The Rural Development Department is considering a proposal to fund environment-friendly ‘Eco-San’ toilets for all the households in a Coimbatore village. Two model toilets have already been installed on a pilot basis at Annur village for which the response was positive from local people.
District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Project Director Tha. Murugan told The Hindu here on Saturday that these new toilets could be used to convert human waste into fertilizer and also for irrigation purposes after processing.
The agency plans to submit a proposal to the State Planning Commission seeking funding for installing the toilets of 120 residents of Annur village. The cost of each of these new toilet units was nearly double that of regular toilets.
Explaining the unit, he said that in normal toilets, the waste accumulated below the ground level in leach-pit toilets and septic tanks. However, in rocky places or areas where the water table was high, these toilets do not function properly. The ground in Annur village was of hard rock formation.
The eco-san toilets, which will be a few feet above the ground level, will separate the solid and liquid wastes by using the gravitational effect as the tank will also be above the ground level.
The liquid wastes will be diverted to a soakpit and, after processing, it would be used for irrigation. The solid wastes would be mixed with ash and saw dust and would be converted into manure in a few year’s time.
“This toilet was implemented successfully in a village near Musri in Tiruchi district where water table level was high due to the flowing Cauvery,” Mr. Murugan said.
The pilot project was used to create awareness among the locals who have taken to this idea.
The proposal to fund toilets for all the village households was likely to be submitted shortly, the Project Director said.
