“An estimated 100 million households do not have access to toilets and 60 per cent of people are forced to defecate in the open, posing health hazards, environmental concerns and leading to water contamination,” said Banka. With an average 18 million people travelling by train every day, Indian Railways is “our lifeline”, but its toilets were “in a pitiful state”.
Since Banka Bioloo’s inception in 2012, it has installed 3,000 biotoilets for Indian Railways and supplied 30,000 biotoilets to rural areas, impacting millions of people by providing them with a clean, safe and hygienic environment to take care of their needs. Banka’s goal is to “bring a toilet to every household in India”.
Also in India, Kristin Kagetsu, an awardee from the Preserving the Planet category, is the founder of Saathi, which produces and distributes 100 per cent all-natural, biodegradable sanitary pads made of banana fibre. Conventional sanitary pads on the market contain toxic chemical agents, and women in rural parts of India commonly dispose of them by burning them due to a lack of waste facilities.
