News

States Free To Choose Toilet Technology Best Suited For Waste Disposal: Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the government does not promote a particular technology and so states and Union Territories can choose appropriate toilet technology for safe disposal of human excreta

Published

on

New Delhi: States are free to choose appropriate toilet technology for safe disposal of excreta, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, he said that his ministry was promoting the use of twin-pit toilets in which human excreta was being converted into manure. He said no state has so far urged the central government for the introduction of bio-toilets.

Also Read: Over 9.5 Crore Toilets Were Built Across India Under Swachh Bharat Mission, Says Economic Survey

The minister said a total of Rs. 24,000 crore has been dedicated to implementing bio-toilets under the Swachh Bharat mission and has led to a change in mindset. He said in his written reply,

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has been implementing Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) [SBM(G)], a centrally sponsored scheme, across the country to facilitate the states in accelerating rural sanitation coverage. The Department promotes use of twin pit toilets in which human faeces automatically becomes manure in 1-2 years and are much cheaper and effective.

He, however, added that “the government is technology-neutral”. The government does not promote a particular technology and if a state feels some technology is better, it can implement that in their respective state, the minister said.

He said the existing guidelines provide flexibility to the States and Union Territories to choose appropriate toilet technology for safe disposal of human excreta. He said,

As per the information received from the Government of Telangana, presently there is no proposal for construction of bio-toilets in the state.

Minister Shekhawat said the policies on Telangana sanitation facilities are based on NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) and UN (United Nations) reports.

Also Read: Water Sources, Soil And Food In Villages With Open Defecation Have More Faecal Contamination, Finds Study

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollutionwaste managementplastic banmanual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollutionclean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Exit mobile version