Innovative flood-proof and farm-friendly rural sanitation system in India 

In a presentation during the Policy Dialogue session “Good practices in agricultural technology transfer for climate resilient food production technologies”, Mr. Eklavya Prasad of India’s civil society initiative, Megh Pyne Abhiyan (MPA) or Cloud Water Campaign, explained the innovative sanitation technology it is promoting in five flood-prone northern districts of the country’s Bihar State. The initiative uses the flood-resilient and eco-friendly toilet Phaydemand Shauchalay (PS) which produces humuanure from human excreta to improve agricultural productivity and food security of small and marginal farmers. 

Over 80 per cent of the people in Bihar depend on agriculture for a livelihood, the overwhelming majority of them being small and marginal farmers whose fields are affected by floods and waterlogging every year. The PS, which translates into “beneficial toilet”, has not only improved the environment around local habitations but also helped reduce the use of chemical fertilizer, biological and chemical contamination of groundwater, while improving soil health.

A total of 33 PS units have been installed in the State. A researcher from the University of Hohenheim, Germany is documenting the technology as an innovative agricultural practice under the SATNET Asia programme.

Reporter: Fetty Prihastini, Public Information Assistant, CAPSA