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‘Go’ing green on track
Thanks to Southern Railway’s hygiene drive, Tamil Nadu is all set to introduce bio-toilets on three more rail corridors and extend better waste management practices
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh of Congress had once famously called Indian Rail the “world’s largest open toilet”, an infamy that continues to shame Indian Railways till date. However, that description may soon not apply to this part of Southern Railway (SR), or specifically, Tamil Nadu. After the 114km Rameswaram – Mannargudi section, which is the first green train section of Indian Railways (declared on July 24, 2016), SR has proposed to more than double the length of its green train section in Tamil Nadu. In areas or sections marked as green train section or green corridor, trains would only run with bio-toilets, which only discharge water on the tracks. The proposed green corridor or zero-discharge sections are Manamadurai – Tiruchy, Manamadurai – Madurai and Manamadurai – Virudhu Nagar, highly placed SR sources told DTNext.
“A proposal has been sent to Railway Board to declare the three sections as green train sections. We expect the board to make an announcement shortly,” a senior SR officer said. Since the existing corridor from Rameswaram ends at Manamadurai, it would be easy to extend it further, instead of doing it in bits and pieces in pockets across the zone, the officer explained. He was confident that there would be zero discharge in an additional 263 km in the state, which not only makes it eco-friendly but also renders environment and hygiene management easier at stations. However, the eco-friendly measure does not come cheap. SR spends a whopping tenfold more on bio-toilets to go green. A back- of- the envelope estimate suggests that railway department spends ten times more money on bio-toilets compared to conventional toilets.
Cost Factor
Each bio-toilet costs Rs 1 lakh per toilet, making it Rs 4 lakh per coach (each coach has four toilets).
Unlike the conventional toilets, it requires a huge stainless steel compartment with six chambers in which bacterial matter breaks up (decomposes) human waste and releases water, even while helping produce biogas.
A coach with bio-toilets weighs 400 kg more than a conventional coach, thereby having a bearing on the hauling capacity of trains, which again contributes to spiraling cost. Significantly, bio-toilets require one-time spend, as a single toilet can function for years if it’s used in the correct manner. Pertinently, the overwhelming cost factor has not discouraged SR from identifying 25 trains for running with bio-toilet-fitted coaches in the zone.
With the proposed extension of the green corridor, two more express/mails and four passenger services would be added to the tally of nominated trains. Additionally, SR has set a target of 5,750 bio- toilets for the current fiscal. SR has achieved nearly 15 per cent (650 bio-toilets retrofitted till date) a month after awarding two contracts (including one at its workshop in the city) to retrofit toilets in November 2016. Across the country, six contracts have been awarded to retrofit bio-toilets. Retrofitting work is undertaken when the coaches are taken for periodic overhauling and regular maintenance.
However, the biggest stumbling block for railways has been lack of passenger cooperation. Some travelers tend to drop bottles, which block the line, making the toilets unusable. If people become aware and stop dumping bottles and napkins in the toilets, a bio-toilet should work for the full life span of a coach – 25 years. Notably, another major hurdle for railway authorities has been the delay in finding ways to fit the DRDO designed bio-toilets in LHB (Linke Hoffman Busch) coaches. Senior SR officials who admitted to currently running into difficulty in fitting bio-toilets in LHB coaches, said that RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic services), along with other think tanks, was working out the modalities and it would soon be fitted in LHB coaches as well.
STEADY RUN
- Bio-toilets were originally designed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). Bundelkhand Express was the first train to run with bio-toilets on January 18, 2011.
- Of the 6,083 coaches in Southern Railway, 1,466 coaches have been fitted with 4,699 bio- toilets already.
- SR has planned to fit 5,750 bio -toilets in 2016-17 fiscal. 683 toilets have been retrofitted so far. Officials hope to cross 3,500 mark before March 2017. Since it is an ongoing project, it would continue and new contracts, if necessary, may be issued for the ensuing financial year.
- Totally, 611 coaches fitted with bio- toilets are running in 56 rakes (trains).
- Coaches manufactured afresh in ICF and Kapurthala only produce conventional coaches with bio-toilets.
BENEFITS
- No smell in coach or vestibule from toilets.
- Fewer cockroaches and insects as under gear is kept close and restricts insects from entering from under the coach.
- Environment friendly.
- Total number of coaches in SR 6,082.
- LHB coaches 258 (five trains run fully on LHB coaches).
- Conventional toilets cost around Rs 10,000 per toilet.
PROPOSED GREEN CORRIDOR EXTENSION
- Manamadurai to Tiruchy - 150 Kms
- Manamadurai to Madurai - 47 Kms
- Manamadurai to Virudhunagar - 66 Kms
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