Eram Scientific Wins First-ever Swachh Bharat Hackathon For e-Toilet Innovation

Saudi-based Eram Group, a diversified business conglomerate, announced that its group company - Eram Scientific Solutions has won the Swachhathon 1.0 award in India’s first-ever Swachh Bharat Hackathon, organized by the Indian Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Dr. Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director of the Eram Group received the award from the Minister of State, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri S. S. Ahluwalia in New Delhi in the presence of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and other senior delegates including cabinet ministers.

Eram won the maiden Swachhathon 1.0 award in a hotly contested competition by trumping both domestic and foreign firms working on the sanitation technology space. The Hackathon received a massive response in six categories. Eram won the award in the `Monitoring Usage of Toilets’ category. 

"The creation of an urban sanitation infrastructure is as important as other infrastructures for citizens. Eram Scientific has taken on the challenge of addressing public sanitation by developing a product that is portable, hygienically maintained, and eco-friendly. e-Toilet is India's first electronic public toilet and we are proud and honored to receive the maiden Swachhathon 1.0 award from the government of India in the ‘Monitoring Usage of Toilets’ category,” said Dr. Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director of the Eram Group.

“This award is a testimony of Eram’s relentless efforts to bring new innovations and practices in the sanitation and hygienic space. I thank government of India for recognizing our efforts as well as our R&D team for spearheading innovation. Eram remains committed to integrating technology and network connectivity to provide improved sanitary and hygiene conditions for the public at large," Dr. Ahmed added.

Eram Scientific Solutions has been a pioneer in introducing the concept of technology integrated toilets to address challenges associated with public sanitation in society. The company has tied up with several global universities including Duke University and University of South Florida, for joint studies and field trials for effective waste processing.

e-Toilets, developed by the company, are automated public toilets that take care of the sanitation needs of the public and add to the overall ambience of the location. The e-Toilet is India’s first unmanned electronic public toilet, which is portable, hygienically maintained, and eco-friendly. The e-Toilet concept incorporates the full cycle approach in sustainable sanitation by integrating electronics, mechanical, web-mobile technologies thereby controlling entry, usage, cleaning, exit, and remote monitoring, with revenue options.

The e-Toilet has options to use solar power, use reduced amount of water as well as a sensor-enabled system to conserve water and electricity usage. The self-cleaning and water conservation mechanism in the toilet makes it unique. The insertion of a coin opens the door of the e-Toilet for the user, switches on a light, and the person with audio commands. The toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 liters of water after 3 minutes of usage or 4.5 liters if usage is longer. It can also be programmed to clean the platform with a complete wash down after every 5 or 10 persons use the toilet.

Since 2012, Eram had been integrating the remote monitoring capabilities in all its public e-Toilets, which makes it a unique intelligent toilet system. With a presence in more than 22 states in India, the e-Toilet has had more than 12 million users till date and an average of 15,000 daily users.

Eram Scientific Solutions has already won more than 44 national and international accolades for its inspiring contributions in introducing high-end, future proof and scalable technology in the sanitation space. The company’s products made many a Smart Cities smarter by adopting its market tested and proven automated model.