d. Provide Shelter and Privacy. A canvas or brush screen should be placed
around each latrine or the latrine may be enclosed within a tent. In cold climates, this
shelter should be heated.
e. Take Sanitary Precautions. The screen or the tent should have a drainage
ditch dug around its edges to prevent water from flowing over the ground into the latrine.
The shelters should be sprayed daily with an approved insecticide for fly control. Using
lime in the pits and burning out the pit contents, except in burn-out latrines
(paragraph 4-15), are not effective methods of fly and odor control and are not
recommended.
f. Provide Handwashing Devices. On the outside of each latrine enclosure, a
simple handwashing device (paragraph 4-5) should be installed. This device should
always be kept filled with water and should be easy to operate.
g. Police Area. Latrines should be policed every day. Certain unit personnel
should be assigned the responsibility of ensuring that the latrines are being properly
maintained.
4-9.
CLOSING A LATRINE
When a latrine has been filled to within one foot of the surface or when it is to be
abandoned, it should be closed in the following manner in order to prevent any flies that
may hatch in the closed latrine from getting out.
a. Remove the latrine box, tent, and/or other structures.
b. Spray the contents of the pit, the side walls, and the ground surface to a
distance of two feet from the side walls with an approved residual insecticide.
c. Fill the pit to the ground surface with successive, three-inch layers of earth.
Pack each layer down and spray its surface with residual insecticide before adding the
next layer.
d. Mound the latrine pit over with at least one foot of dirt and spray again.
e. If the tactical situation permits, mark the location of the latrine with a sign.
The sign should state "CLOSED LATRINE," the type of pit, and (in nonoperational
areas) the unit designation. Marking the closed latrine warns following units of its
presence.
4-10. STRADDLE TRENCH LATRINE
A straddle trench latrine is dug one foot wide, two and one-half feet deep, and at
least two feet long. This will accommodate one person at a time. At least eight feet of
trench (four straddle trench latrines) are needed for each 100 men (figure 4-4). At least
MD0535
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