8/14/2019 RP to Export Waterless Toilet

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8/14/2019 RP to Export Waterless Toilet

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Treating effluents is necessary to avoid groundwater contamination and water pollution, but the problem is that"these go straight to our canals and rivers," Lapid said.

"Our rivers are dead because of very bad sanitation, he said, adding that 50 percent of the pollution in Philippinewaters came from domestic liquid waste.

On the other hand, an Ecosan toilet, which needs proper ventilation and has to be maintained at a temperature ofabout 30 degrees, allows the segregation of human feces and urine in separate chambers.

The feces are covered with lime and ash or sawdust, which kill pathogens and facilitate drying to prevent foul odor.These are then collected by the local government and composted for use as fertilizer. (In La Union, these arebrought to the botanical garden.)

Studies show that 30 to 50 kilograms of human feces can produce 7.5 kilos of nitrogen, phosphorous, andpotassium, enough to help produce 230 kg of food -- a regular persons average annual intake.

For the period 2007-2010, CAPS aims to supply Ecosan toilets to 5,000 households as well as training in theproper use of the urine-diverting bowls. At least 600 bowls have been sold locally since the Ecosan toilet wasintroduced last year.

This year alone, CAPS has sold bowls to Sorsogon, Bais in Negros Oriental, Anda and Alaminos in Pangasinan,and Santol, Caba and Agoo in La Union.

Pioneer user San Fernando is building a fisherman's village composed of houses equipped with Ecosan toilets.Gawad Kalinga has also installed such toilets in 35 of the 50 houses it built in Tarlac this year.

The 2006 UN Human Development Index has highlighted the global water crisis as among the most pressingpoverty issues.

Some 2.6 billion people worldwide lack access to adequate sanitation and one billion have no access to cleanwater, the UN report said.

Every year, some 1.8 million children die of diarrhea and other illnesses caused by unclean water and poorsanitation.

Few countries treat water and sanitation as a political priority, as witnessed by limited budget allocation, the reportsaid.

With Ecosan making its way halfway across the globe, the future may look -- and smell -- a bit better for the world'spoorest.

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