Clinton aides check out portable toilets in Pune

Secretary of state Hillary Clinton may have been busy strengthening Indo-US ties recently, but two senior William J Clinton Foundation representatives were given a preview of portable toilets on Wednesday.

The preview was presented by a Baner-based portable sanitation product-maker to examine the feasibility of introducing similar products in Latin America. Chief executive officer Carlos H Fernandez Mazzi and director of operations Scott B Taitel — attached to the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative based in New York — were here on the initiative of Aavishkaar India, a micro venture capital fund which holds a stake in Shramik Sarasplast.

“The trip is a great learning experience as the 10-year-old Shramik Sarasplast has adequate experience in making portable sanitation products,” Mazzi said, explaining that with the experience gained from the Pune visit, the foundation plans to fund small and medium enterprises in Latin America dealing with sanitation and hygiene. They plan to start with the Colombian capital Bogota.

“We want to provide finance to promising companies which are keen to undertake work in this sector with social relevance. Shramik is a role model in terms of growth and expansion and in terms of providing quality portable toilets in this part of the region,” he said.

According to Taitel, “Portable toilets are a new area of research and sustainable development with wide-ranging social implications, an area of critical concern for us and India.”

“The company has set an impressive trend by using superior technology in spreading awareness about toilets. We hope to provide the best practices by creating a tremendous social impact in Latin America, through the evaluation of work carried out here in Pune,” Taitel said, adding that this will be the first investment venture in a non-glamorous sector.

The team, before departing to Mumbai, inspected a few spots where the company had placed portable toilets, for firsthand knowledge of their usage.