In most Indian cities, public sanitation remains woefully inadequate, with rampant public urination and toilets being either dirty or too few. In a first of its kind project in India, over 180 self-cleaning public eToilets have been installed in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

See also: 7 reasons why World Toilet Day matters in India

What makes these toilets even more user-friendly is that they can be located through an Android app called eToilet. Through it, Chennai residents can find toilets on the map, rate them, offer feedback and even suggest new places where they should be installed. Officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation can use a second app to remotely monitor hygiene levels, usage figures and water availability at each toilet.

Spread over 35 square feet, each automatic unmanned toilet cleans itself before entry and after use. They come equipped with sensors for exhaust fan and light to ensure that they consume less water and power than conventional toilets.

The toilets are programmed to flush with only 1.5 litres of water after 3 minutes of use, and with 4.5 litres if the usage period is longer. It also washes the floor automatically after five or ten rounds.

While the cost of each toilet is approximately Rs 4,50,000 ($6,630) they are completely free to use. Around 40 of the 183 toilets in the city are for women, and have a sanitary napkin generator and an incinerator. In addition, five toilets have been built for the differently-abled.

Both the toilets and the app have been developed indigenously by Eram Scientific Solution, an Indian social enterprise that has already installed over 1,600 eToilets in private buildings and schools across 18 Indian states. In 2012, it won a grant of $450,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation.

These eToilets have the added advantage of being eco-friendly, with provisions for waste treatment using anaerobic bio-degradation. One of its models, the e-Lite 14, is even powered by solar panels to eliminate the use of electricity. They also do not require regular manual maintenance.

India has the largest number of people defecating in the open, with over 60.4% of India's population still without access to sanitation. If Eram's model proves successful, it could offer a solution for making public sanitation more accessible to India's urban poor.