How IIT-K Designed Bio-Toilets Will Compost Waste, Save Water & Keep Ganga Clean at Magh Mela

As many as 108 such toilets have been installed at the Magh Mela area by IIT-Kanpur.

By Meryl Garcia

February 10, 2016

During the ongoing Magh Mela, an important Hindu festival on the banks of the Sangam, thousands of devotees have gathered in Allahabad. This is also a time when the Ganga is at risk of becoming highly polluted. The Health Department has set up as many 10,000 toilets in the area. Meanwhile, IIT Kanpur, which has been providing bio-toilets in the area, has redeveloped it’s green toilet – ‘Triansh’ – for the devotees.

Vinod Tare of IIT-Kanpur is the man behind this new and improved toilet. As many as 108 such toilets have been installed in the Magh Mela area.

In this model, the toilet pan separates urine, faecal matter and the water used for cleaning, at the source itself.

toilet

Photo source: Facebook

“Also known as zero discharge toilet system, these toilets ensure the saving of water and also prevent the Ganga from being polluted. Although such toilets have been installed at the Sangam for the past three years, this year, a new and an upgraded model of the toilet has been installed. The discharge of urine, solid waste and fresh water for personal cleaning is separated in three different chambers,” Prof. Vinod told the Times of India.

The solid waste and urine collected during this period is later converted into organic fertilizer through the process of vermicompost. The water collected can be treated and then used for flushing.

“During occasions such as Magh Mela, we collect human sludge and manage it. After conclusion of the mela, we mix cow dung with human sludge and add an enzyme for vermicomposting. The compost cycle goes on for a period of 40 days, after which this sludge gets converted into organic manure,” says Prof. Vinod.

Featured image source: Twitter, travelplanet.in

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