Geo-spatial Technology for Swachh

Bharat Abhiyaan
A novel initiative to contribute in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan
using the Geo-spatial Technology (GST) was taken up jointly
by the central Government institutions in Dehradun. This
initiative was supported by Nagar Nigam, Dehradun (local
authorities). Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), a Unit
of ISRO, coordinated this programme in collaboration with the
following institutions:

o Anthropological Survey of India

o Archaeological Survey of India
o Botanical Survey of India
o Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL),
DRDO
o Indian Institute of Petroleum
o Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation
o Instruments Research & Development Establishment
(IRDE), DRDO
o Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
o Wildlife Institute of India
o Zoological Survey of India

 
Geo-spatial Technology (GST)

Geo-spatial technology (GST) includes a suite of three

technologies: 1) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),
or more popularly, Global Positioning System (GPS) which
provides geographic location or positions of specific points on
the Earth 2) Space-borne satellite images which provide
pictorial description of the point in the context of neighborhood
locations 3) Geographical Information System (GIS) which
integrates these two along with many other information layers
like road and infrastructure, topography, land use, soil,
geology, etc., and also allows people to generate and use
maps required to manage our resources for the benefit of
common man. Today, GST is being used as a working
platform for realising e-governance with a large number of
applications from natural resources mapping and monitoring
to infrastructure and development planning, meteorology,
disaster management support, to name a few.

With the availability of GPS data through smart phones at

affordable cost, better governance and providing location
based services to the public has become feasible. Application
of GST in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan has been attempted for
the first time by IIRS, Dehradun.

Methodology

The reconnaissance survey using India's GPS-Aided Geo-

Augmented Navigation (GAGAN)  receiver was carried out to
precisely locate the authorised and unauthorised garbage
dumping sites covering five main routes in Dehradun city. The
road network connected to the dumping sites was also
mapped for route planning. Geo-tagging of all the participating
government institutes were also done. GIS techniques such
as geo-fencing (buffering), geo-spatial analysis (spatial and
attribute queries), etc., were used to develop an optimum
implementation plan. A map was prepared representing geo-
fencing of each institute considering time constraints and
resource allocation. Each route was supported with respective
teams of both IIRS and collaborative institutes (471 volunteers
and 43 Nagar Nigam personnel) to impliment the proposed
activity. Real-time monitoring and support was provided to the
overall activity from IIRS control room.

Twenty two garbage dumping sites and roadsides were

cleaned within a span of 3 hours. Around 45
m3 (approximately 10 ton) of garbage was collected and
disposed during this entire exercise. The details of this event
are available at www.iirs.gov.in/SBA.html.  

Mapping and monitoring of Garbage sites through Crowd

sourcing

One of the unique results of this novel multi-institutional

initiative is the conceptualisation of crowd sourcing tool to
identify, map and monitor the dumping sites. A Swachh
Bharat Mobile Application (beta version) is being developed
by IIRS in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology
(BHU), Varanasi which will allow any user to install the mobile
app in their smart phones and send the garbage site geo-
tagged information to the Nagar Nigam server (if available) for
further action. Thus crowd sourcing for Swachh Bharat will be
soon realised and implemented with the help of Academic
Institutions as a regular exercise for the cleanliness of the city.
Could eToilets Be The
Solution To India’s
Sanitation Problems?
Poor sanitation and cleanliness concerns in toilets can now be put off,
courtesy eToilets. Placed on a cement or metal base, eToilet roofs
come with a 225-litre-capacity water tank connected to three flushes
and provides a sustainable sanitation solution

eToilets

HIGHLIGHTS

 eToilets are unmanned toilets working on indigenous technology

 eToilets have a 225-litre-capacity water tank connected to three
flushes
 2,000 eToilets have been installed in 20 Indian states
Using the toilet in school was an ordeal for 15-year-old Vineetha
two years ago because of poor sanitation and cleanliness. A class
10 student at ZPHS Kodurupadu School in Nellore district, Andhra
Pradesh, the ordeal is now over with eToilets being installed in
the premises.
Earlier, we didn’t have proper toilet facilities to relieve ourselves
since the facility was not properly maintained and was unhygienic.
Many of us would bunk schools owing to this. But the installation
of eToilets brought us huge relief. Initially, we had some
apprehensions on using them but soon we got used to it,
Vineetha told IANS in an email interview.
eToilets are unmanned toilets which work on an indigenous
technology and are placed on a cement or metal base. On the
roof is a 225-litre-capacity water tank connected to the three
flushes (pre-flush/platform washing/after-use flush). A display light
outside shows whether the unit is occupied (red) or unoccupied
(green).

On entering the eToilet, the indoor light switches on automatically

and the pre-flush system wets the closet. Even if a user forgets to
flush after using the eToilet, the system automatically flushes after
the user exits. An automatic floor-cleaning mechanism is also
provided through which the floor gets cleaned, Bincy Baby,
Director, Eram Scientific Solutions, that developed the facility, told
IANS in an email interaction.
There are different variants of eToilets, starting from the Rs. 1 lakh
school model to the Rs. 4 lakh public model.
Also Read: 5 Innovative Toilets That Can Change The Face
Of Sanitation In India 
A total of 2,000 eToilets have currently been installed in 20 states:
Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil
Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The largest deployment of school eToilets was done as part of a

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) initiative. We have deployed
automated and self-cleaning eToilets in 411 government schools
in Nellore as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR)
initiatives of TCS. In total, 600 e-toilets were deployed across
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Baby added.
An eToilet mobile app launched last year is also available on the
Google Play Store.

The app helps people locate the nearest eToilets via maps and
address listings, understand the mode of operations, mode of
access and information on facilities such as napkin-vending
machine, incinerator and sharing feedback, among others.

The most amazing thing about the eToilet setup in our school is
that it is very hygienic and user-friendly. Accessories like napkin-
vending machine and napkin incinerator are very useful and a
boon to us. It would be really good if all schools have these
automated and electronically-operated toilets, said Dhanya, a
class 12 student in Kannadiparamba Higher Secondary School in
Kannur, Kerala.
Through the app, people can suggest new places where eToilets
can be installed. As of now, about 2,000 people — mostly
travellers — have downloaded the app. These eco-friendly toilets
are quite convenient to track as well as hygienic.

Keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat

Mission in mind, Baby said that Eram is also planning to tie up
with the 100 Smart Cities project where eToilets can play a crucial
role in providing seamless, sustainable sanitation solutions.
How does an e-toilet works?
These toilets work on a sensor-based technology. It has a self-
cleaning and water conservation mechanism. These are
unmanned toilets with automated access control. There is
remote diagnosis and management through web reports. Waste
processing is done through STP. These portable toilets have
GPRS-enabled units for real-time updations.
Functionalities
• The user has to insert a coin.
• The door opens automatically.
• The sensor-based light system is turned on once the user
enters the toilet.
• There is a programme set on these toilets that flushes 1.5
litres of water after three minutes of usage and 4.5 litres if the
usage is longer. The basic idea is to conserve water.
• This e-toilet also is programmed to clean the platform on its
own after the toilet has been used by 5 or 10 persons.
• There are not only audio commands inside the toilet to guide
the user but also an instruction note pasted outside the toilet to
make the user understand the functioning of this toilet.
Features
• The e-toilets are made of durable and corrosion resistant
materials like mild steel or stainless steel.
• They look appealing and the automated cleaning mechanism
keeps these toilets clean unlike other public toilets.
• These modular toilets can be installed in two to four hours’
time.
• The innovative portable designs are apt to fit in the most
crowded areas of Indian towns and cities.
• It is equipped with a Bio Membrane Reactor that helps to
recycle the water and reuse it for flushing and cleaning. This is
all the more useful in those areas where the drainage tank
facility is not available.
• There are solar panels available for alternate energy needs.
• The e-toilet also has a napkin incinerator, napkin vending
machine, stainless steel wash basin and a mirror installed
inside, considering the basic needs of the female users.
Implementation Status
Till date, Eram Scientific Solutions has installed more than
600 eToilets and around 200 STP units across 13 states in
India. More than 150 e-toilets have been set up in various
schools.
Installation of e-toilets in India is indeed an effective step
towards the creation of urban sanitation infrastructure to create
a better quality of life for citizens and tourists. The basic
concept of e-toilet offers a full cycle approach in creating a
sustainable sanitation by combining mechanical, electronics
and web-mobile technologies for remote monitoring of the
entry, usage, exit, cleaning and sterilisation. The portable e-
toilets also generate revenue.