Sanity and the disposal of waste is a very critical problem in developing countries. Millions of people simply have no access to sufficient water and don’t have means to maintain a regular toilet. In view of this, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation launched a fair titled ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ which was meant to attract innovative and new toilets.
Bill Gates is very right when he points that the kind of toilets that are used in developed countries are very rarely available in the developing nations. And that is precisely why, more creative and innovative toilet solutions are required for the developing nations where a number of diseases are rampant due to improper waste disposal.
According to him, “Toilets are extremely important for public health and, when you think of it, even human dignity. The flush toilets we use in the wealthy world are irrelevant, impractical and impossible for 40 per cent of the global population, because they often don’t have access to water, and sewers, electricity, and sewage treatment systems.”
During the fair, 200 inventors, designers and investors came to attend the event. It attracted a lot of very creative waste managements solutions from around the world. The best solutions were from the universities in Britain, Canada and US. California Institute of Technology received the first prize for creating a solar-powered toilet which could generate gas and electricity.
On the second spot was a toilet by Loughborough University. This toilet transformed waste into biological charcoal, minerals and clean water. Finally, the third award went to University of Toronto.
Gates emphasizes upon the critical need for such toilets for the developing nations, “Beyond a question of human dignity, this lack of access also endangers people’s lives, creates an economic and a health burden for poor communities, and hurts the environment. Inventing new toilets is one of the most important things we can do to reduce child deaths and disease and improve people’s lives.”
Courtesy: ABC News
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