Thursday, November 19, 2009

CHENNAI: Corporation plans to install coin-operated urinals in city soon


By G Saravanan:
Chennai, November 18:
With a view to put an end to Corporation councillors’ hegemony over the ‘maintenance’ of city’s public convenience (PC), the civic body has planned to introduce coin-operated waterless public urinals soon.
According to Ripon Building sources, initially, the civic body planned to set up such coin-operated waterless urinals at 10 different places, mostly at crowded areas in the city.
A group of Corporation officials are expected to visit New Delhi in a week’s time to study the format and working conditions of such urinals set up by Municipal Corporation of Delhi few months ago.
The move by the civic body to introduce such facility for general public comes in the backdrop of latest complaint of excessive charging at PCs located near Broadway bus terminus.
Based on repeated complaints from commuters that PCs at the terminus were encroached upon by anti-socials and charging its users, Mayor M Subramanian on Wednesday inspected the site and ordered suspension of conservancy inspector for dereliction in duty.
Chennai Corporation has 770 PCs in the city. Out of which, 498 are pay-and-use facilities and the remaining 272 are free and categorised as general PCs. In the 498 PCs, about 120 were given to private parties for maintenance under tendering system more than a year ago.
Of the total PCs, 80 percent are urinals and the remaining are multiple toilets designed for defecation and urination. In pay-and-use PCs, Re one is being collected from users for urination and Rs two for using toilets.
According to sources, all most all PCs (irrespective of free and pay-and-use) in the city are ‘managed’ by ruling party Councillors and influential partymen in their wards. Besides such ‘maintenance’, many PCs located in prime areas like Parry’s corner or near commercially important places, charge its users higher than the prescribed rates.
According to an opposition Councillor who wished anonymity, the PCs have become money-spinning machines for many ruling-party Councillors (in their wards) who never leave any opportunity of earning without much risk.
While the general PCs were never maintained properly, pay-and-use facilities are maintained well (if not hygienically).
The civic body’s decision to introduce coin-operated waterless urinals could be a best answer to beat councillor’s ‘management’ and also help the water-starved city.

WHAT IS WATERLESS URINALS?
Waterless urinal does not use water at all and thus saving the considerable amount of water on flushing. The development of waterless urinals was mainly driven by the needs of arid areas, water conservation, nutrient recycling and above all long term economy for sustainability in highly frequented places. The motivation for the invention was to conserve water and save costs. Waterless urinals collect simply undiluted urine, which can then be easily treated and used.
The advantage of having such system would help reduction in carrying capacity of sewer lines by saving water and urine by urine reuse.

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