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India is world's capital for open defecation, says Ramesh
Friday July 27, 2012 08:44:13 AM,
IANS
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New Delhi: Terming
India as world's capital for open defecation, Drinking Water and
Sanitation Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday said that 100,000
"bio-toilets" will be installed in about 300 backward gram
panchayats in the next two years at a cost of Rs.150 crore.
"We are the world's capital for open defecation. It is a matter of
shame, anguish, sorrow, anger," Ramesh said, noting over 60
percent of all open defecation takes place in India.
Speaking at a a function where a memorandum of understanding on
bio-digester-based eco-friendly toilets was exchanged between the
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the
ministry in his and Defence Minister A.K. Antony's presence,
Ramesh said the government intended to rid the country of open
defecation in the next 10 years.
Ramesh, who is also rural development minister, said DRDO-developed
bio-toilet had immense use for Indian Railways. He said his
ministry had offered to equip it in all new railway coaches and
share half the cost of retrofitting it in all the existing 50,000
coaches in the next four to five years. The project will cost
about Rs.500 crore.
The minister said bio-toilets will also help curb manual
scavenging which was still prevalent in about 15 lakh insanitary
latrines.
He said the ministry intended to provide bio-toilets to 1,000 gram
panchayats over the next four-five years. The minister said that
funds for setting up bio-toilets will be provided by his ministry
and DRDO and its private partner will be responsible for
technology.
Ramesh said of 240,000 gram panchayats, only 28,000 had achieved
the status of "nirmal gram" and his ministry intended that all
panchayats achieve the status over the next 10 years.
Antony said that bio-toilet was a spin off from technology
developed by DRDO for eco-friendly disposal of human waste for
armed forces deployed in high altitude locations.
Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation
Srikant Jena said he would write to MPs for keeping apart money
from MPLADS scheme for installing bio-toilets in their area.
DRDO bio-toilet is based on anaerobic biodegradation of organic
waste by unique microbial consortium and works at wide temperature
range. The onsortium has been made through acclimatisation,
enrichment and bioaugumentation of cold-active bacteria collected
from Antartica and other low temperature areas.
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