Top bureaucrats in Warangal, including the union secretary of drinking water and sanitation Parameswaran Iyer, emptied sludge from twin pit latrines to break the stigma associated with toilets and their use. The primary objective was to demonstrate the usefulness of the twin pit model, especially in rural areas where the decomposition of excreta into usable compost happens without causing any harm to the environment. In the twin pit model, only one of the two pits receives excreta at a time. Once filled, the pit is closed and the waste is allowed to slowly decompose while fresh excreta is diverted into the second pit close by.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has been declared open defecation free by the Quality Council of India (QCI). The QCI inspected Navi Mumbai as part of the Swachh Survekshan 2017. The civic body had successfully constructed over 100 public and community toilets within the corporation limits to bring down open defecation. In addition, stringent fines were imposed on people spotted defecating out in the open. E-toilets have also been set up at prime locations across the city. Navi Mumbai has performed quite well in the sanitation survey so far and expects its ranking to improve this year.
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) will be assisting the Bhubaneswar municipal corporation to chalk out a comprehensive sanitation plan for the city. The NIUA will share its expertise in the fields of fecal sludge and septage management in addition to managing solid waste. Bhubaneswar’s city sanitation plan will be implemented through Bengaluru-based Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society. Generating close to 600 tonnes of solid waste every day, managing its solid and liquid waste is turning out to be a huge concern for Bhubaneswar.
In a bid to cut sourcing and supply costs, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has decided to sell water coming out of sewage treatment plants (STP) for construction, gardening and cleaning purposes. The treated water is expected to be available in the market from the second week of March and would be sold at Rs 50 per tanker. The main idea behind the move is to save potable water from being wasted for non-potable uses such as gardening and cleaning as the board spends close to Rs 40 per litre for treating water supplied to customers. An STP of 20 MLD capacity is currently operational in the city at Khairatabad.
The International Monetary Fund in its annual country report on India mentioned that improving access to sanitation holds the key to bettering gender equality as poor sanitation not only impacts the environment negatively but impedes educational and welfare opportunities as well. In addition to minimising soil and water contamination, access to sanitation has many economic benefits including decreased health-related spending. Safety of women and their participation in labour and income generation activities could be safeguarded by ensuring improved sanitation arrangements, especially in rural areas.
This is a roundup of important sanitation related news published between February 18 and 24, 2016.
Lead image courtesy: The Times of India