[Greenbuilding] Indian Railways world's largest open toilet - moving to 430K composting toilets

[sanjay jain]

Hi all,

Copying an article I came across...

~sanjay

Railways world's largest open toilet: Jairam

Jairam Ramesh, Union Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation 
Minister, on Thursday described the Railways as the world's largest open
 toilet as his ministry signed an MoU with the Defence Research and 
Development Organisation to provide 1,000 bio digester toilets to 300 
gram panchayats on a pilot basis in the next two years.

Ramesh's ministry will also bear half the cost of retrofitting 43,000 
train coaches and all new coaches with bio digester toilets. The 
deadline for the Rs 500 crore project is 2016-17. Bio digester processes
 human waste and discharges it in the form of methane and water. It was 
first developed for soldiers stationed at Siachen. It currently costs Rs
 15,000 per unit though the DRDO is working to bring costs down to under
 Rs 10,000.

Ramesh's pitch for a share from the national security allocation for 
social development programmes was, however, shot down by Defence 
Minister A K Antony on Thursday. While pledging his ministry's support 
to Ramesh's mission to end open defecation, Antony said, "You should 
look at other agencies for funds. It is important to bring state 
government and society on board. Money provided in the Defence budget is
 for national security."

Ramesh had earlier said that the amount required for installing 1,000 
bio-toilets in 300 gram panchayats is equal to that spent for one Rafale
 fighter jet India is buying from France.

Both the ministers were addressing a programme after signing of the MoU.

URL: http://www.indianex press.com/ news/railways- worlds-largest- open-toilet- jairam/979913/
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