Sulabh International Founder Bindeshwar Pathak has asked Microsoft founder Bill Gates to adopt his NGO’s model to build low-cost toilets in Asia, Africa and Latin America to put an end to open defecation.
“Till better designs come up, implementation of the two designs for individual household toilets and community toilets for disposal of human waste developed by Sulabh International will realise the wishes of Mr. Gates to a large extent,” a Sulabh statement quoting Pathak said.
Pathak’s remarks at a function at New Delhi came after Gates, during a trip to India last week, spoke about providing such toilets to millions in India, the statement said.
Pathak said Sulabh toilets used just a litre water for flushing rather than 10 needed in conventional toilets. He said Sulabh’s designs should be adopted on a wider scale because the toilets satisfied the criteria of a design which was culturally acceptable and affordable.
The designs have already been accepted many countries of Africa and in Afghanistan, he said.
He said Sulabh maintained nearly 8,000 public toilets for community use. Some of them were attached to human excreta-based biogas plant and the Sulabh Effluent Technology device.
The device treated effluents emanating from public toilets and make them colourless, odourless and pathogen-free, he said.