WHEN everything from paper to refrigerator is going green, can toilets be far
behind? Indian railways are introducing
eco-friendly toilets on trains. Thanks to
the new toilets fitted with a device that
induces bio-degradation, railway tracks
will be much cleaner. The 'bio-toilets'
have been made by the railways' Integral
Coach Factory based near Madras.
According to a railway ministry official, the toilets have tanks to collect the waste, bio-degrade it and discharge only
a non-obnoxious and hygienically safe
liquid on to the track. The waste is converted into clear water and gas through
bacteriological degradation. The bio-toilet has a tank, filter beds and exhaust
outlets for the gas and provision of chlorination of the discharged water. A vent in the tank lets out the gas and the water
is disposed off in the next flushing. An
indigenously developed toilet set for a
coach costs about Rs 1.5 lakh. The first
coach fitted with such toilets was
inducted on the Alleppey Express in the
last week of December.
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