Led by Dr. Thammarat Koottatep of Environment Engineering and
Management (EEM) field of study at AIT’s School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD), the Naturally Acceptable and
Technologically Sustainable (NATS) Toilet team from AIT displayed a
Solar Septic Tank and a Hydrocyclone toilet.
Elaborating on the AIT contribution, Dr. Thammarat stated that both
prototypes drew considerable attention of the participants. Besides,
different agencies working in the field of water and sanitation have
shown interest in pilot testing of these technologies. The Solar Septic
Tank is a modification of the conventional septic tank, Dr. Thammarat
said. It increases the bio-degradation rate, which leads to greater
efficiency in disinfection compared to conventional septic tanks. The
second prototype uses a black water separator and an onsite solid and
liquid disinfection technology, he added.
On display at the fair were innovative products and approaches that
seek to bring safe, affordable and sustainable sanitation. These
include efforts to create toilets that are not connected to water,
sewer, or electricity; and are targeted at improving the collection,
treatment, and disposal of human waste; addressing behavior change; and
raising awareness of this critical issue for governments, stakeholders,
and local communities.
The fair was co-hosted by the Government of India’s Department of
Biotechnology and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with the
support of India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation,
Ministry of Urban Development, and Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation.
NATS team of AIT is a grant recipient from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation (BMGF), which has awarded 16 Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge grants to researchers around the world to develop
“next-generation” toilets that are environmentally safe, sustainable,
and affordable. Representing AIT at the fair were Dr. Thammarat
Koottatep, Prof. Chongrak Polprasert, Dr. Atitaya Panuvatvanich, Dr.
Nawatch Surinkul, Mr. Jirasak Rojanacongse, Dr. Saroj Kumar
Chapagain, and Mr. Tatchai Pussyanavin. AIT's partner Vishwakarma
Institute of Technology (VIT), Pune, India was represented
by Prof. Siddharth Jabade, Dr. Dhananjay Bhatkhande, Mr. Sanjay
Waghulade, Mr. Anil Gosavi, and Mrs. Ujwala Gosavi.
Video interviews from the event are available at these links:
YouTube (I): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6AS7KtdkrM
YouTube (II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mB06cf-VF0
Details are available at this link: https://www.natstoilet.com
