BHUBANESWAR: A leading Japanese manufacturer of building material and housing equipment has a solution for Odisha’s sanitation issues. The unique yet affordable toilets, manufactured by LIXIL Group, are aimed at helping the State improve its rank in Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
As per the Economic Survey of 2018-19, that was tabled in the Parliament recently, Odisha is the second worst performing State after Goa in terms of construction of individual household latrines, the flagship programme of the Centre under SBM.
Director of Marketing and Technology of SATO business unit at LIXIL Daigo Ishiyama said affordable SATO toilets available for less than Rs 1,000 can make basic sanitation a reality for everyone and everywhere.
“Aligned with SBM, our efforts are focused on installing safe, accessible and affordable sanitary products with the intent of encouraging an open defecation free environment. We look forward to work with the State Government,” he said.
SATO toilets and its accessories, Ishiyama said, are customised for rural and peri-urban markets. “It will help customers save water as waste is flushed out with less than one litre of water per flush. We hope the technology will help people to adopt better sanitation solutions,” he added.
In collaboration with Orissa Modern Art Gallery, SATO on Thursday organised an art camp to promote responsible use of water and create awareness among people through tribal paintings. SATO started its operations in the country 18 months back and has expanded its presence to over Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal including Odisha.
“Odisha is a focus area for us. We have recently installed low-cost toilet solutions in Puri in the aftermath of cyclone Fani. We have so far trained 3,800 masons in the State and plan to impart training to 10,000 masons this financial year,” said head of SATO India Dhananjay Singh.
Stating that art holds the ability to advance, deepen and potentially transform the consciousness of people, head of public affairs, LIXIL-Asia Pacific Priyanka Tanwar said the firm intends to work closely with the community and become agent of change for bringing in significant on-ground impact.