CHENNAI: Meel, a self-financed, solution-oriented documentary, takes viewers through the journey of waste. Meel is a Tamil word meaning to recover, come back again, or regain what has been lost, focuses on three sectors: grey water, garbage, and toilet waste. Featuring voices actively engaged with India’s sanitation problems, the documentary aims to provide solutions for managing waste at its source.

Segregating waste into dry and wet at the source can generate compost, reducing the burden on landfills, while eco-san toilets can save water and produce compost. The hour-long film is currently in post-production and is scheduled for release by December 2023. As part of the documentary, the team aims to showcase tangible solutions to the highlighted problems.

They have initiated an Eco-san toilet design competition, inviting participants to propose cost-effective, context-sensitive, and pragmatic designs for Eco-san Toilets in schools. Participants must submit a three-minute video showcasing the current state of sanitation, justifying the selection of a particular school, and may include interviews with students and teachers. For more details, contact meelecosan@gmail.com.