WHEN everything from paper to refrigerator is going green, can toilets be farbehind? Indian railways are introducingeco-friendly toilets on trains. Thanks tothe new toilets fitted with a device thatinduces bio-degradation, railway trackswill be much cleaner. The 'bio-toilets'have been made by the railways' IntegralCoach Factory based near Madras.
According to a railway ministry official, the toilets have tanks to collect the waste, bio-degrade it and discharge onlya non-obnoxious and hygienically safeliquid on to the track. The waste is converted into clear water and gas throughbacteriological degradation. The bio-toilet has a tank, filter beds and exhaustoutlets for the gas and provision of chlorination of the discharged water. A vent in the tank lets out the gas and the wateris disposed off in the next flushing. Anindigenously developed toilet set for acoach costs about Rs 1.5 lakh. The firstcoach fitted with such toilets wasinducted on the Alleppey Express in thelast week of December.