
Twin-leach pits use
Why is it in the news?
- A government-commissioned survey shows that just over a quarter of rural toilets use this twin-pit system.
- The waste from the remainder of rural toilets could create a new sanitation issue which harmful to health and the environment.
- It would also push a new generation into manual scavenging.
More in the news
Twin-Pit system:
- Under the twin-pit system, two pits are dug with honeycombed walls and earthen floors which allow liquid to percolate into the surrounding soil.
- When one pit is filled and closed off, waste flow is transferred to the second pit, allowing waste in the first pit to be converted into manure after a year or two.
- The twin pit has been promoted by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation as well as the World Health Organisation as an in-situ sanitation system.
- This system claims to bypass thorny issues such as caste purity, as owners will be dealing with manure, not excreta.
Data:
- National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey 2018-19, shows that just 26.6% of rural households use the recommended twin-pit system to dispose of excreta from their toilets.
- Septic tanks are the most popular option, with 28% of toilets connected to a septic tank with a soak pit and 6% to a tank without a soak pit.
- Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 64% of toilets with twin pits.
- Uttar Pradesh had made the technology mandatory for anyone who wanted to avail the government’s ₹12,000 subsidy to build toilets.
Source
The Hindu.