More than
50 percent of India's population defecates in the open - due to widespread poor
sanitation. The government wants to tackle the problem by building 100,000
bio-digester toilets.
Deutsche Welle, 23 June 2014
India's
sanitation statistics stink.
But in the
Indian capital, a unique experiment to set up hi-tech bio-digester toilets
promises to change the lives of thousands of residents who use open fields for
their morning ablutions.
The World
Health Organization - and figures from India's own census - suggest the number
of people, who are forced to defecate in the open, is as high as 620 million.
That's more
than half the population.
Small
wonder, then, that during its New Delhi trial the bio-toilet has received such
ecstatic praise.
Since it
was installed outside a public hospital at the start of June, the bio-toilet
has seen a steady stream of users.
Many
residents, such as Ram Yadav, a daily wage laborer, are happy with the venture.
"We
now have the privacy to use a toilet and do not have to wander into open
spaces. There is also running water," says Yadav.
More than
basic sanitation
But it's
not just about meeting the country's basic sanitation needs and health
standards. It is also about public safety.
The
bio-digester toilet is about more than health and sanitation - it's about
safety too
The lack of
toilets in India has meant that women are often left in dangerous situations.
Alone the act of having to relieve yourself at night can be dangerous - if you
are a woman and have to walk out into open fields in the rural hinterlands.
"This
is excellent and very helpful. There should be more of these toilets,"
says Gita Devi, a New Delhi homemaker.
Renowned
architect Raj Rewal, better known for designing iconic exhibition pavilions and
structures such as the Parliament library, has partnered in this ambitious
project.
"I
felt that a large number of people, particularly those living in slums, go and
defecate in the open. This is a very serious problem - mainly for the 2.5
million women in the city who have no facility to go to toilets in the
morning," Rewal says.
This
prototype uses aluminium sandwiched honeycomb panels, with stainless steel
veneering for durability. The eco-friendly toilet can be set up anywhere - even
where there are no sewer lines.
High
altitude innovation
A similar
system has been tested successfully at high altitude by army personnel at the
Siachen Glacier in Kashmir.
And India's
Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to help roll out the
bio-toilet program across the country.
"We
developed a technology which includes a consortium of psychrophilic bacteria,
which was brought from Antarctica, cultured in the laboratory, and which can
degrade fecal matter into water, carbon dioxide and methane," says Dr
William Selvamurthy, a former scientist at the DRDO. "This is a very, very
innovative technology."
Selvamurthy
says the bio-toilet has no geographical or climate limitations, and can be
installed without the need for large sewerage networks.
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| If mass-produced, a single unit will cost between 400 to 700 euros |
Some have
undergone design modifications. For example, to avoid the toilets getting
clogged at railway stations, where people might use them to dispose of
non-biodegradable plastics, like bottles, a special lid has been constructed.
"The
Indian railways have adopted this technology and the existing coaches are being
retro-fitted. It will also go to other civilian sectors in a very horizontal
spread to a very large cross-section of our society," Selvamurthy says.
Total
Sanitation Mission 2020
Architect
Raj Rewal hopes the toilets will be set up across the country soon.
"It
can go to any city, any small town, and hopefully to small villages if we work
hard on the design and economics of the toilets," says Rewal.
The Indian
government is keen to fast-track the scheme. Open defecation has serious health
implications and is a big economic burden on the country.
Only one
state in India, Sikkim, is free of open defecation. Under its Total Sanitation
Mission, the government aims to eliminate the problem of open defecation by
2022.
