New Delhi, March 12 -- Since 2014, India has made progress in sanitation. The country was declared open defecation-free in 2019, following sustained political commitment and community participation at all levels. With the construction of 6.3 million household toilets and more than 600,000 community and public toilets, urban areas have achieved universal toilet access, marking a key milestone.

However, with only 40 per cent of urban India connected to sewer networks and approximately 1,529 operational, under-construction or proposed sewage treatment plants (STP), the majority of toilets (60 per cent) rely on on-site sanitation systems (OSS).

To treat the waste generated from these on-site systems, around 1,500 faecal sludge treatment pla...