April 2008 Edition
Aunohita Mojumdar
Kabul
MOHAMMAD Younus sells cigarettes in one of Kabul’s busiest roads in the
Deh Afghanan area. It is a good place to do business. Deh Afghanan has a
big market and many government offices. Younus came to Kabul from
Kandahar three years ago and he now manages to make ends meet.
Younus is a street vendor. He does not have access to toilets in offices, shops
or hotels. Since the past few months he has been regularly using a spanking new
toilet facility, constructed by Sulabh International and financed with Rs 3 crore
in aid from the Indian government.
“In winter, 700 to 800 men used the toilets and in summer, around 1200,” says Zainullah, an employee of Kabul municipality who works as caretaker. “Earlier there were no toilet facilities. Now people come regularly. They also come here to perform their ablutions before prayers.” A biogas plant has been installed. The hot water, lighting and cooking fuel it generates is a matter of pride for Zainullah. “We don’t need a generator and we can cook our lunch. Users get hot water too,” he says. The Sulabh toilets are located in five of the most congested areas of Kabul.
They are an important contribution to Kabul’s non-existent sanitary facilities. Successive waves of war destroyed homes, pipelines and contaminated the city’s water sources. Internally displaced people arrived during the conflict in search of livelihoods. The departure of the Taliban has led to the return of millions of refugees. Before the war the city had a population of less than half a million. With its infrastructure ruined and its civic services in tatters, Kabul has had to absorb four to five million people. A slushy mix of sewage and mud seeps down Kabul’s potholed roads, which are no better than mud tracks.
Laying new sewer lines is a major challenge. For one, it is expensive. Then, a sewerage system requires a scientific study of land use. That needs delicate planning and enormous time. Besides, great care in required to deal with areas that were mined during the war. Currently, those who can afford to, dig septic tanks, but cheaply and hastily constructed pits cause more problems than they solve. In the International Year of Sanitation, the technology used by Sulabh seems especially relevant. “In India, I developed two technologies, one for individual houses and the other for public places in non-sewer areas, like housing colonies and high-rise buildings. Both these technologies are appropriate, affordable, indigenous and culturally acceptable. The habit of the people of Afghanistan is similar to that of Indians and they also use water for ablutions,” said Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, when he came last year for the inauguration of the project.
The pit toilet for individual households is extremely cheap to build and its contents
can be turned into bio fertiliser. The biogas digester has added value. Kabul
remains bereft of power for several hours. Only the rich can afford generators. The
biogas produced in Sulabh’s public toilets helps power lamps and heat water.
Traditionally public baths (hamams) are used by men and women, especially from
poorer families who cannot afford to construct their own facilities.
Mohammad Khurram, owner of a photo shop in Deh Afghanan, uses the
Sulabh facility every day. So does Mohamed Nasir who works in a pharmacy
across the road. Both used broken down, dirty toilets earlier. None of the users
minded paying the 2 Afghani fee.
The facility is for women too. Sima Gul, who has come to this area to shop, uses the toilet to freshen up and relax for a few minutes.What did she use before? “The street,” she says with a giggle. Around 25 women come here daily. The toilet complex has been constructed to ensure privacy. There is a separate entrance for the women. Although there is one money collection counter, there is a dividing wall than shields women from the men while paying the money.
“We would like to have more such facilities in Kabul,” says Muzafar Pamir, an engineer who is head of Policy and Coordination in the Kabul Municipality. Senior Indian diplomat Sandeep Kumar, who is in charge of administering India’s aid programme here, says his embassy has been inundated with similar requests. “Many other municipalities have asked that this be replicated in other provinces,” he says, adding that the matter is under consideration. “The Sulabh facility is a breakthrough in eco-friendly sanitation technology,”says Kumar. “It has contributed to the revival of the crippled sanitation sector and adapted efficiently to the harsh climatic conditions in Kabul.” Kumar also points out that it is one of the few projects that have become self sustaining. The toilets generate revenues of around 10,000 Afghani daily for the Kabul municipality which helps in operating and maintaining them. Sulabh International has also learnt new things. The toilets survived one of Kabul’s harshest winters when temperatures plummeted to below -25 degrees.
“We had experience of just -2 or -3 degrees,” said Dr Pathak. Precautions were taken to insulate the toilet buildings by using thermocol and glass wool. A few problems were reported by users during winter. Biogas generation was not enough to heat water and the bathing spaces had to be closed. The balance between insulation of the toilet from the cold and sufficient ventilation to ensure it is odour free could not be arrived at. Some of the water pipes were damaged by the extremities of climate. Despite such problems, the toilets were able to stay open and function. “The lesson that we learnt is that these biogas digesters can work very well even in harsh winter conditions,” says Dr Pathak. “If we get an opportunity, we can put up biogas digesters in cold regions in India and in other parts of the world.”
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