The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has procured 28 additional bio-toilets for installation outside high-footfall Durga Puja pandals, taking its available stock to 53 units ahead of this year’s festival. The new structures were purchased at a cost of Rs 16 lakh under the Swachh Bharat Mission and are expected to be put into service from Chaturthi.
The civic body plans to hand over the toilets to selected puja committees within the next few days. Officials said the units would be distributed primarily among pandals expected to attract extremely large crowds, as early pandal-hopping during the festival increases pressure on public sanitation facilities.
KMC had 25 bio-toilets before the latest procurement, but officials said that number was inadequate for the demand during the festive season. With the addition of the new units, the corporation will have 53 bio-toilets at its disposal this year. The facilities had previously been allotted to major crowd-pullers including Chetla Agrani and Suruchi Sangha, and officials indicated that the same pujas were likely to receive units again.
A KMC official said the new toilets would be pressed into service from Puja, while the selected committees were expected to receive them before the crowds increased. The official said the additional units would make the situation “a little better” this year, but did not indicate that the new stock would cover all festival locations or visitors.
The toilets use a bio-digester system. Human waste enters an underground digester tank, where microorganisms break down faecal matter through anaerobic digestion into simpler substances. The units require regular water supplies and cleaning support to remain usable during periods of heavy demand.
That operational requirement remains a concern for the civic body. KMC officials acknowledged that several older bio-toilets are not in good condition and will require repairs after the festival. Residents have also previously complained about overflowing units and delays in cleaning, particularly when footfall is high.
According to a KMC official, the bio-toilets are connected to water tankers, which must be refilled frequently because of heavy usage. The corporation hires agencies to clean the facilities. This makes the availability of toilets dependent not only on the number of units procured, but also on the delivery of water and the speed of cleaning during peak hours.
The latest procurement therefore expands Kolkata’s temporary sanitation capacity while leaving the civic body with a maintenance task during the festival itself. KMC’s immediate next step is to transfer the units to the selected puja committees so they are available for public use from Chaturthi.
