India CSR News Network
NEW DELHI: Innovation in sanitation was the key attraction at the ongoing UN Day celebrations at the United Nation office on Monday. Two e-toilet models have received a lot of eyeballs with people thronging to understand the working of the unmanned and automated public eToilets.
The event, organised by the UN along with NITI Aayog and XPRIZE, was held at the UN lawns at UN House, 55 Lodi Estate. The event showcased innovators from government, the private sector, civil society, and educational institutions from around the country.
Trivandrum-based Eram Scientific Solutions – the manufacturer of India’s first eToilet that integrated electronic and web-mobile technologies – was one of the selected innovators who are helping transform the lives of people in India.
These eToilets (one she-toilet for women and one public model) will be permanently installed at the UN office.
Siddeek Ahmed, chairman of Eram Group, who was present among other dignitaries at the event, said: “It is indeed a great honour for us to have been invited by the UN to showcase our eToilets along with other great innovations from the country. It is a valid recognition for our efforts to constantly innovate in the field of water and sanitation. Today Eram’s revolutionary electronic toilets are rewriting the very notion of public sanitation as they address the many challenges associated with open defecation and the lack of proper toilet facilities. The recognition by the UN indeed is inspiring for us to innovate further and be at the vanguard of India’s efforts in the fields of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.”
Eram’s public eToilets are made of stainless steel and are integrated with user-friendly electronic interfaces, to ensure cleanliness and hygiene to every user. Around 20 Indian states have already installed more than 2000 eToilets for public use.
Fitted with solar panels, the e-toilet is programmed to turn on the lights and fan when a user enters, flush 1.5 litres of water after the first three minutes and 4.5 litres after a little longer and clean the floor after every ten users. The e-toilet features self-cleaning mechanism, such as automatic pre-flush, automatic after-flush, automatic platform cleaning, automatic lights, and exhaust fan.
Other innovative solutions and innovations showcased at the event include: solar-powered street food cart using energy cake technology, converting bio-mass into smokeless energy for cooking; bringing medical care right into homes through a cost-effective portable healthcare gadget; eVIN, a path-breaking mobile and web application that enables real-time monitoring of vaccine logistics systems across India; a necklace for patients that interfaces with a mobile app for health workers to provide complete health records, etc.
