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Asia, Africa & Latin America lagged behind and could not adopt because the technology of septic tank & sewer were not affordable in these continents. Just for example, the sewer system was laid in Kolkata, India in 1870 and after 140 years only 269 towns/cities out of 5161 towns are sewer based and that too partially. If there is no growth of towns and cities further, only in urban areas, it will take 3000 years to provide sewerage system.
Septic tank and sewerage system are not affordable & sustainable sanitation solution !
SANITATION SCENARIO
In the late sixties, sanitation scenario in India was worst, no house in rural areas had a toilet. Women were the worst sufferers because of lack of toilets. They had to go out for open defecation in the dark before sunrise or after sunset. Their dignity was put to risk when subjected to criminal assaults or snake bites. More than fifty diseases including diarrhoea, cholera, poliomyelitis, etc. have been reported because of defecation in open due to lack of toilets.
SANITATION SCENARIO
Child Mortality Rate was very high. Drop-out of girls from schools was high because of no toilets. In urban areas, only 15% of the population used septic tanks and a large number of people used to go outside for defecation. The remaining population had dry/bucket toilets, cleaned manually by human scavengers. Public places like railway stations, bus stops, religious and tourist places, had no provision of public toilets. Hence foreign tourists had to face a lot of difficulties because of absence of toilets and were discouraged to visit India.
HEALTH is defined as: A state of complete physical, social and mental wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In this sense, health is seen as a resource for everyday life, as a positive concept that emphasises social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities.
(World Health Organization, 1948)
Population without improved sanitation, (region wise) in 2008 (millions) UNICEF-WHO JMP 2010 Update
Globally over 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation worldwide of which 650 million people reside in India.
To overcome the problem of human scavenging and safe and hygienic disposal of human wastes from households, I invented, innovated and developed the Sulabh two-pit, pour-flush, compost toilet. Sulabh two-pit, pour-flush, compost toilet is scientifically appropriate, economically affordable, indigenous and culturally acceptable.
Because of the presence of small quantity of gases inside the pits, the gases in contact with water in the water-seal, do not allow the water to freeze during winters. In 1984, in Srinagar, India, temperature went down to -140C and all the Sulabh toilets functioned very well whereas septic tanks and sewerage pipelines got frozen.
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15 feet
30 feet
Hand-pump
Well
The Sulabh two-pit toilet is free from all health hazards and does not pollute ground water or drinking water sources like hand pumps, wells etc. if proper precautions are taken in its construction. A Sulabh toilet can be constructed at a distance of 30 feet from a well or a 15 feet from a hand-pump and no distance is required if there is provision of piped water supply. If there is a space constraint, then the well nearby should be plastered from inside up to 30 feet, so that there is no chance of pollution.
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Sulabh Strategy
condition of the people but this has to be provided at the doorsteps of the customers and for that matter I adopted two strategies: (i) Motivation, Education, Communication and Training (ii) The delivery system, Implementation, maintenance and follow-ups.
Thereafter, Guarantee Card is issued with Sulabh accepting the responsibility of rectifying defects free-of-cost for a period of five years.
As proof of construction done, a photograph is also taken of the toilets and beneficiaries.
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The methodology has been a great success generating mutual trust and confidence between beneficiaries, Sulabh and Urban Local Bodies.
For effective delivery system of services, vision, dedication, ethics, morality and follow-up is essential.
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In 1973, I introduced the system of maintenance of public toilets on pay and use basis. Initially there were skeptical views about the functioning of the technologies and its success. But on the very first day 500 people used the public toilet in Patna, Bihar.
However It took several years to convince the Government and the people. Earlier people were not habituated to paying for the use of public toilets.
Public Toilet linked to Biogas Digester and Sulabh Effluent Treatment (SET) device
The water discharged is treated by passing it through sedimentation chamber, sand filter, aeration tank, charcoal and 20 through ultra violet rays.
The effluent discharged from public toilet, after treatment, becomes so pure that its Biochemical Oxygen Demand is less than one milligram per litre. This water is safe for discharge into rivers or water bodies, without polluting them. Hence, this also prevents pollution from the sewage. It can also be used for cleaning of floors of public toilets.
Both these technologies are suitable for market places, housing colonies, high-rise buildings, public places, schools, colleges, hospitals etc.
From public toilets human excreta goes inside the digester and biogas is produced without any chemical, bacteria or change agents. Only 10-20 kgs. of cow dung is required to be put inside the digester on the first day of use. The biogas produced is then channelized for lighting mantle lamps, warming oneself in winters, cooking and also for conversion into energy for street lighting.
Hence emission of methane into the atmosphere is 40.67 billion cubic metres per year.
In a septic tank system gas pipe is required to permit outflow of gases produced into the atmosphere.
But in Sulabh two-pit, pour-flush, compost toilets, vent pipes are not needed and gases are absorbed in the leach-pits into the soil.
In Sulabh public toilet complexes with attached biogas digesters, the gases are burnt when put to different uses like cooking, warming oneself, lighting mantle lamps, etc. Thus, Sulabh technologies prevent emission of methane into the atmosphere and reduce global warming and improve climate change.
contd....
Complete feed for fish. In duckweed treated water fish is grown. 8-10 tons of fish per ha. of pond/annum can be harvested
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Both Sulabh technologies have removed untouchability. Scavengers have been liberated from the sub-human occupation of cleaning and carrying human excreta as head-load for its further disposal. They were the worst victim of a cruel social order for centuries and reduced to the depths of degradation as untouchables.
Nai Disha Vocational Training Centre was set up at Alwar, Rajasthan in April 2003 to liberate and rehabilitate women hitherto engaged in the profession of scavenging till end March 2003.
Sulabh trained officials / entrepreneurs from 14 African countries namely Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Cote d Ivorie, Mali and Rwanda on sanitation technologies for capacity building in the year 2005 and 2006. Since 1980, visitors from more than hundred countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, U.S.A., U.K., Ghana, Ethiopia, etc. have visited the Sulabh campus in New Delhi to see the Sulabh technologies.
Awareness Programme
Design and development of training manual/handouts in local
in 18 official languages and then in 6 more for awareness & motivation. Involving people in Hygiene, Hand Washing, Use of Toilets through demonstration and use of Information Education & Communication (IEC) and Information Communication & Technology (ICT) development tools, drama, nukkad natak, etc. Using these tools and techniques we could be able to motivate the customers to accept sustainable sanitation solutions.
Sulabh International has established a unique Museum of Toilets at Sulabh Campus in New Delhi where records of the oldest toilets and the development of toilets through the ages is captured through photographs, models, literature etc. It is a rare collection of relics, artifacts and other information relevant to toilets.