Solar-powered toilets, or those which are not connected to water, sewer or electricity, could just be a possible solution in the near future to India’s sanitation woes. After two successive attempts of throwing open — reinventing the toilet challenge in 2011 and then 2013— to international scientists by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and Ministry of Science and Technology, the focus is now on Indian scientists.
Six Indian innovators have been selected to contribute to the development of sanitation solutions as part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge: India. From a pool of 108 applications, these projects were chosen following an extensive, rigorous selection process by an expert committee.
The “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge: India” is a collaborative effort of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India; Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund Indian researchers to develop innovative, safe and affordable sanitation technologies.
The grants were announced by Professor K Vijay Raghavan, secretary DBT and chairman, BIRAC at the “Reinvent the Toilet Fair: India,” New Delhi, which concluded on Saturday. The event showcased innovative products and approaches that aim to bring safe, affordable and sustainable sanitation to countries like India, Africa and China.
“This programme is an India-specific programme modeled on the Gates Foundation’s global Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. The DBT and the Gates Foundation invested a combined US$2 million, equally split, to support Indian investigators to drive research, development, and production of “next-generation toilets,” said Raghavan. “Effective and comprehensive sanitation seems an impossible dream for India. Yet today we see a congruence of new and applicable science and technology, its affordability, and sustainable implementation,” he said.
Citing the example of early mobile technology, Raghavan said, “Mobile phones have come along way from the bulky laptop sized ones to the slim modern day tiny makes we get today. Similarly, in times to come we hope to make these futuristic toilets a reality,” he said. “Just how mobile phones are a must have, I am sure in future these water free or the solar powered toilets with proper waste disposal mechanisms will be a necessity,” he said.
“By applying creative thinking and new approaches to sanitation challenges, we can improve people’s lives. And we have no doubt that these new partnerships with India and South Africa will help us achieve this,” said Brian Arbogast, director of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We believe that with governmental leadership, new business models and innovation, we can dramatically increase the progress made in tackling this global sanitation crisis.”