to give samples for Public Health analysis. We seemed to have acquired immunity on our trip.

If the papers had got wind of the events, they could really have had fun - HCIMA can't feed themselves safely. Seafood is always risky, and to serve it when it will have to be kept warm, as the exact time it will be needed is not known, is asking for trouble. There was even a rumour that it had actually been prepared during the afternoon.

Chris

[Vir Campestris]

So long as it was kept above 60C there would be no problem.

Andy