BioToilet – For Open Defecation Free India

Blogs / BioToilet – For Open Defecation Free India

On the eve of India’s 70^th Independence Day, we are all grateful to our ancestors for the freedom we enjoy today.

During the struggle for freedom, patriotism burned in the hearts of every Indian.

Today, as we are raising slogans of patriotic sentiments and agitating against various issues, I found we have lost those flames that made 15th August 1947 happen.

It’s not a date or an event; it’s a message that the country we live in is our “Motherland,” and she belongs to us and us alone.

Does this feeling resonate among all of us today?

Are we still so loving towards our Motherland?

I don’t think the answer to all is a “Yes“. India is leading its march to make its mark worldwide.

But that is not the big picture. India has a rural population of 68.84%, and sections of the population still don’t have access to basic amenities such as food, clothing, shelter, and basic hygiene.

My agenda today is to highlight one of the major concerns related to hygiene: open defecation.

I guess by now, there is no person unaware of the term “OD” or Open defecation.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has shed a huge light on the perils of OD and the other adversities associated with it.

As mentioned earlier, a large population of India lives in rural areas, out of which 52.1% of the population still openly defecate as per a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

It was our Honorary Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s, dream to make India free of Open Defecation by October 2, 2019, marking the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.

More than three years after its launch, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has been successful in spreading awareness and implementing measures to address sanitation-related problems in India.

One of the major initiatives includes the installation of bio-toilets in railways and other public places.

A bio-toilet system utilizes a biodigester, which converts human waste into recyclable materials.

A Biodigester is a mechanized reactor where all the human waste is accumulated and its decomposition is facilitated with the help of highly potent Bacteria.

These Bacteria have a robust nature and can withstand the routine cleaning agents used in toilets.

They convert human excretory waste into manure, methane, and water.

The liquids and solids formed during waste treatment in the biodigester are separated by a solid-liquid separator.

The separated liquid is then recycled after proper treatment, while the solid waste is utilized as manure.

The biogas generated in these systems can be used as a domestic fuel in railway kitchens and pantries.

The first Bio Toilet system, installed on the Gwalior-Varanasi-Bundelkhand Express, has been running successfully since January 2011.

As these bio-toilet systems can function with a single microbial dose for a year, they have proven to be an efficient zero-discharge system for human waste.

The importance of installing Bio Toilet systems in railways is gaining wide popularity all over the country.

However, the maintenance of these bio-toilets has become a concern for the railways due to the ignorance of the commuters.

Many Bio toilets have been dysfunctional due to clogging caused by the dumping of plastic waste, such as bottles and food wrappers, into the toilets.

Such callous behavior by our people is delaying the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan from reaching its goals.

In a large country like India, you cannot expect things to change overnight, unless all its citizens make a conscious effort.

The government and several NGOs are implementing various programs to improve the sanitation scenario in India.

It’s now on us to jointly support their commendable efforts and make the dream of an open-defecation-free India a reality.

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BioToilet – For Open Defecation Free India

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