AFFORDABLE TWIN PURPOSE TOILET FOR WORLD’S RURAL POOR

SINGAPORE, Nov 17 (Bernama) – The world’s poor and rural communities will
soon have access not only to proper sanitation but also use of human waste
fertiliser when a Singapore-based company makes available its locally-designed
affordable toilets.

The company, Rigel Technology, has designed a prototype of the toilet, a
modular squat toilet consisting of three-in-one pan with a raised platform with
a step, a compost chamber and urine collector.

The prototype which is in the final stage of development will be exhibited
at the World Toilet Summit and Expo (WTSE) 2009 here early next month, according
to the company’s managing director, Christopher Ng Tuesday.

Speaking at a media conference here, Ng said the company decided to join
hands with the World Toilet Organization (WTO) to produce affordable toilets for
rural communities that had no access to sanitation as its corporate social
responsibility in serving mankind.

He said the maintenance-free, light (25 kg) and low-cost toilet, made of
recycled materials, could be easily deployed without the need to be connected to
a conventional sewerage system.

The solid waste is composted for re-use as fertiliser, while the liquid
waste is piped out separately via a built-in urine diverter and urea is
extracted from it.

Ng said the toilets, to be priced between US$30 and US$100, cheaper than
building one that usually costs US$300, would be mass-produced in its factories
in Sichuan, China, initially 10,000 units monthly, and marketed from early next
year.

Meanwhile, the locally-based WTO founder, Jack Sim said about 2.5 billion
people in the world had no access to proper toilet, an emerging market estimated
to be worth more than US$1 trillion.

He said the toilets could also be easily deployed and practical for use in
disaster areas affected by flood or earthquake, or areas where there were
refugees, another new market for the toilets.

The WTSE, ninth in the series and to be held on Dec 2 to 4, is
jointly-organised by WTO and MP Asia, in partnership with Asian Development Bank
and Singapore’s Restroom Association.

-- BERNAMA