Household Latrine User Survey – Dowa & Thyolo Malawi (2020)

This dataset was collected in October 2020 from Dowa and Thyolo Districts, Malawi, using the mWater survey platform. It captures detailed information on household sanitation practices and latrine usage across both rural and peri-urban communities. The survey was conducted by trained enumerators working with BASEflow Malawi as part of efforts to document and improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and behavior in the region.

Potential Use Cases

This data is a valuable resource for multiple stakeholders, including:

1. Local Government & Planners: To inform sanitation infrastructure planning and budgeting in rural and peri-urban Malawi.

2. Public Health Practitioners: To study the relationship between latrine use and hygiene-related health outcomes.

3. WASH Sector NGOs: To identify service delivery gaps, monitor impact, or design targeted behavior change programs.

4. Researchers & Academics: For sanitation behavior studies, infrastructure sustainability, and social acceptability of different latrine models.

5. Donors & Development Partners: To assess community sanitation needs, target investments, and support SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Installation

You can install the development version of dowalatrinesurvey from GitHub with:

# install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("openwashdata/dowalatrinesurvey")

## Run the following code in console if you dont have the packages
## install.packages(c("dplyr", "knitr", "readr", "stringr", "gt", "kableExtra"))
library(dplyr)
library(knitr)
library(readr)
library(stringr)
library(gt)
library(kableExtra)

Alternatively, you can download the individual datasets as a CSV or XLSX file from the table below.

1. Click Download CSV. A window opens that displays the CSV in your browser.
2. Right-click anywhere inside the window and select “Save Page As…”.
3. Save the file in a folder of your choice.

dataset	CSV	XLSX
dowalatrinesurvey	Download CSV	Download XLSX

Data

The package provides access to Latrine Household Data for Dowa and Thyolo Districts in Malawi for the year 2020.

library(dowalatrinesurvey)

dowalatrinesurvey

The dataset dowalatrinesurvey contains 89 observations and 80 variables

dowalatrinesurvey |> 
  head(3) |> 
  gt::gt() |>
  gt::as_raw_html()

submitted_on	community_type	latitude	longitude	traditional_authority	district	familiar_sanitation_types	latrines_in_community	sanitation_system_home	photo_sanitation_facility	sanitation_location_to_home	purchase_installation_process	latrine_installed	system_duration_magnitude	system_duration_unit	latrine_builder	facility_in_use	is_pit_lined	pit_lining_material	other_waste_disposed	other_waste_specified	biogas_generation	toilet_build_cost	cost_affordability	reasonable_cost_magnitude	reasonable_cost_unit	install_duration_magnitude	install_duration_unit	latrine_usage_process	safe_for_vulnerable	adapted_for_disabled	men_use_for_urination	liked_features	liked_features_other	sit_or_squat	currently_do	used_at_night	has_light	bring_own_light	bring_own_light_comments	odor_control	has_vent_pipe	prefer_less_odor	satisfaction_with_latrine	issues_with_animals	animal_issues_other	ideal_latrine_description	latrine_within_30m_water	latrine_distance_to_water	water_source	flush_with_water	latrine_description	soil_description	soil_description_other	latrine_user_count	latrine_built_year	expected_lifespan_magnitude	expected_lifespan_unit	privacy_enclosure_other_uses	above_ground_maintenance	above_ground_maintenance_other	above_ground_cleaning	uses_cleaning_chemicals	maintenance_frequency	maintenance_by	maintenance_by_other	maintenance_cost	cleaning_major_issue	pit_latrine_condition	is_filled_up	is_replacement	previous_filled_count	fill_up_speed	is_abandoned	reason_for_abandonment	is_emptied	why_not_emptied	why_not_emptied_other	emptying_frequency	emptying_method
10/14/2020	Rural	-13.51292	33.74087	TA Dzoole	Dowa	Pit Latrine with Slab	No	NA	https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/4fcff19b60fd4e4fb8e8e8fcf365d456	Between 10 meters to 15 meters	I bought bricks for lining and enclosure, cement was donation but i ls bought iron sheets. It took a month building this latrine from the pit up	NA	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Bricks	Other	Nothing	Not Applicable	NA	Easy	30000	MK	1	Months	I get wiping materials like paper which is very rare but leaves are commonly used, then i go in to relief myself then off i go	Very safe	No	No	Concrete Slab	NA	Seat	Squatting	Yes	No	Yes	We usually use torch light	No	No	Yes	3 (satisfied)	Other	We were once infested by cockroaches from the latrine	I would prefer a VIP latrine with vent nd toilet seat for easy flushing	No	NA	Borehole or tubewell	No	Our latrine is 6metre deep, lined with bricks then covered with a san plat,. It has an enclosure of bricks nd a roof of iron sheets	Dry	NA	11 to 20 people	6/8/2017	15	Years	No	Wall maintenance	NA	Mopping	Water only	None	Owner of the house, Other	Particularly wife for cleaning	No cost	No	Structurally stable	No	Yes	2	More than 3 years	Abandoned	It has filled up	No	Other	The design of latrines we have here do not have qualities that can allow us to empty	NA	NA
10/14/2020	Peri Urban	-13.51868	33.74178	TA Dzoole	Dowa	Pit Latrine with Slab	No	NA	https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/c7d1d8acfeec4111bdaa4c093646cf25	Less than 10 meters	They are tenants in the house so they found the latrine built already	NA	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Cement Concrete	Ashes	NA	No	NA	Easy	50000	MK	3	Weeks	Before i go i make sure there is water close by, then they make sure tissue is available and then they go in, after that they wipe and wash their hands	Very safe	No	Yes	Handwashing Point, Toilet Seat	NA	Seat	Squatting	Yes	No	Yes	Candle is used	No	No	Yes	1 (not satisfied)	Yes	NA	Pour flush toilet, with a sit and a sink inside	Yes	20	Piped into yard/plot	No	Pit latrine with a slab and iron sheets. When you go in you fimd a hole in the middle of the toilet and you squat to use it. Ghe latrine is next to the bathroom, so thwt water can seeve through the toilet from the bathroom to minimize odor	Dry	NA	6 to 10 people	6/1/2016	6	Years	No	Roof maintenance, Door maintenance, Floor maintenance, Wall maintenance	NA	Sweeping, Mopping	Water only	Daily	Owner of the house	NA	MK 5,000 - 10,000	No	Structurally stable	No	No	NA	NA	Not Applicable	NA	Not Applicable	NA	NA	NA	NA
10/14/2020	Rural	-13.51877	33.74200	TA Dzoole	Dowa	Flush/Pour flush toilet, Pit Latrine with Slab, Pit Latrine without slab/Open pit	NA	NA	https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/72d08ce10e614e35a704719e31eb8d88	Between 10 meters to 15 meters	Dug a hole Bought bricks Bricks are laid as floor and smeared Then the wall is erected And logs and grass for the roof	NA	NA	NA	NA	Yes	No	NA	Other	Hot water	No	NA	Difficult	15000	MK	1	Weeks	From the house we use any type of papers around We use a bucket for washing hands that is placed closed to the latrine	Very safe	No	Yes	Concrete Slab	NA	Squat	Squatting	Yes	No	NA	We use matches or phone flashlight	Yes	No	Yes	1 (not satisfied)	Yes	NA	It could use burnt bricks Plastered Cemented floor Iron sheet roof	No	NA	Surface Water, Piped into dwelling	No	It was built using moulded bricks and soil Grass roof	Dry	NA	6 to 10 people	1/1/2016	4	Years	No	Other	No maintenance done	Sweeping, Smearing	Water only	Monthly	Owner of the house	NA	No cost	Yes	Structurally stable	No	Yes	3	2-3 years	Abandoned	Replaced by new sanitation facility	No	Other	Its a worthless building it shouldnt be given too much attention like that	NA	NA

For an overview of the variable names, see the following table.

variable_name	variable_type	description
submitted_on	character	The date and time when the survey form was submitted.
community_type	character	The classification of the community (e.g., rural, urban, periurban).
latitude	numeric	The latitude coordinate of the sanitation facility location.
longitude	numeric	The longitude coordinate of the sanitation facility location.
traditional_authority	character	The name of the traditional authority governing the survey area.
district	character	The district in which the survey was conducted.
familiar_sanitation_types	character	Types of latrines, toilets, or sanitation systems the respondent is familiar with.
latrines_in_community	character	Whether there are latrine systems present in the respondents community.
sanitation_system_home	character	The specific type of sanitation system used at the respondents home or facility.
photo_sanitation_facility	character	A photo taken of the sanitation facility.
sanitation_location_to_home	character	The physical location of the sanitation facility in relation to the house (e.g., within compound, nearby).
purchase_installation_process	character	Description of how the latrine was purchased and installed.
latrine_installed	character	Whether the respondent or household installed any latrine system.
system_duration_magnitude	numeric	The numerical duration indicating how long the current latrine system has been in use.
system_duration_unit	character	The unit of time (e.g., years, months) for how long the system has been used.
latrine_builder	character	The person(s) or organization that helped build the toilet.
facility_in_use	character	Indicates whether the latrine facility is currently being used.
is_pit_lined	character	Whether the latrine pit is lined for structural stability.
pit_lining_material	character	The material used to line the pit (e.g., bricks, concrete).
other_waste_disposed	character	Additional nonhuman waste disposed of in the latrine.
other_waste_specified	character	Details or specification of the other types of waste disposed.
biogas_generation	character	Whether the sanitation system generates biogas.
toilet_build_cost	character	Reported cost of constructing the toilet.
cost_affordability	character	Perception of how affordable it was to construct the toilet.
reasonable_cost_magnitude	numeric	Estimated amount considered reasonable for building a latrine.
reasonable_cost_unit	character	Unit of the reasonable cost (e.g., MWK, USD).
install_duration_magnitude	numeric	Time taken to construct the toilet (numeric value).
install_duration_unit	character	Unit for time taken (e.g., days, weeks).
latrine_usage_process	character	Stepbystep user explanation of how the latrine is used.
safe_for_vulnerable	character	Whether the latrine is considered safe for children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.
adapted_for_disabled	character	Whether the latrine is physically adapted for disabled users (based on observation).
men_use_for_urination	character	If men in the community consistently use latrines for urination.
liked_features	character	Features of the latrine that users appreciate.
liked_features_other	character	Additional specific features liked, as specified by respondent.
sit_or_squat	character	Preferred toilet posture (sitting or squatting).
currently_do	character	Actual practice (sitting or squatting) during use.
used_at_night	character	Whether the latrine is used during nighttime hours.
has_light	character	If there is a light source inside the latrine.
bring_own_light	character	Whether users bring their own light when using the latrine at night.
bring_own_light_comments	character	Comments or descriptions of the type of light used or brought.
odor_control	character	Whether controlling odor in the latrine is a concern.
has_vent_pipe	character	Indicates if the latrine has a ventilation pipe.
prefer_less_odor	character	Whether the respondent would prefer a latrine with less odor.
satisfaction_with_latrine	character	Respondents overall satisfaction with their current latrine.
issues_with_animals	character	Whether the latrine has experienced issues with rodents or burrowing animals.
animal_issues_other	character	Additional details about animalrelated issues.
ideal_latrine_description	character	Description of a respondents ideal latrine setup.
latrine_within_30m_water	character	Whether a latrine is located within 30 meters of a drinking water source.
latrine_distance_to_water	numeric	Measured distance from the latrine to the nearest water source (in meters).
water_source	character	The main source of water for the household.
flush_with_water	character	Whether water is used to flush the latrine.
latrine_description	character	Narrative description of the latrine owned or used.
soil_description	character	Type and condition of soil around the latrine.
soil_description_other	character	Further details about the soil condition if not covered in options.
latrine_user_count	character	Number of people who use the latrine.
latrine_built_year	character	Year in which the latrine was built.
expected_lifespan_magnitude	numeric	How long the latrine is expected to last (numeric).
expected_lifespan_unit	character	Unit of expected lifespan (e.g., years, months).
privacy_enclosure_other_uses	character	Whether the latrine privacy area is used for other activities (e.g., bathing, changing clothes).
above_ground_maintenance	character	Types of maintenance done on the aboveground structure of the latrine.
above_ground_maintenance_other	character	Additional details on maintenance tasks not listed.
above_ground_cleaning	character	Cleaning practices used for the aboveground part of the latrine.
uses_cleaning_chemicals	character	Whether any chemicals are used for cleaning.
maintenance_frequency	character	How often the latrine is maintained or cleaned.
maintenance_by	character	Who is responsible for maintenance and cleaning of the latrine.
maintenance_by_other	character	Other persons or roles responsible, if not listed.
maintenance_cost	character	Estimated cost spent on maintaining and cleaning the latrine.
cleaning_major_issue	character	Whether cleaning the latrine is a major concern for the user.
pit_latrine_condition	character	Current physical condition of the pit latrine.
is_filled_up	character	Whether the latrine pit is currently filled up.
is_replacement	character	If the current latrine is a replacement for a previously filled one.
previous_filled_count	numeric	Number of pit latrines that filled up before this one.
fill_up_speed	character	How quickly the previous latrine filled up.
is_abandoned	character	Whether the latrine is abandoned or potentially reusable.
reason_for_abandonment	character	Reason why the latrine was abandoned.
is_emptied	character	Whether the latrine has ever been emptied.
why_not_emptied	character	Reason why the latrine hasnt been emptied.
why_not_emptied_other	character	Additional specification on why the latrine hasnt been emptied.
emptying_frequency	character	How often the latrine is emptied (if applicable).
emptying_method	character	The method used for emptying the pit latrine.

Visualizations

library(dowalatrinesurvey)

# Visualization 1 Spatial Distribution Map by Community Type
# Purpose is to show how households with different community_type (Rural vs Peri-Urban) are spatially distributed across your study area.

library(dplyr)
library(ggplot2)
library(maps)
library(stringr)
# Clean community_type in dowalatrinesurvey
dowalatrinesurvey <- dowalatrinesurvey %>% mutate(community_type = trimws(community_type))

# Get Malawi map data from maps package
malawi_map <- map_data("world", region = "Malawi")

# Plot using dowalatrinesurvey
ggplot() +
  geom_polygon(
    data = malawi_map,
    aes(x = long, y = lat, group = group),
    fill = "gray90",
    color = "black"
  ) +
  geom_point(
    data = dowalatrinesurvey,
    aes(x = longitude, y = latitude, color = community_type),
    size = 3, alpha = 0.7
  ) +
  coord_fixed(1.3) +  # fix aspect ratio for lat/lon
  labs(
    title = "Spatial Distribution of Surveyed Households by Community Type",
    x = "Longitude",
    y = "Latitude",
    color = "Community Type"
  ) +
  theme_minimal()

# Visualization 2: Grouped bar chart showing count of latrine satisfaction by community type
# visually compare the levels of satisfaction with latrines between different types of communities
# (e.g., Rural vs Peri-Urban)

# Clean and factor satisfaction variable
data <- dowalatrinesurvey %>%
  mutate(
    satisfaction_clean = str_extract(satisfaction_with_latrine, "^[0-9]"),
    satisfaction_clean = factor(satisfaction_clean, levels = c("1", "2", "3"),
                                labels = c("Not Satisfied", "Neutral", "Satisfied"))
  ) %>%
  filter(!is.na(satisfaction_clean))  # Remove NA

# Summarize counts
satisfaction_summary <- data %>%
  group_by(community_type, satisfaction_clean) %>%
  summarise(count = n(), .groups = "drop")

# Plot grouped bar chart (counts)
ggplot(satisfaction_summary, aes(x = community_type, y = count, fill = satisfaction_clean)) +
  geom_bar(stat = "identity", position = "dodge") +  # side-by-side bars
  labs(
    title = "Latrine Satisfaction by Community Type",
    x = "Community Type",
    y = "Count",
    fill = "Satisfaction Level"
  ) +
  theme_minimal()

License

Data are available as CC-BY.

Citation

Please cite this package using:

citation("dowalatrinesurvey")
#> To cite package 'dowalatrinesurvey' in publications use:
#> 
#>   Mhango E (2025). "dowalatrinesurvey: Household Latrine Survey Data
#>   from Dowa and Thyolo, Malawi."
#>   <https://github.com/openwashdata/dowalatrinesurvey>.
#> 
#> A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is
#> 
#>   @Misc{mhango:2025,
#>     title = {dowalatrinesurvey: Household Latrine Survey Data from Dowa and Thyolo, Malawi},
#>     author = {Emmanuel Mhango},
#>     year = {2025},
#>     url = {https://github.com/openwashdata/dowalatrinesurvey},
#>     abstract = {Contains survey data collected in October 2020 from households in Dowa and Thyolo Districts, Malawi. The dataset includes detailed information on household sanitation practices, latrine infrastructure, usage patterns, maintenance behaviors, and user preferences across rural and peri-urban communities. Data was collected using the mWater survey platform by BASEflow Malawi enumerators.},
#>     version = {0.0.0.9000},
#>   }