Marine Lines station's new loo will save 4 lakh litres of water a year

MUMBAI: Western Railway has set up an eco-friendly toilet with waterless urinals and mist-flow taps at Marine Lines station. WR says the move can help save 3-4 lakh litres of water every year.


The toilet, on platform No. 1, is designed with wood-concept interiors, prefab cubicles and "Mangalore-style canopy". Constructed at a cost of Rs 12 lakh, it has three urinal pots, and a water closet each in the gents and ladies compounds.

"Ordinary urinal pots discharge around 600 ml of water at every use. A waterless urinal saves that much every time. Again, an ordinary washbasin tap discharges 8-10 litres per minute, whereas a mist-flow tap uses only 300-400 ml per minute, but with the same effectiveness," said WR's chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar. The toilet will be pay-and-use, with Rs 2 for urninal use and Rs 5 for toilet use.

How does a water-less urinal work? Bhakar said it has a ceramic bowl with "anionic, hydrophobic and anti-bacterial surface", which keeps it clean. "It has a cartridge made of high-grade plastic and has an anti-bacterial trap assembly. The key component of the cartridge is a silicon trap," he said. "Gravity makes urine drain into the trap, which closes after use and stops the emanation of odour."

WR plans to extend the concept to its other stations based on feedback from its commercial department and users.