http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=280790&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22
Inventor of cheap toilets wins prize Publish Date: Wednesday,25 March, 2009, at 11:07 PM Doha Time AFP/Stockholm Indian sanitation expert Bindeshwar Pathak yesterday won the Stockholm Water Prize for his work developing eco-friendly and cheap toilets to help improve public health, the jury said. Pathak, who founded the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India in 1970, has worked "to improve public health, advance social progress and improve human rights in India and other countries," the jury of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said. "The results of Dr Pathak's endeavours constitute one of the most amazing examples of how one person can impact the well-being of millions," the nominating committee said in its citation. Pathak has helped change social attitudes towards "traditional unsanitary latrine practices in slums, rural villages, and dense urban districts, and developed cost-effective toilet systems that have improved daily life and health for millions of people," SIWI said. The toilets require only 1.5l of water per use to flush, compared to 10l for conventional toilets, offering significant benefits in regions with water shortages. He has also developed technologies that convert waste from toilets into biogas for heating, cooking and electricity generation. Pathak, born in 1943, will be presented with the $150,000 prize sum and a glass sculpture during the annual World Water Week in Stockholm in August. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
