According to the WHO and UNICEF report, nearly 1/7th of the world population still defecate in the open spaces. About 60% of them live in India. In Mumbai, nearly four million people do not have toilets in their homes, thus posing serious urban sanitation problems.
In its bid to solve the problem of open defecation, the Wockhardt Foundation has decided to install ‘bio-toilets’ in different parts of Mumbai and other cities of India. It has already installed ‘bio-toilets’ in Bharat Nagar in Bandra Kurla Complex in the metropolis to mark the World Toilet Day.
These bio-toilets were formally launched by Nafisa Khorakiwala, Chairperson of Wockhardt Foundation and Ajay Gupta, District Governor of Rotary club. Dr Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Trustee and CEO of Wockhardt Foundation and Shaikh Ilyas Bashir, Councilor, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai were also present on this occasion.
Wockhardt Foundation has prepared a comprehensive plan to install similar bio-toilets in different slum areas in Mumbai, including households, construction sites, airports, village central points, educational institutions and pilgrimage sites. The bio-toilet is a complete waste management solution, which alleviates the need for expensive sewage treatment & waste management.
The initiative is eco-friendly and cost effective as it decomposes solid waste into water and bio-gas and it only requires one-time installation. Wockhardt Foundation aims to offer a complete solid waste management solution for 6-7 users in a family, which very effectively addresses each of environmental issues.