Sanitation facilities in India are alarming with many people having no access to toilets. People are still forced to defecate in the open. This poses health hazards, raises environmental concerns and leads to water contamination.
Thus there is a need for basic, easy-to-install and hygienic human waste disposal mechanism in areas with no infrastructural facilities.
To address the need for a cheaper and easy-to-operate alternative to the traditional waste disposal system bio-toilets have been proposed as a feasible solution.
What is a bio-toilet and what it consists of?
The bio-toilet consists of an easy to install super-structure, a multi-chambered matriced bio-tank that holds the bacterial culture and supports the treatment of human waste.
The system doesn’t need any external energy for treatment, rather gives out pathogen-free effluent water that is apt for gardening and similar purposes; and biogas that could be used for cooking or heating.
What are the primary methods of human waste management or treatment?
The following are the primary methods of human waste management or treatment:
Pit latrine – collects human waste in a “pit” that has to be periodically emptied. The waste is either treated centrally or dumped in the ground. The former consumes energy in transportation and treatment, whereas the latter contaminates the environment and ground water.
Septic tank retains the human waste, and is also periodically emptied and cleaned, emits foul smell and any leakage harms the groundwater.
The other major practice is of hugely built sewage treatment facilities (commonly called STPs). The human waste is transported via sewer lines to the central facility and treated using colossal amounts of energy.
What is a bio-digester?
The bio-digester technology was initially developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the defence personnel.
Bio-digester is a consortium of anaerobic bacteria. These convert the organic waste into water, methane and CO2. The anaerobic process inactivates the pathogens responsible for water-borne diseases. Bio-digesters serve as reaction vessels for bio-methanation and provide anaerobic conditions and the required temperature for the bacteria.
What are the advantages of bio-toilet?
Bio-toilets treat the human waste at source – obviating the need to carry/transport the fecal matter, no spoiling of environment or groundwater, and don’t need any energy.
The system leaves pathogen-free water as effluent that can be re-used.
For large bio-tanks, methane can be collected and used.
These can be installed anywhere, without specification of land type, terrain, distance, etc.
Thus, bio-toilets can be considered as a true panacea to many of India’s sanitation woes.
Bio-toilets in Indian Railways
The “bio-toilet project” of Indian Railways is first of its kind, being used by any railroad in the world for on-board accelerated digestion of human waste.
The bio-toilets in trains are installed underneath the lavatories and the human waste discharged into them is then acted upon by a colony of anaerobic bacteria.
Further to this, the bacteria converts the human waste mainly into water and small amount of bio-gases, which escape into atmosphere and waste water is discharged after chlorination onto the track. Thus, the human waste does not fall on the railway tracks.
The ‘Make in India’ bio-toilets in Indian Railways, have been developed jointly by Indian Railways’ Engineers & DRDO’s scientists. The initiative is one of the examples where the technology developed for defence applications has been used for civilian purpose.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . With reference to bio-toilets used by the Indian Railways, consider the following statements: UPSC 2015
1 . The decomposition of human waste in the bio-toilets is initiated by a fungal inoculum.
2 . Ammonia and water vapour are the only end products in this decomposition which are released into the atmosphere.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (d) Neither 1 nor 2
