Kathmandu: Considering the difficulties people face due to lack of public toilets, mobile toilet is constructed for the first time in Lalitpur. Centre for Energy Studies, Institute of Engineering and Kantipur Research Academy have constructed the public mobile toilet with technical and financial support of UN-HABITAT and handed it over to the Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City for its operation.

Speaking at the toilet hand-over programme, executive chief of Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City, Krishna Prasad Devkota told that the mobile toilet will raise awareness among the general public. He told that the Sub-metropolis will carry forward the work according to public private partnership concept. Speaking on the same occasion, chief technical advisor of UN-HABITAT Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha told that mobile toilet is beneficial in extending toilet facility to the needy people. He added that it is profitable to operate the toilet as the collected waste can be used to produce biogas and make organic fertiliser.

Dr. Jagannath Shrestha of Centre of Energy Studies told that this type of technology has been used in developed countries like America and Australia. He added that the centre is preparing to produce biogas from the waste collected in the mobile toilet. There are 8 mobile toilets under operation in Nepal including Dhulikhel, Bharatpur and Dhangadi. Septic tank having capacity of 200 litres has been installed in the toilet that can be used by 500 people before cleaning.

Source: Rajdhani; Annapurna Post, August 9, 2008