Now, water-saving safe toilets available in state

LUCKNOW: Innovative safe toilets (SaTo), which save water and minimise bad odour, are now available in Uttar Pradesh at just Rs 600. The product is aimed at meeting the requirement of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, claim its manufacturers.

SaTo is specifically tailored for the rural and peri-urban communities, where people find it difficult to access safe sanitation.

The product is designed to automatically and reliably seal open-pit latrines with a self-closing trap-door, which minimises odour and passage of disease-carrying insects, thus making the toilet safe.

In 2012, SaTo was developed with the help of the grant received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The aim was to develop a low-cost toilet for pit latrines.

Since then, more than 12 lakh safe toilets have been sold across 14 countries, including India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Uganda, Kenya and Haiti. SaTo has manufacturing license agreements in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

LIXIL, the company manufacturing SaTo, is looking at improving hygiene and sanitation access for 100 million across the world by 2020.

The company’s vision fits in with India’s development goal of making the country open defecation-free by 2019, under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Speaking at the launch, Jin Montesano, chief public affairs officer of LIXIL Group, said, “The inception of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014 marked the beginning of a revolutionary mission in India. No other country around the world has taken such a decisive stand on sanitation and the need for toilets at this scale. We hope that the SaTo technology will become a crucial part of India’s crusade against open defecation.”

“Moreover, SaTo has been designed to save more than 16,000 litres of water annually for a family of five,” he added.

Daigo Ishiyama, director of product design, SaTo, said, “The P-trap used in traditional toilets was the reason behind high water consumption per flush (5 litres). Our technology requires less than 500 ml of water per flush, which ends up giving 80% water saving. The technology offers a sustainable solution to the people of Uttar Pradesh, as they progress towards the 2019 target of making India open defecation-free.”