While travelling, several people avoid using public toilets and urinals owing to lack of hygiene, and most importantly for the putrid smell most of them emit. This smell arises from ammonia, which is released when water mixes with urine. To ensure the smell leaves, some of us even flush a second time.
But did you know that each flush in western toilets uses up to six litres of water, while men’s urinals use up to five litres? Moreover, more water is used to wash off the cleaning agent while cleaning the urinals.
However, to ensure water is saved and urinals are kept clean, Mumbai-based water conservationist Neha Bagoria (44) has come up with a simple innovation, EcoTrapIn.
“Using this retrofit device, there is no need for even a single flush. The urinal would need to be cleaned two times a day, during regular use. The device works on a simple mechanical principle, and needs to be placed on the drains of men’s urinals. It allows urine to pass through it swiftly, and a flap placed within it opens up when the liquid passes. It closes once the flow stops,” Neha tells The Better India.