Biotoilets: The Solution to India's Sanitation Problem
Biotoilets: The Solution to India's Sanitation Problem
Biotoilets are the solution to India's sanitation problem. Open defecation is widely prevalent in India as many people in rural areas lack access to basic sanitation facilities. Recently, the UN launched a program to battle this problem. It is estimated that around half a billion people in India lack access to toilets.
Open defecation is also a health hazard as many harmful communicable diseases can be spread due to exposure to pathogens. The recent antibiotic resistance of harmful bacteria point to the dangerous implications of open defecation in India, as far as development and spread of diseases are concerned. Sewer infrastructure and centralised treatment are extremely expensive and pit latrines require constant maintenance.
In such a situation, biotoilets developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) of India can be the solution we need. The waste matter in these biotoilets is broken down by a particular type of bacteria that treats human waste. These bacteria are cryophiles which hail from cold places such as the Himalayas an Antarctica. These bacteria have been adapted to work in any weather condition to eliminate waste in an oxygen-free, anaerobic bio-digester tank.
To eliminate the pure waste discharge from a toilet is a crucial step for initiating preventable healthcare. Wockhardt Foundation in Mumbai is doing active work to promote the need for using biotoilets as a solution to India's sanitation problem. UNCEF and WHO have estimated that 1/7th of the world continues to have lack of access to toilets and over 60% of these are Indians. Poor sanitation has dreadful consequences for human and child health. 10 million children below the age of 5 die each year due to poor sanitation and 2.4 of these are from India, according to statistics provided by the Wockhardt Foundation.
Solid waste management through biotoilets is the way out. Biotoilets have been invented and certified by the DRDO. They have also been endorsed by the Indian government. These biotoilets have an additional advantage of 100% sludge-free disposal of human waste. This will end the practice of manual scavenging in India.
Biotoilets are eco-friendly and they decompose solid waste to water and biogas. They are low cost solution to India's poor sanitation. Another benefit of biotoilets is that they are maintenance free. Biotoilets eliminate waste and disease causing pathogens completely.
The Indian Railways has also launched biotoilets in a bid to solve the problem of waste management. A biotank under the train car treats waste which would otherwise have damaged and corroded the tracks. These biotoilets also destroy disease causing microbes.
Moreover, biotoilets are also cost effective compared to other waste disposal systems. Whether there are urban slums, construction sites, villages, biotoilets can meet the waste management needs of a vast section of India's population.
With new programs and policies being announced, it would be a good move to use the indigenously developed innovative technology such as biotoilets to counter the growing sanitation problem in India. With enough steps to solve this health and waste management crisis, India can take steps towards progress for all.
