Using the toilet in school was an ordeal for 15-year-old Vineetha two years ago because of poor sanitation and cleanliness. For the class 10 student at ZPHS Kodurupadu School in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, that is now in the past 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 school 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, Student, APHS Kodurupadu School
How it Works
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
There are different variants of eToilets, starting from the Rs 1 lakh school model to the Rs 4 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.
Keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission in mind, Baby said that Eram is also planning to tie up with the 100 Smart Cities project where eToilets can play a crucial role in providing seamless, sustainable sanitation solutions.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)