The Challenge

Most Indians lack access to safe sanitation. More than 800 million people in India defecate in the open every day—more than in the rest of the world combined. The country has a dire need not only for more toilets but also for safe containment, transport, treatment, and disposal of human waste. Most of the human waste ends up back in the environment, untreated. This is the single biggest source of water pollution in India and has devastating health consequences. Contaminated water is a major cause of chronic diarrhea, which kills hundreds of thousands of children each year and leaves many more stunted for life.

The Government of India is investing heavily to round off its efforts in the first phase of the Swachh Bharat mission which set the country on the ambitious goal of ending open defecation. It is applying sustained commitment, in terms of both budgets and strategy, to implement safely managed and equitable sanitation through complementary solutions that span the sanitation value chain, from reducing open defecation to focusing on safe treatment, disposal, and possible reuse of human waste. This work involves expanding sewer systems as well as scaling up fecal sludge management for populations that use onsite systems, for which more decentralized and non-sewered solutions are more applicable.

The Approach

Sanitation can yield significant economic and social benefits in India by reducing the incidence of infectious diseases and preventing disability and early death. Better sanitation can also reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity, and lead to better educational outcomes.

Given the scale of the problem, the most effective solutions are decentralized ones, such as innovative toilets that treat waste and state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants at the community level.

Our Work

Our Ultimate goal is to help ensure clean cities in India with universal access to hygienic toilets as well as local solutions to contain, treat, and safely dispose of human waste.