Nagaland Introduces First Bamboo Toilet as a Part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

As part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, (Clean India Mission), Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya formally inaugurated India's first bamboo toilets at the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Centre in Dimapur. The two prototype bamboo toilets inaugurated by Acharya are an outcome of a five-day training on "bamboo toilets for private use and for the community" jointly organised by Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) and South Asia Bamboo Foundation (SABF) in partnership with Building Material Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, held from May 12-16.

Speaking on the occasion, Acharya congratulated the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) for the construction of an eco-friendly and inexpensive toilet that could supplement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014.

Acharya, who is a key member of the central Swachh Bharat Abhiyan team, expressed confidence that with aggressive marketing, bamboo toilets can become the focal point of addressing the abysmal state of sanitation in India. "Even a fraction of the earmarked money for Swachh Abhiyan if invested in bamboo toilets will do wonders for the mission,"

Acknowledging that bamboo has played an important part in the traditional, cultural and socio-economic lives of the people of Nagaland, Acharya said "water is life, but bamboo is livelihood". The governor also handed over certificates to 15 participants trained by South Asian Bamboo Foundation (SABF) on construction of bamboo toilets.

Advisor, NDBA, Naiba Konyak, said in order to achieve the nationwide clean India mission and to provide low cost toilets to rural households, the need for developing cheap and affordable materials for constructing toilets came to light and thus bamboo, being readily available, cheap and eco-friendly became relevant.

Agri Production Commissioner (APC) and Commissioner and Secretary, Agriculture T. Imkonglemba Ao IAS, who also chaired the function, informed that NBDA attained nine years and was among the most successful of four state bamboo missions in India He said the first World Bamboo Mission was also celebrated in the NBDA and also the venue of several national bamboo mission programs. The APC informed that NBDA had set a target of 50,000 Hectares for bamboo plantation and till date, has covered 35,000 Hectares adding, the target would be achieved within a year or two. He also informed that NBDA has planted 46 species of bamboo at NBRC's bamboosa.

Advertisement

Source-ANI