The Tamil Nadu Government plans to set up a model eco-friendly toilet in every village shortly. Unlike conventional toilets, the eco-toilet does not dispose of urine and faecal matter, but uses them as valuable resources for recycling. The Rural Development Department recently held a sensitisation programme for its district representatives and total sanitation coordinators. All 12,600 villages in the State will be introduced to the eco-toilet concept. "We will request panchayats to encourage at least one household in their villages to build the toilet," a senior official of the Rural Development Department said. The eco-toilet is built above the ground with two chambers beneath the pan to collect faecal matter. Urine and wash water are diverted and let out into to a home garden. The two chambers collect faecal matter, over which ash is strewn to help dehydrate and deodorise it.