Now, all passenger coaches will have eco-friendly toilets
NEW DELHI: In an attempt to do away with the prevalent system of open discharge of waste, the Indian Railways will introduce green toilets in all its passenger coaches.
%u201COur aim is to do away with the conventional toilets that are operational in passenger coaches in the interest of environment protection, cleanliness and sanitation,%u201D said a senior railway official.
Railway authorities are exploring three kinds of systems %u2014 controlled discharge, biodegradable and vacuum-retention toilet.
%u201CTo begin with, we have introduced the controlled-discharge toilet system in some coaches. The system ensures that waste from toilets are discharged on the tracks beyond a predetermined speed of the train. This means waste is discharged only after the trains have left the stations and have attained a certain speed. This helps in keeping the tracks at the stations clean and free from waste,%u201D said the official.
Vacuum-retention toilet, which are used in airplanes, works on vacuum-assisted suction of waste. It retains the waste in an under-slung storage tank and final evacuation takes place at terminals through a ground installation provided for the purpose.
%u201CWe have invited tenders and currently a technical evaluation is on. Depending on its technical assessment we will take the next step for using it in certain coaches,%u201D said the official.
