A major earthquake in the Wellington region is likely to cause significant damage to the pipes that take away our poos and wees. It’s important that people do not flush or use their normal toilet.
Even if the water is still running, it’s likely the wastewater pipes will be broken. When you flush the toilet, your poo and wee may end up in your garden – or your neighbour’s!
We will all need to be self-sufficient for at least 30 days, but some parts of the region could be more, following an event and adapt their sanitation practices in the months following until wastewater networks are repaired.
After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake highlighted the lengthy restoration times of sewerage systems. A situation that is likely to be exacerbated here by the significant access difficulties expected after a significant earthquake
Make sure your family knows about emergency ‘poo-paredness”. 🗣️
What you need to know
- After a large earthquake, don’t flush!
- The pipes that take away your wee and poo may be broken.
- A large earthquake on the Wellington Fault would result in considerable damage and lengthy outages to the wastewater system in the region.
- This means that for at least 30 days, households will need to manage their own wee and poo while wastewater pipes are getting fixed.
- An emergency sanitation plan was collaboratively developed by our region’s nine councils, Massey University, WREMO, Wellington Water, Health and Disability representatives, Ngāti Toa, and solid waste managers. The plan came up with two options for the Wellington region to manage their waste following an earthquake.
- Options for creating an emergency toilet
- Option 1: Build a long drop
- Option 2: Make a 2-bucket toilet
- Accessible Options for those with accessibility needs limited mobility
- After using your emergency toilet wash your hands thoroughly using soap and water or hand sanitiser to minimise the risk of getting sick. If possible use gloves when emptying your buckets.
Emergency Toilet Options
Option 1: Long Drop Toilet
- If you have an outdoor area where you can dig a hole up to 1m deep, the best solution is to dig a long drop.
- Keep the hole covered after each time you use it.
Option 2: Emergency Bucket Toilet
- A 2-bucket system: one bucket for wee and one for poo. It is important you keep your wee separate from your poo as it will help keep the smell down and make it safer.
- If you have a garden, and can dig a 50cm hole, you can dispose of your waste there.
- If you can’t dig a 50cm hole or have no garden space, line your poo bucket with a rubbish bin liner before use. Dispose of your poo bag in a lidded storage bin.
Accessible Options for those with accessibility needs limited mobility
- We understand that for some of our whānau, the long drop or two-bucket emergency toilet is just not feasible.
- Alternate options include:
- Take a chair, make a hole in the base and put it over a long-drop or bucket toilet.
- Look into the option of a commode. This can sit over a bucket or long-drop, or, if it has a pail, place a sturdy plastic bag or bin liner inside.
- The last resort option is to place a large, sturdy bin liner/plastic bag inside your toilet bowl. The bag needs to be big enough to cover the whole bowl to avoid spillage. Place some dry material in the bag such as sawdust, straw, dry leaves and soil, or shredded newspaper, to soak up as much wee as possible. Dispose of your bag into an outdoor rubbish bin.
- Wee and poo in the same bag, is the last resort option because it increases the likelihood of spillage and you coming into contact with your waste. Wee and poo also smells worse when combined.
You can find out more information on emergency toilets and emergency sanitation on the WREMO website.