Guwahati — Keeping cleanliness and public convenience in mind, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) installed North East region’s first e-toilet today at Maligaon, Guwahati.
Two electronic public toilets, one each for male and female were launched by PHE Minister Sukur Ali Ahmed in the presence of Mayor of Guwahati Abir Patra, actress Zerifa Wahid and GMC Commissioner S Viswanathan.
With simple user interface, the unmanned, self-cleaning, sleek and modular toilets are installed for the first time to compliment the cosmopolitan ambience of the city. Providing clean and hygienic sanitation facilities to the public users, it has a comprehensive maintenance plan which ensures that eToilets are clean and hygienic for every user.
This automated public toilet unit, developed by Kerala-based Eram Scientific Solutions (ESS), has a facility of pre-flushing before entering, automatic flushing once used, in-built water tanks, sensors for water and electricity conservation, automatic platform cleaning and power back-up, reported The Assam Tribune.
The performance status of the units can also be monitored via web using GPRS connectivity of the units. The GMC has installed the e-toilets in public private partnership (PPP) mode with Outreach Advertising where the maintenance of toilets would be the responsibility of the private firm. The agency would recover maintenance costs through user charges and advertisement display, which shall ensure sustainability of operations.
“A beginning has been made but there is still miles to go before the huge disparity is bridged and a better future with quality sanitation facilities is delivered to the public and we assure that GMC would partake in this nation-building initiative. We have found the eToilet to be the perfect and reliable solution for this critical sanitation issue”, said S Viswanathan, Commissioner, GMC. The ESS has installed over 650 eToilets in 51 cities in the country so far. Such setups have received over 35 national and international awards, including collaborations with the prestigious Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation award.