Vinod Anthony Thomas, a tenth semester student of Faculty Of
Architecture (FOA), Manipal University, has clinched the second prize at a
public competition for designing waterless and odourless toilets for the Indian
Railways.
The idea behind the competition, organized by Research Designs and
Standards Organization, Lucknow, was to design a toilet which does not give off
a foul nor uses any water for operation and maintenance.
The toilet designed by Vinod does away with problems in the existing
system of disposal of human waste on the tracks which is, according to him,
“unhygienic, unethical and damaging to the environment”. His project also
mentions that there is no effective flushing in the existing model, which
results in accumulation and foul smell.
According to a release by Manipal University, his design replaces the
present system with a conveyor which carries waste in a hermetically sealed
pocket to a large collection bin to store waste. It is run manually by a crank
wheel and the bin has been designed to reduce waste of water by means of
decomposition and forced ventilation (evaporation of water).
The competition was conducted in response to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s call for a clean India under the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’. Five among
the several entries were shortlisted before the winners were declared.
On May 31, shortlisted designers presented their projects before the
jury, which comprised experts from Railways, industry and academia/research
fields. Vinod’s design was adjudged the second best in the results announced
this week. He bagged Rs 75,000 as prize money and shared the second place with
another designer, Rahul Garg and team member Saurabh Hans.
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