Introduction
This web site describes how to make storage jars and containers with a capacity of 200 -250 litres (0.2 - 0.25 m3) for the storage of water or grains, using only 1/2 bag of cement and 50 kg of sand.
The container is made without steel or wire mesh. A sack filled with sand is used as a mould which is then plastered with a sand/cement mortar. When the mortar is hard, the sack and the sand are removed, leaving the container.
The process is simple, easy to learn and uses the minimum of materials and equipment. You can make smaller containers if you wish, using the same process.
The container is ideal for home owners or projects which face the problem of needing to store water but are not able to obtain normal water containers such as metal drums, clay pots, or concrete tanks.
Testing of the method used to make the containers was carried out in the CUSO/SUCO workshop in Pemba, northern Mozambique. Hundreds have been successfully made there and are now in use in homes, offices, and factories throughout the town. We thank the workers in the Pemba workshop for their support and help in perfecting the technique presented in this manual.
The idea for the cement containers was taken from the excellent manual “Ferrocement Water Tanks and Their Construction” by S.B. Watt. The drawings in the manual are original and were drawn by the authors.