It usually takes the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakhs to construct a public toilet, but due to extra features like the solar panel and vacuum technology, this project amounted to 90 lakhs. Shiv Sena’s leader Aditya Thackeray on October 1 inaugurated a luxurious and eco-friendly public toilet at Mumbai’s Marine Drive. The toilet, equipped with solar panel and vacuum technology for water conservation, is worth Rs 90 lakh. This is reported to be the city’s first clean technology toilet. 

Eco-Friendly toilet inaugurated

A city official said that this facility is going to be very useful to the general public, be it joggers and cyclists, or people taking a stroll at the Queen’s Necklace, reported NDTV. He added that people do not have to pay to use the toilet. The facility was set up by leading alloy-maker JSW Group and Samatech Foundation, the social development arm of Samatech company. While the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association and the local municipal body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) took the initiative to install the state-of-the-art eco-friendly toilet. 

“I had the honour of inaugurating this world-class sustainable toilet at Marine Drive, for all citizens to use. Thank you @Tarinijhanda & SamaTech for your collab with the BMC on this. Look forward to many more such toilets across Mumbai,” said Aditya Thackeray in a tweet. The toilet, which was opened for public use on October 2, was conceptualized in January and work began in April. 

An Eco-Friendly toilet

Compared to a toilet which requires for a single flush eight litres of water, this toilet only uses 800 ml, said an official of the JSW group. “Besides saving water, the toilet’s vacuum technology will prevent a few million litres of raw sewage from getting flushed directly into the Marine Drive bay each year,” said Samatech Foundation’s co-founder Akshat Gupta. There are two sections reserved for women and four for men in the toilet. 

The Hindu reported that the facility claims to be ‘100-year proof’ and has been built with low maintenance weathering steel which protects against saline air and waves. The roof of the toilet is also equipped with solar panels which makes it a self-sustainable public project The BMC has been handed over the facility for maintenance. Although there are no charges required for using the toilet now, the BMC may levy a fee after a couple of months.

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