Finding clean toilets no longer a herculean task, thanks to Hyderabad-based innovator

HYDERABAD: Though both the Central and State governments have been implementing various programmes to set up as many public toilets as possible, finding a clean washroom in busy urban areas is still a herculean task for many, especially women. In a bid to resolve this issue, Sushma Kallempudi, a Hyderabad-based innovator, has come up with the concept of ‘mobile She toilets’ to provide women the much-needed respite.

Though it is an undeniable fact that the Hyderabad metropolitan area does have a good number of public toilets, women still refrain from using them due to the lack of maintenance. This prompted Sushma, hailing from Vizag, to develop the concept of mobile She toilets.

Speaking to Express, Sushma Kallempudi said that she too, just like thousands of women out there, suffered a lot due to the unavailability of clean public toilets in Hyderabad, while working in an IT firm. “After coming back to India from the US in 2017, I started researching for a suitable technology to address this issue,” she says.

According to Sushma, her initial thought was to provide sanitary napkins to women. However, since many NGOs were already doing that, she decided to think differently. “I visited crowded areas in the city and realised that there was a need to introduce Mobile She toilets that can easily wade through crowded areas,” she points out.

Once she was done designing the concept, Sushma submitted proposals to the GHMC, the State and Central governments, and to over 50 corporate CSR wings seeking funds. The next time you see a mobile bio-toilet passing by a crowded area, never forget to thank this amazing innovator since it was based on her concept that both the TSRTC and the GHMC introduced such an initiative by turning old vehicles into mobile washrooms. Sushma is now focused on handing over 25 mobile She toilets to the GHMC within six months.

Such toilets are single-user ones, set up on electric auto-rickshaws. These vehicles can be halted and recharged at crowded places. As they are compact, these autos can be easily parked anywhere. Each vehicle will be operated and maintained by a woman.

Since Sushma’s husband Sudheer and his family are into electric vehicle manufacturing business, it was easy for them to build e-autos for mobile She toilets. Each vehicle costs around `4 lakh and accommodates a flush and a washbasin, apart from a drainage system that can carry 100 litres, an exhaust system, a hanger and a mirror.

“We are also planning to install GPS tracking devices, sanitary napkin dispensers, diaper changing stations and power charging sockets in these vehicles,” she adds.  According to her, the process of disposing waste is hassle-free as this can be done at any fuel station. Sushma also mentions that this initiative will help provide more employment opportunities to women.