As a solution to water scarcity and dense populations, Green toilets will be the future of sanitation. They are automatic and convert human waste to biological charcoal, mineral, clean water and even electricity. Developed by Thiruvananthapuram-based Eram Scientific Solutions Ltd, India’s first electronic portable, public toilet uses GPRS controls and needs less than 40 sqft of space. It’s being widely used in Kerala and is akin to e-toilets in developed countries.
Manohar Varghese, Director, Eram explained, “Commercial production of the toilets 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.”
Built with stainless steel/fibre to withstand corrosion, it can be programmed to accept either र1, र2 or र5 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 100ml of water. In case it isn’t 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 1.5lt of water. If used for more, it flushes four litres. 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. Costing between र3.5 lakh to र 8.5 lakh, modular and trendy, the e-toilet has revolving ad panels making it lucrative.
