The entire village embraces an innovative and eco-friendly waterless toilet
Regullanka, a sleepy village nestled in the flood-prone island mandal of Avanigadda in Krishna district has earned a rare distinction. For the first time in Asia, residents of an entire village have embraced an innovative, eco-friendly, waterless toilet – the ECOSAN toilet.
The village on the banks of Krishna river achieved a new level of personal hygiene and general cleanliness with an ECOSAN toilet. The Vijayawada-based NGO Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM) implemented this project to spare the local women folk, of the hardship of trekking long distance to reach village outskirts to answer nature’s call.
The project is sponsored by Switzerland-based Terre des Hommes (TDH).
“It took a prolonged period of persuasion before securing the villagers’ nod for construction of the toilets with a promise that they will make use of them,” said ASM secretary Nau Gora. “Hundred -odd families of Regullanka and its surrounding areas have a shallow water table and villagers often face water scarcity. The ECOSAN toilets are a safe bet for this region,” explained Ms. Gora.
It’s like killing two birds in one shot.
The excreta which is stored in a concrete chamber for six months and allowed to convert into compost, was being diverted to the fields as fertilizers, said Willy Bergogne, India Country Representative, of TDH.
He said that Regullanka achieved the distinction of being first in Asia to have implemented this project in the entire village.
Surrounded by a team of local officials, villagers and representatives of many other organisations, Mr. Bergogne and others opened the first ECOSAN toilet vault.
The near 100 kg of compost procured by breaking open the chamber was thin odourless powder.
“Use this as manure in the farm and the difference will reflect in the output,” said Mr. Bergogne.
J. Satyapal Reddy, Superintending Engineer, RWS, Krishna district, complimented the ASM and the TDH for their achievement.
Similar efforts by the Government had failed to convince villagers in the past, he said.
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