Image: Insider
With the opening of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh Highway, the tourist influx in the district of Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh has increased manifold. While this is no problem during summers, winters pose a serious issue of water scarcity, especially in toilets, as the water freezes with temperatures dropping to as low as -25 degrees Celsius. The Lahaul and Spiti district administration has sought a solution for the solar toilets.
Through a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, the Lahaul and Spiti administration is planning to establish two units on a pilot basis. These solar system-enabled toilets will be operational even during the harsh winter of the district. The units will be set up at Sissu near the Atal Tunnel and on the grounds of Triloknath Temple.
Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that due to the increased tourism in the district, finding a solution to the water freezing in winters has become crucial. Therefore, this collaboration with the IIT Mandi through their outreach programme will help the situation significantly.
Kumar further said;
Dr Anil Kishan, Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi, has done a field survey to chalk out requirements for establishing two toilet units on a pilot basis. One will be established close to the Sissu helipad and another at the Triloknath temple. If this model is successful, it will be replicated at all major tourist destinations in the district. The district administration will bear the cost of the project from funds allocated under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin.
IIT is a group of world-class engineering educational institutes, which has been making strides in the field of solar power, making its work of crucial significance at a time when India is aiming to cut back on its use of fossil fuels. This latest venture of solar-powered toilets in Lahaul and Spiti by IIT Mandi shows the exceptional work of this educational group and how it can make a life-changing difference in remote, frigid regions of the country while making contributions to the net-zero carbon emission goal.
Via: The Tribune