Bangkok--19 Nov--Asian Institute of Technology
Though Thailand boasts almost 100 per cent sanitation coverage, close to 90 per cent of fecal sludge is dumped illegally in agriculture areas, open spaces and water streams. This, along with other unpleasant facts about sanitation have emerged from the field survey conducted by a team from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) led by Dr. Thammarat Koottatep of the School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD).
Dr. Thammarat, who is heading the Reinventing the Toilet project awarded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, presented his findings on 11 November 2013 at the project’s Advisory Panel meeting in Bangkok.
Sharing the findings, the AIT team revealed that compared to Thailand, which has sanitation coverage of 98.9 per cent, Vietnam and Cambodia have coverage of 85 per cent and 33 per cent. This leads to annual fecal sludge generation of 16.1 million cubic meters in Thailand alone, and the combined figure for the three countries touches 37 million cubic meters. This suggests the urgent need to create a decentralized treatment system that is replicable and is also financially sustainable, Dr. Thammarat says.
Experimental research has begun on innovative technologies such as advanced solar septic tank, hydrocyclone separator, and silver nano-disinfection, which have demonstrated promising potential.
Dr. Roshan Shrestha, Program Officer, Gates Foundation complimented AIT stating that “Even (with) serious damage caused by a devastating flood, the AIT team successfully undertook the project through which an interdisciplinary team has been established to creatively develop the newest generation of toilet.”
Led by Dr. Roshan Shrestha, Program Officer of the Gates Foundation, Panel members include Dr. Wijarn Simachaya, Vice Permanent Secretary of Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Dr. Somsak Wiwatpatanachart, Vice Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Chen Namchaisiri, Vice Chairman of Federation of Thai Industry; Dr. Krissada Ruanggarreerat, CEO of Thai Health Promotion Foundation; Dr. Nguyen Trung Viet, Head of Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ho Chi Minh City; Dr. Chirstian Zurbrugg, Head of Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science (on Skype call); Prof. Chongrak Polprasert of Thammasat University; Dr. Kant Weerakant, Project Manager of Thai National Innovation Agency; Mr. Kookiat Nimnium, Representative of Thai Department of Local Administration; and Dr. Walter Gibson, Managing Director of Bear Valley Venture, United Kingdom , who also served as the Advisory Panel Chair.
Earlier in 2011, AIT was awarded a US$5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to create a new generation of the decentralized wastewater treatment systems and technologies by using an innovative market-driven approach.
Photo caption: A group photo of the project’s Advisory Panel meeting.