Bengaluru: In a move that will help maintain cleanliness and motivate lesser usage of water, the Indian Railways has installed 2,58,906 bio-toilets in all the long-distance trains. 

The total money it has spent on the project stands at Rs 1500 crore. 

What it also means is that it will save a lot on maintenance as the toilets will save corrosion of the tracks and the filth accumulated. 

The aircraft-style toilets were inducted in 73,078 coaches by May-end and this is set to stop the littering of almost 2,74,000 litres of waste and human excreta on the railway tracks, notes Swarajya. 

Such a move will also propel the Railways to save Rs 400 crore which it would have used to maintain tracks from corrosion. 

"Not only will the railways save money by not paying for the (railway) tracks to get cleaned but will also increase the lifetime of the tracks," the official said, as quoted by MoneyControl. 

It should be noted that the toilets have been designed by the railways in association with the Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE) and Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO), decompose the human excretory waste in the digester tank and thereby convert it into water, carbon dioxide and methane gas.

Here are other benefits of the bio-vacuum toilets: 

1.    While normal toilets use 10-15 litres of water to flush, these toilets use only half a litre. 
2.    This will also come as a huge respite to those workers who clean the tracks manually. 
3.    The railways will save on a lot of money as the bio-toilets will not allow the tracks to corrode and will contribute a great way in Atmanirbhar Bharat. 

The biggest boon will the conservation of water to a great extent.