Combined land requirement for living spaces and latrines?

• A. 3.6 acres
• B. 5 acres
• C. 1.4 acres
• D. 4.0 acres

Answer: (B)

Providing enough land for living spaces and latrines is about ensuring safe sanitation, adequate spacing, and room for future needs in a settlement. When planning housing with sanitation, you allocate space not only for house plots and toilets but also for roads, drainage, and open areas, so the layout stays hygienic and functional as the population grows. The commonly cited guideline for a village-scale site combines housing and sanitation into a single land requirement of about five acres. This amount supports reasonably sized plots, proper distance between living areas and latrines, effective waste disposal or sewer infrastructure, and space to expand later if needed. Smaller land areas would crowd housing and sanitation facilities and compromise hygiene and accessibility, which is why five acres is the preferred figure.