Mayor M Subramanian speaking to reporters after inspecting the urinals said, “We have introduced seven such waterless urinals here on a trial basis and based on feedback and the success of the new measure, such facilities will be installed in all10 zones of the civic body.” It may be noted that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has already introduced waterless urinals in many parts of the city to manage usage of water during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

On a question about extending the scheme to the civic body-run schools, the Mayor said, “We will approach private parties to sponsor the setting up of waterless urinals in schools.” Each urinal system, costing about Rs 16,300, has a cartridge, which acts as a drain trap. The cartridge, made of nonporous material, is designed to ensure that all urine passes into it and through a unique biodegradable sealant liquid - typically an oil, which is less dense than urine. The liquid filled in the cartridge provides an airtight barrier between the drain and the restroom to prevent odours from escaping.

The only maintenance is routine cleaning of the fixture and an easy change of the cartridge approximately after every 10,000 uses.

According to B Bhubesh Kumar, director of the firm that supplied the waterless urinals to Chennai Corporation, every (waterless) urinal would save an average 1.5 lakh litres of water per year. Since water does not have to be pumped to or from the urinal, this saves energy, which in turn reduces carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, Bhubesh added.