The Indian Railways has installed more than one lakh bio-toilets in trains during 2015-2018, surpassing the target of 87,000 set by it, the government informed Parliament today. Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Rajya Sabha that Railways has installed 1,00,663 bio-toilets during 2015-2018 (till February) surpassing the cumulative target of installing 87,000 bio-toilets during this time period.

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The minister said the expenditure booked for installation of bio-toilets by zonal railways from 2015 till December 2017 was Rs 513.97 crore. In 2015-2016, against a target of installing 17,000 bio-toilets, 15,442 were installed. In 2016-2017, the target was 30,000, but the railways managed to install 34,134 bio-toilets. And during 2017-2018 (till February) the target was set at 40,000 while 51,087 installations were achieved. Anaerobic digestion process is applied for the processing human excreta in the bio-toilets that are being fitted in passenger coaches of trains. No human excreta is thrown on tracks from a bio-toilet fitted in trains. In these bio-toilets, fitted underneath the lavatories, human waste is collected and processed by anaerobic bacteria that converts it mainly into water and bio-gases (mainly Methane and Carbon Dioxide).

The Railway ministry has advanced it earlier plan to fit bio-toilets in its entire fleet of coaches from 2021-2022 to 2019.