TWIN-PIT SYSTEM

March 18, 2019

A government-commissioned survey under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan shows that only 26% of rural toilets use twin-pit system.

Findings of recent study:

Analysis of data from the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey 2018-19, shows that just 26% of rural households use the twin-pit system to dispose of excreta from their toilets.
- Uttar Pradesh, which tops the list with 64% of toilets with twin pits, had made the technology mandatory for anyone who wanted government’s ₹12,000 subsidy to build toilets.
- Jharkhand, second on the list, has almost 58% of its toilets connected to twin pits.
Septic tanks are the most popular option, with 28% of toilets connected to a septic tank with a soak pit and 6% to a tank without a soak pit.
The waste from the remainder of rural toilets will be harmful to health and the environment, and even push a new generation into manual scavenging.
A 2018 survey of 30 cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh by the Centre for Science and Environment found that 87% of toilet waste is dumped into water bodies and farm lands.