IndiaCSR News Network
Stainless Steel modular toilets to provide thrust to Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan
Convenient and durable, can last for 25 years or more with minimal maintenance
NEW DELHI: Providing an impetus to Government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Jindal Architecture Ltd., a subsidiary of Jindal Stainless Ltd. has announced the introduction of economical, eco-friendly, durable and convenient stainless steel modular toilets, as part of its expanding product range. The 100% recyclable toilets are available in a range of single units and as community toilets of six and eight units, respectively. These toilets have the option of being upgraded to automated bio-toilets.
Emphasizing on the need of modular stainless steel toilets in India, Anuj Jain, CEO, Jindal Architecture Limited said, “Human waste disposal is an ever-growing, perennial problem arousing aesthetic inhibitions, together with the threat of infectious diseases due to the contamination of groundwater. Less than 30% of Indians presently have access to toilets. In rural regions, only 10% of houses have toilets, with the rest resorting to open defecation. Although people in cities have better infrastructure facilities, nevertheless, here also just 70% have access to toilets. This increases mortality rates because untreated waste causes diarrhoea, amoebiasis, cholera, typhoid and other dangerous diseases that threaten the lives of lakhs of children and their families.”
Open defecation is one of the main causes of diarrhoea, causing the annual deaths of more than 750,000 children less than five years of age. Significantly, many of these deaths occur in India, where almost 30 million schoolchildren lack access to toilets. As many as 595 million Indians practice open defecation daily – almost 45% of the populace.
Stainless steel modular toilets provide an appropriate solution for this longstanding problem. In terms of structural strength, product life, maintenance, hygiene, eco-friendliness and scrap value, stainless steel toilets have proved to be better than fibre, mild steel or brick-and-mortar toilets. Due to the modular design, the toilets can be assembled on site, saving time and transportation costs. Weather resistant and with PVD-coated interiors, they can be installed easily at government schools, hospitals, tourist places, pilgrim centres, marketplaces, public auditoriums and fairs, railway stations and bus stands.
Most importantly, these are competitively priced against fibre or brick-and-mortar toilets – a single-unit toilet costs Rs.99,999 onwards, while the community toilets which are six units start from Rs. 3.99 lakhs and eight unit starting from Rs. 4.99. The disposal tanks cost approximately Rs59,000 per unit. Moreover, a bio-digester tank solution is been jointly developed with the DRDE, Railways and RDSO, which will solve hygiene issues on railway tracks and areas around them by converting human waste into gases and water with the help of specially-developed anaerobic bacteria that survive on such waste.
As part of this initiative of the government and as a responsible corporate, Anuj Jain said, “As corporate citizens, we should seriously consider our responsibilities and focus our CSR initiatives in eliminating the practice of open defecation. This can be achieved by creating awareness to trigger behavioural changes that end such unhealthy practices. Towards this goal, Jindal Stainless has developed India’s first stainless steel modular toilets with bio-disposable tanks, focussing on areas where accessibility to toilets and waste disposal is abysmal.”
