CHISHIMBA BWALYA
Lusaka
CAN a foot-flushing mechanism for toilets help fight the perennial cholera outbreaks in Zambia?
Scholar Kachinga Silwimba believes and argues that his 2019 innovation, which aims to introduce foot-flushable mechanism as an alternative to the widely conventional hand-held flush toilets, is the answer to a disease that is recorded to kill at least 140,000 every year.
Zambia has had repeated cholera outbreaks over the years. Between October last year and early 2024, the country had recorded 22,000 cases.
It was one of the worst cholera outbreaks in decades.
But as part of his thesis, titled: Automatic Toilet-Valve Releasing Mechanism, which was submitted at undergraduate level at the Copperbelt University, Silwimba, who was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Physics, points out that such cases can be reduced if the spread of germs through hand contact is controlled.
“Due to the high increase of diseases caused through contacts with contaminated hand devices, it is imperative that the mechanism, which triggers and utilises the body weight to flush by stepping on it, is designed. Therefore, this will be a new way to fight diseases which are transmitted through hand contact with contaminated devices.”
Silwimba’s idea was inspired by the foot-operated hand-wash sink, which became popular during the coronavirus pandemic. Is it achievable though?
Silwimba believes so.
“Yes, it is achievable and affordable and the cost can be scaled down,” he told this reporter from his base in Boise, Idaho, United States of America.
Silwimba said he has yet to find a sponsor to help implement his idea, but remains keen to see it come to fruition. “I would love to see it turn into reality.
“The cost will just be in terms of production. It’s not something that requires regular maintenance.
“That idea was born out of the cholera cases that we have been having, and we thought, ‘how can we solve this contagious disease?’ So, we said let’s try to invent a certain mechanism that we can use.”
The foot-flush mechanism, which is already in use in countries like the United States, is already gaining traction due to its ability to relieve hand use.
According to Bloomberg, in 2013 two-thirds (or 64 percent) of Americans preferred to use their feet to flush the toilet rather than hands.
The modern flush toilet has been a subject of multiple innovations over the years from its inception as a pit latrine.
But, according to History. com, the first patent was granted to Scottish inventor Alexander Cumming in 1775, after he introduced the S-shaped pipe bowl which used water to create a seal preventing sewer gas from entering the toilet
