Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

State urged to adopt eco-sanitation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Adviser to the government on Inter-State Water Issues V.M. Vasalan has suggested that Kerala adopt Ecological Sanitation (ecosan) to address the problem of lack of sanitation facilities for the majority of the people in the State.

In a note to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Mr. Vasalan said that ecosan would reduce water usage and the quantity of sewage for treatment. (The process separates urine and faeces and treats them at site before discharging them for further treatment).

It also has other advantages such as recycling of sewage neighbourhood facilities. Conventional flush and discharge require 15,000 litres of water to flush 400-500 litres of urine and 50 litres of faeces per capita per annum.

He suggested that self-help groups and organisations such as the Sulabh International be involved in meeting sanitation targets.

A non-governmental organisation could be constituted to carry out the project to cover coastal and other areas. The project, if started now, could be completed in two years., Mr. Vasalan pointed out.

Mr. Vasalan told The Hindu that interest-free loans should be made available to individuals for building toilets.

The problem of open defecation was acute in the coastal areas.

If families in such areas do not have space to build toilets, community toilets could be built for them, Mr. Vasalan said.

The local self-governments should take the initiatives for that.

India lagged behind in promoting pit toilets and innovative technologies while many countries had made significant achievements in sewage treatment using ecological sanitation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Reaching out on I-Day
SERC to hold public hearing
Rainfall deficit narrows down
‘Hardware clinics’
Karshaka Bhavan to be built
State urged to adopt eco-sanitation
Mascot of royal heritage
UDF to lay siege to Secretariat
More maintenance staff on trains soon
Workshop on voice rehabilitation
Plea to improve functioning of Siddha hospital
Greens push for zero waste
Stir on to save city’s oldest bridge
Tight security for VS
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu