Bio-Toilets : 1400 Coaches in various train now with Bio-Toilets

Indian railways has announced that because it started the process of integrating biotoilets in rail coaches in January 2011, it's now installed 3800 of them in a variety of trains' 1400 coaches. Commited to provide hygienic environment ,which can now said to be anything from pathetic to disgusting, India Railways has ramped up the pace of fitment of bio-toilets in coaches and it is aiming to complete work in all of the conventional coaches by 2020.

• The very first train to be fitted with bio-toilet was Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express in January 2011.
• It is now manufacturing all new conventional passenger coaches pre -fitted with bio-toilets.
  
  
  

What exactly are Bio- Toilets :

fitted below the coach floor beneath the lavatories, these contain colonies of anaerobic bacteria which has the ability to act upon the human waste and switch them in to water and gases (methane and CO2). As the gases escape in to atmosphere remaining waste is discharged onto track after chlorination. Thus it is not the human waste that falls to the track but their by-products.

• developed jointly by Indian Railways and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) for railway passenger coaches
• is to begin its kind in Railway Systems on the planet.
• One particular type of bacteria, utilized in the bio-toilet design, has been carefully collected and analysed by DRDO from Antarctica
• efficiency from the system has been tested for extreme climates and types of conditions like those at Siachen Glacier.The anaerobic bacteria within the bio-designer not only survive extreme heat and cold but also survives when put through commonly available disinfectants.
• The fitment of these bio-toilets in coaches is, however, technologically very challenging since it requires special technique of wielding to make sure that safety of the coach isn't compromised in any way.

Advantages over conventional toilets

• Human waste doesn't fall on the railway track thus helping to maintain hygienic codition in and around platforms/tracks
• environmentally friendly and occasional cost
• improves the working condition for that railway track staff.

Cooperation of passengers is fully necessary for the success of this initiative as throwing of things like plastic bottles, paper cups, cloth rags, sanitary napkin, nappies, plastic/poly bags, ‘Gutka’ pouches etc causes choking of those toilets and makes the toilet non functional.