A team of scientists at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in
Thailand are set to reinvent the toilet in three developing countries
in Asia.
In a bid to find sustainable solutions to the current sanitation
problems faced by the urban poor – not just in Thailand, but also in
Cambodia and Vietnam – the researchers have embarked on a five-year
project made possible by a US $5-million (150-million Baht) grant from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the United States.
AIT was one of 61 grant recipients from the Gates Foundation’s Water,
Sanitation, & Hygiene Team in 2011. The Environmental Engineering
and Management field of study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources
and Development is the new project holder for the field research
project on "Sustainable Decentralized Wastewater Management Systems"
lasting from 2012–2017.
Of the 2.5 billion people without access to sanitation, 75% live in
the Asia and Pacific region. In many developing countries, sanitation
coverage depends on homeowners investing in toilets with onsite storage
systems for human excreta, in the form of a pit or septic tank.
“Having toilets and onsite storage systems are not enough to make
sanitation safe and sustainable. All too frequently, onsite storage
systems malfunction due to a lack of information on the lifespan, poor
operation and maintenance such as desludging,” says project leader Dr.
Thammarat Koottatep, Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of
Technology. It is not uncommon for untreated effluent and the emptied
sludge from onsite storage systems, so-called Fecal Sludge, to be
discharged into nearby rivers or the neighborhood.
Dr. Thammarat believes the key to providing extensive sanitation
coverage is to focus on reinventing innovative, decentralized systems.
Decentralized systems provide the advantage of flexibility, in that
different treatment technologies can be combined to meet the required
goals of treating human excreta and wastewater from homes and
businesses. In addition, decentralized systems have the advantage of
saving homeowners the cost of connecting to a sewer, and eliminate the
environmental burden of transporting large quantities of wastewater to
the treatment plant.
The project – officially titled Sustainable Decentralized Wastewater
Management in Developing Countries. Design, Operation and Monitoring –
uses a “Market-driven Approach” to ensure the innovative decentralized
systems are saleable and affordable to the urban poor.
The 5-year project will be carried out in three phases: Phase I)
creating a platform for innovation; Phase II) designing and developing
lead options for commercialization; and Phase III) catalyzing
commercialization of lead options.
Of the 20 million cubic meters of domestic wastewater produced per day
in Thailand, only 1.6 million cubic meters are collected in sewer
networks and sent to treatment plants, many of which do not function.
The figures for fecal sludge are equally alarming: in Thailand, 60,000
tons of fecal sludge is collected per day, but only 4,500 tons per day
(i.e., less than 10%) are treated correctly. This project aims to
double the amount of correctly treated fecal sludge, with innovative
business models.
The overarching aim of this research is to reinvent decentralized
systems and technologies for treatment and safe disposal of human
excreta and wastewater from dwellings and businesses close to their
sources. The ultimate goal of the project is to catalyze the
commercialization of novel, superior decentralized wastewater treatment
systems aimed at radically improving sanitation for the poor,
particularly in urban areas.
Dr. Thammarat says a market-led approach focused on the needs of
potential customers and users will frame technology development and
innovation so as to generate bona fide marketplace demand. Products
derived from the project will include treatment technologies that are
applicable in developing countries and are based on sound scientific,
technical and market evidence.
September 2012 in Bangkok. Participating in the event were Dr. Doulaye
Kone, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Seattle, USA; Dr. Thammarat, and members of the project's newly
constituted Advisory Panel. Prof. Chongrak Polprasert, former Dean of
AIT's School of Environment, Resources and Development, who is closely
associated with the project, delivered a note of thanks. The event
emcee was Ms. Thanisa Choombala, English Language Specialist, AIT
Language Center.
The function also included a press conference jointly moderated by Mr.
Bajinder Pal Singh, Senior News and Media Specialist, Media and
Communications Unit (MCU) and Ms. Natnipha Vimuktanon, Media Officer,
MCU. Media organizations who covered the launch and attended the press
conference were: Bangkok Post, The Nation, Nation Channel TV, Thomson
Reuters, Xinhua News Agency, Vietnam News Agency, Thailand public
television channels 3, 7 and 11, and Thai Rath newspaper, among
others.
Read The Nation article:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/GATES-GRANT-TO-CREATE-NEW-LOO-30191029.html
Read Bangkok Post article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/313863/new-technology-aims-to-clean-up-toilet-use
Members of the Advisory Panel of the
BMGF-supported project on "Sustainable Decentralized Wastewater
Management in Developing Countries" at the project launch
ceremony.