Railways surpasses target, installed over one lakh bio-toilets in trains during 2015-18

In a big achievement, the Indian Railways has installed over one lakh bio-toilets in passenger trains from 2015 to 2018, surpassing the cumulative target of 87,000 units.

Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain on Saturday told Parliament that the railways installed 1,00,663 bio-toilets during 2015-2018 while the target set by it was to install only 87,000 units.

The railways achieved the milestone despite lagging behind in achieving the target set for 2015-16. During the first year, against a target of installing 17,000 bio-toilets, only 15,442 were fitted.

However, the railways picked up the pace next year and installed 34,134 bio-toilets while the target was at installing only 30,000 units.

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During the 2017-18 (till February), the railways managed to install 51,087 bio-toilets in various trains even as the target was set at 40,000.

The government has spent Rs 513.97 crore for installation of the bio-toilets in the passenger trains.

The Railway ministry has advanced its earlier plan to fit bio-toilets in its entire fleet of coaches from 2021-2022 to 2019.

The anaerobic digestion process is applied for the processing human excreta in the bio-toilets that are being fitted in passenger coaches of trains.

In these bio-toilets, fitted underneath the lavatories, human waste is collected and processed by anaerobic bacteria that converts it mainly into water and bio-gases (mainly Methane and Carbon Dioxide).

(With PTI inputs)