Soon Only Trains With Bio-toilets To Run In Open Defecation Free Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu today assured the Kerala government that efforts would be made to install bio-toilets in trains running in the state as it has been declared open defecation free. Mr Prabhu made the assurance during a meeting held here to discuss various railway development projects of the state with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, an official release said.

In October, the Union Minister had made a commitment to ensure that all new and existing trains would be fitted with bio-toilets and had said that the government had already given a contract to build 85,000 of these.

Also Read: 85,000 Bio-Toilets In Trains Commissioned: Suresh Prabhu

While bio-toilets look like regular toilets , the primary difference lies in the fact that their septic tanks are replaced with ‘bio-digesters’ which can hold up to 8,000 litres of human waste. For trains, this means that waste can be stored instead of being disposed on the tracks. The waste generated can also be decomposed in an eco-friendly manner.  Apart from keeping the tracks clean this would also help reduce track corrosion attributed to human waste.

Read More: Swachh Rail-Swachh Bharat: Why The Big Push To Bio-Toilets?