New Delhi: By March 2019, the entire Railway network of the country will be Open Defecation Free (ODF), as all coaches of the Indian Railways will be fitted with bio-toilets. According to Railway sources, the India Railways will fit all coaches with environment-friendly bio toilets by December 2018. The original target for complete conversion to bio-toilets was 2021-22 but in view of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 birth anniversary, the initiative has been advanced.They said by March 2019, the entire rail network will be free from open discharge.
Sources said that, the Railways was also mulling installing vacuum toilets, also in this regard has got fitted the same in some coaches on an experimental basis.They said that the Railways was looking for technologies that would help reduce consumption of water.They said there were laboratories at coaching depots that check the discharge from bio-toilets.
If bacteria were found below the required parameters, then more are added into the bio-tanks.They said dustbins would also be fitted in the toilets so that people would not discard foreign bodies into the toilets. Passengers also need to be made aware of not throwing bottles or such things into the bio-toilets.(UNI)
