The State got its first solar, sensor-based toilets,
with the Tambaram municipality installing three units at the junction of
Duraiswamy Reddy Street and GST Road on Wednesday.

‘Namma
toilets’, the user-friendly units made of fibre reinforced polymer
material, were inaugurated by animal husbandry minister T.K.M. Chinnayya
at an event that also saw the participation of Tambaram municipality
chairman M. Karikalan. The initiative is a pilot project in Tamil Nadu.

The toilet blocks have a stall each for elderly women and women with physical disabilities, one for men and another for women.

The
lighting in all the stalls is based on solar energy, and the stalls
have sensors that are connected to the lighting system. When the sensors
detect movement, the lights automatically switch on. They switch off
when the user has left, thereby helping in energy conservation.

Officials
of the Tambaram municipality said the project was designed and
initiated by the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration for
residents to have access to clean and hygienic toilets, and to ensure
that by 2023, the locality was free of open defecation.

The
design of the toilets was developed in six months to cater to all user
groups. A study on cultural appropriateness in the State by the National
Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, also helped in the development of the
design, officials said.

The toilets have several
advantages over the conventional 12 existing toilets in Tambaram.
Besides being corrosion-free, the toilets have two digesters to process
waste and release sewage into the existing network after processing it.

S. Sivasubramanian, Tambaram municipal commissioner said that each of the three toilets cost around Rs. 70,000.

“People
will not be charged for using these toilets. Two workers will be
deployed to clean and maintain the toilets, and they will be open round
the clock,” he said.

The municipality plans to tie up
with private institutions for maintenance. From April, the toilets will
be maintained by IDBI bank.

Mr. Sivasubramanian said
that there were plans to extend the ‘Namma toilets’ facility to Nehru
Nagar, KK Palayam, Mullai Nagar and GST Road soon. These areas will be
provided with units comprising two toilets.

The
facility will then be extended to other parts of Tambaram and across the
State, after a team of experts, including those from Industrial Design
Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, completes a study and
validates user experience in Tambaram.

The
Commissionerate of Municipal Administration is also chalking out plans
to establish a waste-water treatment plant to ensure the safe disposal
of waste.