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47 waterless urinals installed in Gurugram mini secretariat
Gurugram: To reduce the use of water, a water management society has installed 47 waterless urinals in the mini secretariat complex in Gurugram
Gurugram: To reduce the use of water, a water management society has installed 47 waterless urinals in the mini secretariat complex in Gurugram.
Officials said the urinals -- installed by GuruJal society in collaboration with a private firm over the past one week -- will help save nearly 1.5 kilolitres (KL) of water per urinal per annum. Osho Kalia, a senior member from GuruJal working on the project, said, “We have recently installed waterless urinals with zero odour technology in the mini secretariat complex... It is estimated that a total of 7,050 KL of water per annum will be saved through this initiative.”
A hub of most government offices in the district, including the deputy commissioner’s office, the mini secretariat complex witnesses a footfall of at least 3,000 people daily.
The latest data obtained from the agricultural department’s groundwater cell revealed that between June 2019 and June 2020, the groundwater table in Gurugram district dropped by 0.27 metres and stood at 29.86 metres
While the long-term functionality of these waterless urinals has often been questioned, especially since its failure in neighbouring Delhi, Kalia said they have taken steps towards ensuring regular maintenance. “We understand that failures have been witnessed before due to lack of maintenance, but as the mini secretariat already had its own sanitation staff, they have been trained regarding its maintenance. The toilets will be cleaned once every day and a perfumed substance is also put in the system once every month to keep it odourless,” added Kalia.
With the groundwater table continuing to drop in Gurugram, officials also hope the new urinals will set an example in water conservation.
Between 2014 and 2018, the groundwater table in Gurugram district reduced by 2.5 metres. In 2014, the district recorded an average groundwater level of 26.3, but this had dipped to 28.9 metres across four monitoring blocks of Gurugram, Sohna, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar, by 2018.
