Very few e-toilets in the city are working. They had been installed as part of the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan in 2014 at a cost of about Rs. 5 lakh per toilet.
Bangalore: Of the 229 e-toilets in the city, only 60 are working. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning to call for tenders for the maintenance of these toilets, following a reprimand from the Karnataka High Court .
Bheemesh, Executive Engineer of BBMP said, “We have installed 229 e-toilets in Bangalore city out of which 60 are working. We are bringing a new -tender for the operation and maintenance of the e-toilets. Due to lack of maintenance, the condition of the e-toilets is poor so people can’t use it. We are trying to fix it by giving a maintenance tender.”
Even inside the BBMP head office, e-toilets are not working. Balu, a visitor who used the E-toilet recently, said that this initiative is good and environment friendly but authorities should check if it is functioning or not.
E-toilets should be traceable on a Google map or an app. However, the app is not available on any playstore and the toilets are not traceable. According to older data, there is an e-toilet near the Sumanahalli Flyover. However, a nursing student in the area said, “I don’t know about these e-toilet facilities and have never seen any e-toilet in this area.”
A passerby near Mysuru Road Police Station, Vedhamurthi, said,“The e-toilet is locked from the inside and not working. Since it is at the BMTC bus stop, the authorities should fix it so that it will be helpful for the commuters.”
Mysore Road at BMTC bus stop, an old man tries to open the e-toilet but it is locked from inside.
The cost of one e-toilet is Rs 5.56 lakh. All these e-toilets were set up as a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Eram Scientific Solutions was given the contract to maintain the e-toilets, but the contract has ended. The maintenance for each e-toilet comes to Rs 3,800 a year.
Dr. Lokeshwari M., an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering (Environment Engineering) at R.V. College of Engineering, said that the e-toilet concept is really good because it works through the locomotive sensor, uses less water, does not waste electricity and there is no need for labour to clean because it’s automatic. It is easy to shift from one place to another and there is no need for construction like other normal public toilets.
She said, “authorities should educate the public about this advanced technology.They are malfunctioning because the public doesn’t know how to use it and they randomly press switches. They should do frequent checks and supervision. The waste of the e-toilets can be used for biogas and composting.” E-toilets are eco-friendly toilets that work on electricity. They are auto- flush, use less water, and when you enter the e-toilet automatically lights will be turned on. It is made up of stainless steel and contains a basin, exhaust fan and health faucet.
Akshay, from ECO-Watch, an environmental NGO said, “The e-toilets are actually good if they are used and maintained properly. They consume less water and electricity to operate. They are environmentally good and beneficial. But since they are not maintained well, they can’t be used by the general public. It would be better to collaborate with private agencies that can charge nominal usage fees and maintain them regularly.”
