Swacchata- Waterless Urinals

A matter of serious concern in the area of sanitation is the stench of urine which persists in many schools and public urinals. A lot of people use an open space even when there is a toilet in close proximity. In many government aided schools students prefer to use every other available space for urinating aside from the toilet. In addition, often a lot of water is wasted when a urinal is used, an avoidable practice in these times of water scarcity.

We want to not only eradicate or reduce the foul smell of urine, but to also bring about instinctive behavioral changes in the habits of people in relation to sanitation in particular. Most toilets in Government schools have no urinals or pans to begin with, and students don't see the difference between urinating on the side of a road or in a proper urinal, seeing as essentially for them both were just plain flat ground. To combat the smell, we need to block the passage of air in to the pipes, The best option is a tennis ball placed at the mouth of the PVC pipe which ensures a slower trickle of water down the drain and blocks air passageways. For the urinal itself, we cut open a Bisleri water can , cut off a rectangle on one side of the upturned can, (rather than the top half) and mount it on the wall. The working principle behind the waterless urinals is to shut off the air circulation in PVC pipes using a sealant, so that it blocks the urine smell from coming out.The plastic cans are also hydrophobic in nature, hence urine does not collect on their surfaces.The new design is an innovation which is simple and low cost, requires little maintenance, and is not reliant on water to remain clean and sanitary.

We want to create a urinal that is low cost, hygienic, odor eliminating, uses minimal water, is low on maintenance, and creates behavioral change amongst users to use the right urinal facilities. Our urinal has been successfully implemented in many schools in Karnataka and has resulted in a drastic reduction in odor levels, and this increased usage by students in a hygienic manner.