To tackle the problem of stench emanating from public conveniences in the Capital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to upgrade 1,000 of them into waterless urinals in view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
According to the civic agency, these urinals will come up at important Games venue stretches and would be ready by June 2010. At present two such waterless urinals are installed near Town Hall and ISBT.
The MCD expects to earn Rs.5 crore (US$ 1 million) per year after leasing out these urinals for five years. While the civic agency’s engineering department will construct the urinals, maintenance and operation will be handed over to a company that will be given advertisement rights.
A senior MCD official said: “The heart of the system is the cartridge which is fitted in the ceramic bowl and filled with biodegradable sealant that acts as a barrier. Due to absence of water and contact with air, urine does not form any gas and the toilet remains odour-free and reduces the burden on the sewage system.”
There are 4,000 urinals in the city that suffer from non-maintenance, according to the MCD.
Earlier in July 2009, the Times of India, reported that MCD was studing the feasibility of producing power from urine released from its waterless urinals. Engineers from the SidKar Technologies claimed they could generate 1 KW of power from one litre of urine, through a bacterial process that converts urine into hydrogen gas and water.
Source: The Hindu, 16 Oct 2009
Sanitation Updates 