Dont flush away these ideas.At least former Union
minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh whose obsession with
toilets led him to fire his latest salvo,No toilet,no bride,may love
these toilets for their sheer innovation.They are automatic and convert
human waste to biological charcoal,mineral,clean water and even
electricity.In a world of increasing water scarcity and dense
populations,these green toilets will be the future of sanitation.
Indias first electronic portable,public toilet uses GPRS controls and needs less than 40 sqft of space.Developed by Thiruvananthapuram-based Eram Scientific Solutions Ltd,its being widely used in Kerala and is akin to e-toilets in developed countries.Commercial production started in 2010 and today,some 400 units have been installed under the aegis of local bodies and government departments.We also have pilot installations in Noida,Delhi,Mumbai,Ahmedabad,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, says Manohar Varghese,director,Eram.We also envision a connected toilet infrastructure through GPRS which will map and connect all toilet units via web and mobile,making travel easier for the public and tourists.
Built with stainless steel/fibre to withstand corrosion,it can be programmed to accept either Re 1,Rs 2 or Rs 5 denominations.After payment,the door of the unit unlocks and the light and exhaust fan are switched on automatically.After the user enters it,the closet is doused with 100 ml of water.In case it isnt flushed after use,the system automatically does the cleaning.This is an intelligent toilet too.If the usage is for less than three minutes,the system flushes with 1.5 litres of water.If used for more,it flushes four litres.There are plans to reduce this to less than three litres, says Varghese.Normal toilets consume seven litres for a single flush.The water tank can store up to 500 litres of water and pump water from an additional source in emergencies.
It also uses a bio-membrane reactor for its sewage treatment plant which uses nanotechnology to recycle used water.Solar panels generate electricity,while sms alerts inform the control room about the status of the water tank and bio-gas plant.Modular and trendy,the e-toilet has revolving ad panels making it lucrative.The price Between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh.
Eram entered into an agreement with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc),Bangalore,for further development.Its also discussing various designs with the National Institute of Design for ambience,style and userfriendliness.The London School of Economics too has been studying this social enterprise model,says Varghese.E-toilets was recently given a grant of Rs 3 crore from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge,a global competition to develop next-generation toilets which will deliver safe and sustainable sanitation to the 2.5 billion people who dont have it.
The importance of sanitation in the health of people was something Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has been concerned about.The Reinvent competition saw researchers from 29 countries coming up with innovative toilets without piped water,sewer or electrical connections.California Institute of Technology,which got the first prize,designed a solarpowered toilet where sun rays power an electrochemical reactor which breaks down water and human waste into fertilizer and hydrogen.These can be stored in hydrogen fuel cells as energy.The treated water can be reused.Loughborough University in the UK won the second prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal,minerals,and clean water using a process called continuous thermal hydrocarbonisation.This kills all pathogens and heat generated during processing is used as power.
source : TOI
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