eToilets: transforming sanitation via technology

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NEW DELHI

Using the toilet in school was an ordeal for 15-year-old Vineetha two years ago because of poor sanitation and cleanliness. A class 10 student at ZPHS Kodurupadu School in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, the ordeal is now over with eToilets being installed in the premises.

“Earlier, we didn’t have proper toilet facilities to relieve ourselves since the facility was not properly maintained and was unhygienic. Many of us would bunk schools owing to this. But the installation of eToilets brought us huge relief. Initially, we had some apprehensions on using them but soon we got used to it,” Vineetha told IANS in an email interview.

eToilets are unmanned toilets which work on an indigenous technology and are placed on a cement or metal base. On the roof is a 225-litre-capacity water tank connected to the three flushes (pre-flush/platform washing/after-use flush).

A display light outside shows whether the unit is occupied (red) or unoccupied (green).
“On entering the eToilet, the indoor light switches on automatically and the pre-flush system wets the closet. Even if a user forgets to flush after using the eToilet, the system automatically flushes after the user exits. An automatic floor-cleaning mechanism is also provided through which the floor gets cleaned,” Bincy Baby, Director, Eram Scientific Solutions, that developed the facility, told IANS in an email interaction.

There are different variants of eToilets, starting from the Rs 1 lakh school model to the Rs four lakh public model.

A total of 2,000 eToilets have currently been installed in 20 states: Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

IANS