Highlights
- World Toilet Day: Under SBM, the government promoted twin pit toilets
- A regular twin pit toilet can be constructed at a cost of ₹12,000 – ₹15,000
- A twin pit toilet offers onsite fecal management
New Delhi: In 2009, when Poonam Rani, head of Hirmatkala village in Mewat, Haryana, got married, she not only had to leave her house, but also access to safe sanitation. Unlike other married women, Poonam’s first morning, post marriage started with carrying a metal pot filled with water in her hand to a nearby farm to answer nature’s call, accompanied by her mother-in-law. Post marriage, the challenge was not only to adjust into a new family and adopt their customs, but to hold her bladder until dark, and convince her mother-in-law to escort her every time she wanted to relieve herself.
When I agreed to get married to my husband and his family’s demand of giving up meat post marriage, little did I knew that I would be giving up toilet also, recalls Poonam Rani.
Also Read: World Toilet Day 2020: All You Need To Know About The Theme And Significance
“Initially, she would often wake me up in the middle of the night to be her chaperone. She would complain of an attack of collywobbles, and at times indigestion. During the rainy season, snakes and other insects would come out and there she would get scared of getting bitten by them, but we didn’t have an option”, recollects Shakuntala, Poonam’s mother-in-law.
It was not just the family but entire village that was openly defecating. It was in 2009-10 when Sulabh International, a non-profit organisation, working towards improving sanitation in India, decided to educate villagers about the health benefits of using a toilet and construct individual household twin pit toilets. The bulk of the cost of construction was borne by Sulabh, just Rs. 3,000 was paid by individuals constructing an individual household toilet.
Also Read: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: What Are Twin Pit Toilets?
The twin pit or twin leach pit toilet is a toilet technology that turns waste into wealth. It’s an on-site sanitation measure for houses where water table is low and enough space to construct the toilet along with two four feet deep circular pit. The two pits connected to junction chamber are used alternatively. Pit walls have a honeycomb structure so that watery part of excreta can percolate into the soil. The remaining content is left unattended to degrade and turn into manure. Twin pit is usually constructed in rural India, but people in urban India can also adopt for it, if they have enough space, says Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
Poonam and her family was the first one to understand the vital role safe sanitation and toilet play in an individual’s life and get a twin pit toilet constructed at their premises. Having used it for over a decade, Shakuntala narrates the several positives of constructing the twin pit toilet at home.
1. Cost of construction: The cost of constructing a regular twin pit toilet with basic super structure (four walls of the toilet having a platform, seat, hand washing unit, foot rest, and water point) and sub-structure that is two-pit ranges between Rs. 12,000 – Rs.15,000. Under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the government provided a subsidy of Rs. 12,000 for the construction of a twin pit toilet.
Since we have a well painted toilet with iron door, and tiles, it costed us close to Rs. 45,000. But an individual can opt for different materials for the superstructure as per their economic condition and the availability of materials. For instance, brick and cement with RCC roof, stone wall with RCC roof, bamboo, or thatch, says Shakuntala.
2. Two pits: As the name suggests, two leach pits are constructed which can be used alternatively. According to the experts, in a family of five, a pit gets filled in three to four years. When the first pit gets filled, the flow of excreta has to be diverted to the second pit. So, one doesn’t have to worry about emptying a pit for at least for the next four years.
3. On site fecal management: Instead of emptying the first pit, users can leave its contents for two years to degrade and turn to solid, odourless, and pathogen free manure. This can then either be used for agriculture purposes or sold.
The first time I emptied the pit, I got five sacks full of manure, for free. I used it in my farm which resulted in good harvest, recalls Shakuntala.
4. Less Water Requirement: As compared to regular cistern flush toilet which requires 10-12 litres of water, twin pit needs only 1.5-2 litres of water to flush out excreta. Reason being 20 mm water seal in pans. Water seal more than 20 mm should be avoided as it requires more water. Use of more water reduces the life of leach pits.
While there are advantages of constructing a twin-pit toilet, there are some disadvantages as well. Shakuntala who has joined hands with Sulabh to school villagers on toilet construction, especially twin pit, narrates the negatives of the toilet technology.
1. High Chances Of Water Contamination: In high water table regions, there is a high chance of ground water contamination. If a pit if too deep which is over 4 feet, then too water might seep into the pit failing the sole purpose of having on site waste management.
One should not construct twin-pit near a water body as water from pit may leach into the nearby ground and contaminate the surrounding ground water source. Ideally, a distance of over 10 metre should be maintained between the two, says Shakuntala.
2. Not Suitable For Rocky Areas: In twin pit toilet, water percolates into the soil, but this can’t happen at rocky areas. Because of which pits gets filled frequently, making it difficult to manage waste.
The best thing is today we have our own personal toilet and now my daughter-in-law can use a washroom anytime and everytime. Though when we were getting a toilet made inside our house villagers would call us mad. They would say that we were inviting diseases, but today, each house in our village has an individual toilet, signs off Shakuntala.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 21,61,467 6,397 | 78,825 613 | 20,30,458 5,754 | 52,184 30 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,61,341 1,938 | 48,159 1,550 | 10,08,972 3,475 | 4,210 13 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,51,600 349 | 5,843 20 | 9,33,421 324 | 12,336 5 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,89,974 58 | 725 7 | 8,82,080 51 | 7,169 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,52,016 474 | 4,009 13 | 8,35,506 482 | 12,501 5 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,39,464 175 | 1,404 69 | 6,27,149 105 | 10,911 1 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,03,608 81 | 2,078 25 | 5,92,803 104 | 8,727 2 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,75,316 198 | 3,293 14 | 5,61,755 212 | 10,268 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,37,277 86 | 714 10 | 3,34,647 76 | 1,916 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,20,455 119 | 1,304 4 | 3,16,364 123 | 2,787 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,12,816 256 | 2,880 106 | 3,06,094 143 | 3,842 7 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 2,99,086 163 | 1,907 5 | 2,95,544 157 | 1,635 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,70,950 166 | 1,288 13 | 2,66,612 151 | 3,050 2 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,70,316 427 | 2,431 68 | 2,63,475 359 | 4,410 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,556 22 | 370 29 | 2,60,645 51 | 1,541 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,62,102 336 | 2,901 116 | 2,55,336 219 | 3,865 1 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,570 33 | 1,631 16 | 2,14,846 16 | 1,093 1 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,82,809 633 | 4,853 221 | 1,72,106 394 | 5,850 18 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,26,504 63 | 829 6 | 1,23,717 56 | 1,958 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,19,986 37 | 485 9 | 1,18,411 46 | 1,090 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,031 | 459 30 | 94,880 30 | 1,692 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 58,777 132 | 434 116 | 57,347 15 | 996 1 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 55,026 40 | 583 23 | 53,647 62 | 796 1 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,734 9 | 177 8 | 38,888 16 | 669 1 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,420 3 | 42 3 | 32,987 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,274 1 | 30 3 | 28,871 4 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 21,839 69 | 430 49 | 21,056 19 | 353 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,837 1 | 1 1 | 16,780 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,963 1 | 17 0 | 13,798 1 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,200 | 7 0 | 12,102 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,819 1 | 46 7 | 9,643 8 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,145 | 45 1 | 5,965 1 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,020 | 6 0 | 4,952 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,426 3 | 20 0 | 4,396 3 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,406 | 4 0 | 3,400 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 397 15 | 128 8 | 268 7 | 1 |