Peepoo, a bag that could solve India's toilet woes
It's a daily struggle for millions of slum dwellers in the country to get access to a toilet, a perennial problem that authorities have so far been unable to solve.
But, now a Swedish firm has come out with a solution -- Peepoo, a biodegradable toilet bag that can be used as fertiliser.
The toilet bag, which has recently undergone field trials in India, Bangladesh and Kenya, is expected to help mitigate the dreadful situation for millions, especially the women in the slum areas, says its developer Anders Wilhelmson, an architect and professor in Stockholm.
"Peepoo is not just a toilet bag, it's a solution to human waste disposal problem, the biggest obstacle to sanitation and public health in developing countries like India," Wilhelmson told PTI in an email interview from Stockholm.
"It will be of great help particularly for women, who often wait all day until it is dark to go to the toilet, increasing their chances of infections."
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 600 million people or 55 per cent of Indians still do not have access to toilets. About 54.71 per cent of urban slums have no toilet facility and most free community toilets built by the government are rendered unusable because of the lack of maintenance, the UNDP report for 2009 said.
Camilla Wirseen, one of the founders of the Peepoo project, said the bag is designed in a way that it is easy to use and hygienic.
"The Peepoo is clean from the beginning and doesn't smell after use and very importantly, it makes collection of waste very easy," Camila Wirseen said.
"It works like micro treatment plant and cuts the contamination. This will save lives."
According to UNICEF data, an estimated 400,000 children under five years of age die each year due to diarrhoea and other infections caused by poor sanitation and hygiene which is largely because of open defecation of waste that contaminates drinking water.
The innovation will prove highly beneficial to control the situation, Wilhelson said, adding that his organisation (Peepoople AB) has carried out a small ground test in Bihar and "the response was overwhelming".
Megh Pyne Abhiyan, an NGO, has carried out the trial in three flood-hit districts of Bihar --Supaul, Khagaria, Saharsa-- last year.
Describing Peepoo's other features, the officials said the bioplastic bag can be used as fertiliser, which is an expensive and scarce commodity in countries like India.
Once used, the 14x38 cm slim elongated bag can be knotted and buried under the earth. With a layer of urea crystals, the waste can turn into fertiliser, killing off disease-producing pathogens found in feces.
"Not only is it sanitary, they can reuse this to grow crops," Wilhelmson said.
"You can use it directly in a small container or Garden-in-a-Sack. It can also be processed and mixed with topsoil and loam (clay+sand) creating a soil filled with nutrients."
About the cost of the bag, the officials said, it will be comparable to the price of polythenes used to collect garbage.
"I believe fertiliser is subsidised in India. Peepoo is fertiliser, maybe it can be subsided either by the government or international organisations," Camilla said.
She, however, said they have not yet collaborated with any Indian firm for its production or sale in the country.
"But, we are getting a lot of interest from Indian citizens who have expressed their willingness to cooperate and help," she said, adding that if things go as planned the bag will be available in India soon.
However they said, Peepoople is currently focusing on Kenya and Bangladesh.
Soon the company will start manufacturing and selling the toilet bag in both the two countries and soon a production unit with high capacity will be set up in India, they added.
The market for low-cost toilets in the developing world is about a trillion dollars, according the World Toilet Organization, a sanitation advocacy group, which has been organising World Toilet Summit ever year since 2001.
