Towards Brown Gold?: Reimagining off-grid sanitation in rapidly urbanising areas in Asia and Africa

Lead Research Organisation: Institute of Development Studies
Department Name: Research Department

Abstract

Once viewed as the 'the last taboo' in international development, sanitation is now considered pivotal for human wellbeing, productivity and health, and to realising all the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation with about 700 million defecating in the open (WHO 2019) exposing them to various health hazards. Work and time burdens as a result of unmet or poor sanitation are disproportionate for these marginalised groups (especially women) who are not only users of inappropriate services, they are often the service providers of high-risk, poor quality sanitation facilities and infrastructure. BROWN GOLD focuses on marginality, sanitation and wastewater challenges in five growing towns in Ethiopia, Ghana, India and Nepal. While toilet coverage has increased in all these towns due to massive and capital intensive sanitation campaigns, they have neglected a portion of the population, in particular, poor residents, migrants, lower castes, landless slum-dwellers and scavengers who are still denied their basic rights to clean water and safely managed sanitation. They live in areas not connected to centralised systems and are unlikely to be in the foreseeable future. This has important social and health consequences for these communities linked to the invisible flows of dangerous pathogens and water quality contamination. We view these challenges as an opportunity to rethink and reimagine these off-grid areas that fall beyond central urban planning as a fertile ground for social and technological innovations that are people centred, sustainable, equitable and in line with the idea of the circular economy. Indeed, faecal sludge is rich in water, nutrients and organic compounds, but the potential of this 'brown gold' remains hidden in the sludge and thus largely untapped. We will explore ways to re-use shit with the view to ensure that these innovations help address the sanitation crisis, enhance local livelihoods and the local and regional economies and the well-being of the excluded and marginalised. The project asks:
1) How do local communities perceive, experience and live with off-grid sanitation challenges and how do these lead to processes of marginalisation?
2) Which kinds of socio- technical and institutional processes/ innovations are required to re-imagine shit as 'brown gold' in ways that are environmentally safe, economically viable and also tackle social exclusions?
3) How can these locally appropriate innovations be facilitated to be socio-culturally acceptable, and socially inclusive? What are the trade-offs?
4) What kinds of policy, business and regulatory frameworks enable/ disable the uptake, scaling up and sustenance of these innovations?

These questions will be addressed by an interdisciplinary team bringing together social science, law, engineering, microbiology as well as creative arts. We will facilitate bottom up socio-technical processes and innovations co-produced between user communities, private entities, state agencies and civil society. We will employ an innovative mixed-methods approach, bringing together ethnographic, participatory, creative, quantitative and scientific data collection methods to examine whether innovations to consider shit as a resource or 'brown gold' can be a lens to reimagine the city. The project will generate evidence, knowledge and learning that will be useful to a range of academic and policy audience.In the long term, it is anticipated that the evidence generated through this project will inform the local, national and potentially global policy discourses and strategies on WASH in non-networked urban contexts, strengthen people centred, and bottom-up views on delivering WASH and urban planning programmes and augment opportunities for cross-learning across countries in water, health and sanitation sectors,

Planned Impact

BROWN GOLD focuses on reimagining off-grid sanitation in growing towns in Ghana, Nepal, Ethiopia and India as spaces for agency and bottom up processes of innovation that are people centred, sustainable, inclusive, equitable and also contribute to economic growth. It seeks to address the invisible and dangerous aspects of 'being off grid' which exposes communities to various health hazards and leads to the negation of the human right to water and safe sanitation. Through its interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary focus, the project will generate evidence, knowledge and learning that will be useful to a range of academic and policy audience. Through wider dissemination and sharing, the project will aim to make this knowledge applicable beyond the country contexts of UK, India, Nepal, Ghana and Ethiopia.
The beneficiaries of the project include: (1) local communities residing in low-income or slum settlements in Africa and Asia who lack safe sanitation provision; (2) municipal and town planning agencies; (3) wider policy community working on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), urban planning and circular economy; (4) global academic community working on WASH, cities, science technology studies, microbiology , circular economy and artists working for social change. The project will also provide wider lessons for linking SDG 6 (water and sanitation) with health (SDG 3), and cities (SDG 11) broadly contributing to the reduction of inequalities (SDG 10) and addressing gender inequalities (SDG 5).
The immediate impact will be inclusive FSM planning and stronger engagement between local communities, civil society actors and municipal agencies through developing risk management frameworks, excreta and pathogen mapping, and performative and creative interventions (theatre, drama and art making). In all sites, the research will be co-produced with local stakeholders keeping the interest of the marginalised (women, manual scavengers, refugees and migrants) at the centre of the project. Focusing on their lived experiences with waste and shit, we will seek to facilitate bottom-up processes of change, through locally adapted feacal sludge management (FSM) and resource recovery and reuse (RRR). In parallel, we will also work with local agencies, service providers (formal and informal) to develop a sanitation value chain that is inclusive and recognises the fair treatment of informal workers (particularly manual scavengers and women) who bear disproportionate costs for FSM.
The evidence produced will also benefit the wider policy and academic community working on water and sanitation in different institutional contexts as well as those interested in peri-urban research, water and sanitation access, citizenship and rights, local and inclusive innovations as well as the application of inter and transdisciplinary methods spanning social sciences creative arts and natural sciences. Evidence will be shared via different policy (policy briefs, presentations at various policy for a, blogs) and academic (journal articles, working papers, conferences) platforms to facilitate outreach and communication. In the long term, it is anticipated that the evidence generated through this project will inform the local, national and potentially global policy discourses and strategies on WASH in non-networked urban contexts, strengthen people centred, and bottom up views on delivering WASH and urban planning programmes and augment opportunities for cross learning across countries on water, health and sanitation sectors.
 
Title "Arts-science sanitation research and education project in Lumbini (Extension of Mud House Project) " 
Description The mud houses are free and open to the public, It invites visitors to come and learn about second-generation sanitation issues through art and conversation with sanitation workers. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2024 
Impact Education of the general public (over 3000 since 2022) on sanitation issues and change in attitude to often stigmatised sanitation workers. 
 
Title Development of new Posters for the replacement of old contents displayed in Mud houses 
Description Indeed, our initial information relied on secondary data. Now we've our own research findings, which have been shared with stakeholders. We can update previous messages depicted in the mud houses by using new data and findings. 
Type Of Art Artefact (including digital) 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Updated sanitation messages delivered to the public. 
 
Title FGDs/ Interviews and Photo Elicitation with Temporarily Migranting population in Nanded City to understand their access to sanitation 
Description The study in Nanded examines migrants' access to sanitation using the Photo Elicitation method. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Amplication of the voices and experience of Nanded migrants in their access to sanitation. 
 
Title Nepal: Photo Voice and Photo Elicitation 
Description Photovoice is used to address power relations between the researchers and the participants through the collaborative nature of photovoice. For the purpose, two groups (Male/Female photovoice group) are formed and 8/9 members are involved in each group from diverse section in terms of age, caste and religion. Using photo-elicitation, we seek to draw perceptions about the sanitation chain from these different groups. We also look at the intersections through the accompanying photos taken by natural science team to complement the knowledge gathered through our social science studies. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Creation of a democratic space for community members to share expereince of sanitation challenges. The photo voice method also led to insights that might have remained hidden in more conventional qualitative and quantitative analyses. For example, we discussed with participants about diseases manifesting from unsafe disposal of faecal matter and toilets getting waterlogged during the rainy season. This led to discussions on health care, access, financing, and expenses from going to state and private hospitals for treatment. 
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/using-visual-methods-for-community-led-change-cfcf60583b38
 
Title Photo Voices from the communities in Wa, Ghana 
Description Community members from Wa, Ghana, were trained on photo voice and were also provided with a mobile to take a photo of the world around them as they see it from their perspective/lens. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Amplification of community voices from Wa on their expereince of sanitation challenges. 
 
Title Photostory - A mirage of water: The story of Kuttanad 
Description The researcher and photographer duo of Hariprasad and Demathlal have been working with communities on water and sanitation issues for the last few years. Through this, they have explored and expressed, through their photographs, the unique water related challenges faced by the local community in the famed wetlands of Kuttanad. This wetland region lies in the state of Kerala, India and is a tourist hotspot. The natural system in the area comprises Vembanad lake, the Kuttanad wetland region and the Cochin estuary, and is together considered as a Ramsar wetland site. But the area under wetlands and the extent of Vembanad lake has reduced in the past five decades due to illegal settlements, urbanisation and other anthropogenic factors. Similarly, the water resources in the Kuttanad region are under considerable pressure in recent years and have become contaminated and depleted. In early 2022, Hariprasad and Demathlal immersed themselves within the community in Kuttanad, with the aim of using photography to shed light on their unique challenges related to availability of drinking water. The surface water is contaminated, and groundwater is scarce in the region making it difficult for the communities to access clean and safe drinking water. Also, the increased impacts of floods in the past few years has aggravated the water problem. 
Type Of Art Artefact (including digital) 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Community engagement and plans made for future activity 
URL https://watersciencepolicy.com/article/a-mirage-of-water-the-story-of-kuttanad-4a7a6e254902?language...
 
Description Our project seeks to explore the challenges and opportunities of off-grid sanitation in growing towns in Ghana, India, Nepal and Tigray/Ethiopia. We are examining how local communities experience and live with off-grid challenges as well as the kinds of social and technical processes needed to re-frame 'shit' - a harmful, polluting waste product - as 'brown gold'. We are working with local stakeholders to facilitate bottom-up innovations that seek to reuse faecal sludge and wastewater in ways that are people-centred, sustainable, equitable, and contribute to economic growth. We aim to address the urban sanitation crisis and, enhance off-grid economies, and the well-being of those excluded and marginalised. In Ghana, in Wa in the Upper West Region, private companies collect faecal sludge to dispose of at a designated landfill. We have found that farmers often purchase this waste to use as fertiliser. Although this is illegal, it shows a recognition for the potential of waste. Farmers, municipal and regional authorities have been willing to engage with the project via workshops and training on the safe reuse of waste. Circularity offers an opportunity to introduce new approaches and support safety and sustainability along waste-to-food system value chains, and our approach prioritises the need to ensure equity. In India we are working in Alleppey and Nanded. Alleppey, a major tourist destination in Kerala, has seen a congestion of its extensive 'backwater' canals and damage to its fragile ecosystem. Faecal waste often mixes with water bodies during heavy rains, increasing the spread of water-borne diseases. We are examining the links between floods, sanitation and health risks, and how unequal spaces and poor sanitary conditions contribute to these issues. We are also focusing on the history of sanitation work, issues of illegality, informality and social exclusion as well as the potential of decentralised waste management systems. Nanded, pioneered a city-wide community-led total sanitation in 2011. But challenges still exist, and poor communities face barriers in sanitation.

We have found through research in Nanded that high volumes interstate and intercity economic migration and establishment of informal settlements have placed strain on sanitation systems. Migrants in these settlements often lack access to any form of sanitation or safe water for washing and drinking; open deification and harassment is common, putting women and girls at particular risk. Sanitation workers - mainly from 'lower' castes - still clean sewers and on-site sanitation systems manually. Caste and occupation results in intense discrimination whilst exposing people to severe health risks. We are analysing how power relations and marginality affect access to sanitation, how inequalities contribute to marginalisation. In Nepal, Gulariya was declared open defecation free in 2015, but challenges in managing off-grid sanitation systems persist. Storage and disposal of waste practices are inadequate and expensive. Communities who are marginalised are prone to severe health risks. We are exploring key issues across the sanitation chain to contribute to policy and technology development to manage faecal sludge and optimise the recovery of resources. Brown Gold collaborator, the Nepal Engineering College (NEC), has produced a prototype Gulper for septic tank emptying. Not only will this Gulper reduce the risk posed by septic tank emptying but is small and light enough to be transported to harder to reach off-grid locations. Additionally, co-composting has emerged as a potential solution for safe waste reuse and disposal. Our natural science colleagues are researching optimal methods for co-composting in private homes, ensuring it reaches temperatures high enough to eliminate harmful pathogens. Mekelle, Tigray, suffers from water scarcity, and water bodies are often contaminated by overflowing wastewater. Mekelle has been hosting several hundred thousand internally displaced people since the war started in 2020, , increasing pressure on the city's already fragile infrastructure. We are evaluating technologies, business models, and regulatory and institutional arrangements to deliver sustainable faecal sludge management. In the context of conflict and resource scarcity, Brown gold research has uncovered communities' willingness in Tigray to take sanitation into their own hands in the reuse ground water for urban agriculture. There has also been significant research into water sources designated as holy and their potential to be a source of future Cholera outbreak. Through these five cases, the project has explored the challenges and opportunities of off-grid sanitation with a focus on the experiences of local communities. We are working with local stakeholders to facilitate bottom-up innovations that seek to reuse faecal sludge and wastewater in ways that are people-centred, sustainable, equitable, and contribute to economic growth.
Exploitation Route The Brown Gold project is identifying synergies and linkages between the five urbanising towns we are working in across Nepal, India, Ghana and Tigray/Ethiopia and working with local governments and communities to help create broad-based theoretical and practical knowledge on inclusive, safe and sustainable sanitation as well as resource recovery and reuse. We have shaped academic debates on sanitation in international development, and debates around circular economy by bringing a focus on social and environmental justice. Through innovative, interdisciplinary research the project is advancing academic debates around sanitation, faecal sludge management and shit reuse. In terms of non-academic impact, we are working with local governments at the city level as well as currently seeking to influence wider national policy debates around sanitation introducing the concept of 'brown gold' with policy roundtables hosted in Nepal as well as participation in a National joint sector review. Significant policy, community, and academic engagement as well as fieldwork has taken place in Tigray despite the protracted conflict. While these countries are in various stages of the process of framing policy for faecal sludge management, we will take forward the research findings in the final phase of the project to directly influence policy debates at the local and national levels. Furthermore, we intend to consolidate and share the comparative findings emerging from the project to influence global debates around faecal sludge management and circular economy, an important emerging area for international development. We organised a high-profile event on March 14 2034 ahead of the UN Water Conference in March 2023. Brown Gold findings were presented there and also at two side events at the UN Water Conference in New York from March 22-24.

The work of Towards Brown Gold is helping change attitudes and policies in Nepal.
Engagement with the Ministry of Water Supply-led sanitation review led to two recommendations from Towards Brown Gold included in the final review outcome, the September 2023 Kathmandu Declaration of 20 Key Recommendations for Advancing the WASH sector in Nepal. These are Recommendation 4 which urges action 'for improved mapping, facilitating, licensing, regulating and standardising of water and sanitation services [] for both offsite and onsite sanitation services'; and Recommendation 8 which stresses the adoption of municipality-wide inclusive sanitation approaches considering circular economy principles to contribute to cleaner water bodies and the environment.

Another example of the project's vision in action are two sanitation mud houses at Nepal's Lumbini Peace Park. Crafted by local artisans with the Brown Gold team's inputs, their outer walls show the sanitation chain from households to septic tanks to dumping sites. More than 3000 visitors, including a local parliamentarian, students, and teachers, women's group members, sanitation workers, and key municipal officials, have engaged with educational and outreach events at these sanitation mud houses since 2022. These activities highlighted challenges of sanitation work and sparked conversations about shit that go beyond building and using toilets. Mr Sudhaker Pandey a Parliament member from Lumbini Province said, 'The mud house is very useful, it explains how to make the toilet safe and how the water can become contaminated. I think (it) is giving very good message to the community.'
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Communities and Social Services/Policy

Environment

Government

Democracy and Justice
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold
 
Description Towards Brown Gold has foregrounded sanitation and waste-related experiences of the most marginalised groups, many of whom are service providers of high-risk sanitation infrastructures and who are more vulnerable to the risks associated with poor sanitation systems. Through inter- and trans-disciplinary work, we have sought to examine how local communities experience and live with off-grid challenges as well as the kinds of social and technical processes needed to re-frame 'shit' - a harmful, polluting waste product - as 'brown gold'. The project's team bring together social science, law, engineering, microbiology, and creative arts expertise to help facilitate bottom-up processes and innovations. Many of our project partners are involved in long-term engagement with policy, and this is only part of a continuing series of engagements and relationships with authorities and policy processes in their areas. The findings of the research from the grant are being used to help inform processes around sanitation policy design and implementation across the cities we are working in. We have been working in close collaboration with communities and local governments to influence sanitation plans that address the needs of the most marginalised groups. This will not only help improve the effectiveness of public services but also enhance health outcomes as well as social and environmental justice. In India, research findings from the work in Alleppey were presented at the 'GEX 23' Liquid Waste Management Conclave in Kochi, Kerala which brought together state-level stakeholders. We are also in the final phases of planning a national policy roundtable to take place in Bombay, March 2024 engaging stakeholders from across the sanitation sector at varying policy levels. To add to this engagement the Brown Gold team also participated in the first International Water Association conference on Non-sewered Sanitation, South Africa. In Nepal, we have been in close communication with the municipality of the town of Gulariya and the research were shared with them through a policy engagement workshop in April 2023. We also conducted policy engagement workshops at the provincial and national level in April/May 2023 to further shape debates around sanitation policy. Moreover, in May 2023 the Nepal team participated in the National Joint Sector Review for Water and Sanitation, convened by the Ministry of Water Supply. In addition, activities have included an inclusive arts component. In Gulariya, Nepal, using photovoice and photo-elicitation, we aimed to build a bank of knowledge based on the communities' lived experiences from different perspectives, and how they engage with water and sanitation systems and deepen understanding of the sanitation chain. In Wa, Ghana similar photovoice techniques were used to reveal how community members interact with sanitation systems in their daily lives. In Lumbini, Nepal, we produced an installation of two interconnected mud houses for the British Council's Women of the World Festival in 2022. Through the year, we conducted regular stakeholder meetings at this venue, including workshops with local communities, sanitation entrepreneurs and sanitation workers to initiate discussions around the potential for shit re-use. This included engaging young women and female sanitation workers and through songs related to WASH and faecal sludge management, inter-school drawing competitions on the sanitation value chain to generate discussion about faecal sludge management among adolescents, and radio jingles. These mud houses have continued into 2023 and 2024, and act as a key space in which key sanitation messages are communicated and the voices of marginalised sanitation workers amplified, breaking the stigma of sanitation and sanitation work. Using insights gained in the first year of the mud houses updated messaging has been produced. In total over 3000 visitors have visited the mud houses since opening. In Ghana, we conducted a stakeholder workshop in July 2022 in Wa bringing together various key WASH actors from government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, financial institutions, private institutions and communities to discuss sanitation practices and opportunities and challenges for value creation along the sanitation service chain. In Wa, we also used insights gathered from the project's case studies to present to the Municipal Assembly and Regional Department of Environmental Health and Sanitation, as such they concluded that training was required for farmers using faecal sludge as fertiliser. In May 2023, 40 farmers from Kpongu and Nakori were trained on the safe reuse of faecal sludge including co- composting methods. In Tigray, Ethiopia, circularity assessments comprising of focus group discussions, field assessments and waste water evaluations were carried out. Findings were shared at were shared at stakeholder workshop generating awareness creation, co-learning and further engagements on sanitation and circularity in Tigray. Policy engagement has continued in Tigray at both the federal and local level.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Policy & public services
 
Description National Level Workshop on Prioritizing Safely Managed Sanitation in Nepal: Beyond ODF and Toilet Construction
Geographic Reach Asia 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Policy makers influenced.
 
Description Province Level Workshop on Prioritizing Safely Managed Sanitation in Nepal: Beyond ODF and Toilet Construction
Geographic Reach Asia 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Policy makers influenced.
 
Description Province Municipality level Workshop on Prioritizing Safely Managed Sanitation in Nepal: Beyond ODF and Toilet Construction
Geographic Reach Asia 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Policy makers influenced.
 
Description Workshop on "Prioritizing Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene in Nepal: Beyond ODF" with the support of WaterAid Nepal under Brown Gold (BG) Project.
Geographic Reach Asia 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
 
Description Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) 
Organisation Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Country India 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution IDS has worked closely with IITB to cordinate activities in Kerala at our Alleppey site.
Collaborator Contribution The contractee will lead the project roll out in Alleppey (Kerala) and also work with other partners (IDS, UoB, IWMI, CLTS-F, Water Aid) to coordinate activities in Kerala. In addition, the contractee will also contribute to cross-cutting and comparative work in the project. The contractee will be responsible for ensuring that all research activities adhere to the ethical and data management guidelines laid out for the project
Impact "Manual Scavengers to Private Service Providers: The Evolution of Septage work in Alleppey Town" "Linking Floods with Sanitation - political ecology of infrastructure in Alleppey" "Deploying Fecal Sludge Manaegement Services in Kerala Towns: Challenges through the lens of Alleppey" World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold The mirage of water in Kuttanad: a photostory Has sanitation work in south India improved over time? Here's what we found in Kerala Has sanitation work in south India improved over time? Here's what we found in Kerala "Climate change, sanitation and Alleppey town" Emarging Sanitation challenges in the context of changing climate Thelineerozhukum Rani Kanal' - a Documentary Political ecology of floods and saniation in Alleppey "The Mirage of water in Kuttanad: A photostory" "Invited Panel Member at Global Expo 2023, Kochi" "Presentation: Technology,Policy and Laws : Understanding the Evolution of Sanitation Work and Workers" Breaking the bias: Women Vanguards of 'Garbage free Kerala' Planning, coordinating and execution of Annual Brown Gold meet - 2022 December "Meeting with different actors including Municipal chairman, elected representatives, government officials, sanitation workers who are from Alleppey - one of the project site" "Stakeholder meeting (Field work) at different sites in Alleppey" "Invited participant at the Formalisation of fecal Waste management system meeting at Cherthala Muncipal office" 'Concern - Hope - Answer. 'GEX 23' Liquid Waste Management Conclave:A mirage of water: The story of Kuttanad Discussion on adaptive OSS and toilets for waterlogged areas Sanitation Workers Forum 2021 World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold CANALPY Field Visit Ideation workshop Liquid waste campaign workshop
Start Year 2020
 
Description Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM) 
Organisation Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management
Country India 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution IDS has contracted SOPPECOM for their work on the project and worked with them on their project roll out in Nanded (Maharashtra).
Collaborator Contribution The contractee leads the project roll out in Nanded (Maharashtra) and also work with other partners to coordinate activities in Maharashtra. The contractee is responsible for ensuring that all research activities adhere to the ethical and data management guidelines laid out for the project.
Impact World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold
Start Year 2020
 
Description Univeristy of Brighton 
Organisation University of Brighton
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Co lead the programme with University of Brighton
Collaborator Contribution The Univerity of Brighton are co-investiagtors on the project.
Impact Assessment of Hydrated Lime Ca(OH)2 as a Faecal Sludge Sanitation Tool' Mobile drawing methods in landscape research: non-representational approaches in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Invited panel member at 'Sanitation in Urban Informal Settlements' workshop and representative for IWA Health Related Water Microbiology Specialist Group at World Water Congress 2022 Copenhagen (11-15/09/22) Assessment of groundwater quality in Gulariya (Southwestern Nepal) during dry and wet(monsoon) seasons Understanding barriers to safe household water and sanitation in Western Nepal Naural Science Research, Gulariya Protecting and connecting the unconnected in rapidly urbanizing settlements towards a safe circular water economy in Nepal, International symposium organised by Lancaster University, UK Identifying and understanding barriers to the safe containment and reuse of human excreta in Gulariya a rapidly urbanizing town in South western Nepal Mobile drawing methods in landscape research: collaborative drawing in Kathmandu Valley Mud houses as a tool for change: Brown Gold at WOW Festival Nepal (un)clean (un)seen: Raising awareness of sanitation workers Making the invisible visible in the sanitation chain Stakeholders Workshop in Lumbini WoW festival in Lumbini Workshop presentation ' What can art do in Water and Sanitation research and practice?
Start Year 2020
 
Description University of Bedfordshire 
Organisation University of Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Partner on the brown gold project.
Collaborator Contribution Partner on brown gold project.
Impact Mobile drawing methods in landscape research: collaborative drawing in Kathmandu Valley Stakeholders Workshop in Lumbini WoW festival in Lumbini Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR) Awayday and combined ISPAR Board Research Graduate School (RGS_ORG): BMRI (Business and Management Research Institute) Annual Conference UoB 2022 Annual Research Conference
Start Year 2021
 
Description 'Assessment of Hydrated Lime Ca(OH)2 as a Faecal Sludge Sanitation Tool' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Symposium on UK-Lime Research. The British Lime Association (BLA) represents the industry interests responsible for producing more than 75% of the industrial lime sold in the UK (circa 1.2 million tonnes) for use in a wide variety of diverse downstream applications e.g. food production, agriculture and water treatment. This event offered an opportunity to promote the potential of lime as a low-cost faecal sludge management option and soild conditioner. Presentation by Dr Diogo Trajano Da Silva and Professor James Ebdon (Brighton University).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description (un)clean (un)seen: Raising awareness of sanitation workers 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Twelve sanitation workers from Nepal created a performance called '(un)seen (un)clean' at this year's Women of the World (WOW) festival in Lumbini Peace Park, in collaboration with artists Alice Fox and Ashmina Ranjit. The performance brought attention to the incredible work they do, and findings from the Brown Gold project so far, along with an information stall hosted by Brown Gold in the festival.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/un-clean-un-seen-raising-awareness-of-sanitation-workers-8a634e...
 
Description ??????????? ?????? ????? : ????? ??????? ? ?????? ?????? ??????? (Brown Gold Mud Houses-Art Installation and Sanitation Education Centre -Nepali language) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Article on the domestic provision of community sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://washkhabar.com/np/2022/09/22/28049?fbclid=IwAR1NcORAmghdh5zaCNRkFq408luvGZG0Pw9JMWh-LmEagq6_...
 
Description ASIANET Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact 'Consuming Asia - Systems and Structures of Consumption in Modern and Contemporary Asia,' 2023 Nordin NIAS Council / ASIANET Conference, University of Bergen
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Addressing climate change and development through off-grid sanitation infrastructures 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this blog, we explore how sanitation work, workers and industry have evolved in one of Towards Brown Gold's research location in Alleppey, Kerala.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.cseindia.org/pan-asiacapacity-building-roundtable-cum-workshopon-water-wastewater-and-sa...
 
Description Assessment of groundwater quality in Gulariya (Southwestern Nepal) during dry and wet(monsoon) seasons 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Abstract submission for presentation at the WATERMICRO23, Darwin, Australia 4-8 June 2023. Conference organized by the IWA (International Water association) Health Related Microbiology subgroup
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Assessments on sanitation and circularity 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact It involved focus group discussions, field assessments and water/wastewater suitability evaluation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Assessments on sanitation and circularity 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact It involved focus group discussions, field assessments and water/wastewater suitability evaluation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Assessments on sanitation and circularity 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact It involved focus group discussions, field assessments and water/wastewater suitability evaluation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Assessments on sanitation and circularity 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact It involved focus group discussions, field assessments and water/wastewater suitability evaluation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description BG Review Meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The meeting, held at Chandragiri Resort and Hotel Shanker in Nepal from November 19th to 24th, 2023, was organized to discuss the progress, upcoming plans, and the publication of a paper on inter/multidisciplinary research. Researchers from Ethiopia, Ghana, India, and Nepal participated, contributing valuable insights and engaging in discussions on future plans, policy briefs, and publications. It was a memorable and enlightening gathering.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Between the cracks of the sanitation grid: a photostory of Nanded, India 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In this photo story, Tanvi Bhatkal, Lyla Mehta, Pallavi Harshe and Veena Jadhav of Towards Brown Gold document the challenges and resilience of communities in the face of absent, poor or unsafe sanitation in Nanded.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/between-the-cracks-of-the-sanitation-grid-a-photostory-of-nande...
 
Description Billboard Preparation 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The content is ready and we are communicating with the artists, and approaching him with our design. will keep the team informed on the updates. We are planning to display pictures and messages on the billboards, and our billboards idea is to aware people on Faecal sludge management and implications of unsafely managed FS.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This blog written in the context of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference - the first since 1977. The blog talks about the intersection of sanitation and climate change, as well as, the need to embed. social sciences approaches into solving WASH challenges
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/un-water-conference-its-time-to-reset-our-approach-to-the-global-wate...
 
Description Blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This blog using the Brown Gold Project as an example of how to answer the following questions: What if the barriers to real change don't come from sum totals of individual action but instead from structural and systemic impediments hindering those seeking change?

What if the problem is that billions of people produce shit every day, and this is then seen simply as a waste management problem-politically unappealing to resolve and therefore pushed down the rankings of government action as well as socially stigmatised?
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://indepthnews.net/humming-a-new-tune-on-world-toilet-day/
 
Description Blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This blog argues better water access and sanitation is a social and public good, and it needs investment.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.context.news/climate-risks/opinion/its-time-to-reset-our-approach-to-the-global-water-cr...
 
Description Blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact This blog talks about challenges of using photo-elicitation method among temporary migrants in NWMC. It was an output of a study of migrants access to sanitation in Nanded City.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023,2024
 
Description Blog: Launching Towards Brown Gold on World Toilet Day 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Lyla Mehta introduces the Towards Brown Gold project and reflects on some of the key issues within the research that seeks to re-frame 'shit', a polluting and harmful waste product to be disposed of, as 'brown gold', a resource rich in water, nutrients and organic compounds, that can make a real contribution to the development of sustainable cities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/blog-launching-towards-brown-gold-on-world-toilet-day-2020-507e...
 
Description Breaking the bias: Women Vanguards of 'Garbage free Kerala' 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The backbone of solid waste management in Kerala, India, is a group of women called Haritha Karma Sena (HKS), translated as 'Green Task Force'. Formed in 2017, HKS has an active membership of nearly 30,000 women. In this way, Kerala can be considered as the first state in the country to adopt a decentralised waste management practice by opening up livelihoods in the sanitation sector state-wide. The members are a skilled workforce who carry out door-to-door waste collection, segregation of dry waste, operate and maintain treatment facilities and other community-based waste processing centres.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/breaking-the-bias-women-vanguards-of-garbage-free-kerala-325bfb...
 
Description Breaking the bias: Women Vanguards of 'Garbage free Kerala' 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The backbone of solid waste management in Kerala, India, is a group of women called Haritha Karma Sena (HKS), translated as 'Green Task Force'. Formed in 2017, HKS has an active membership of nearly 30,000 women. In this way, Kerala can be considered as the first state in the country to adopt a decentralised waste management practice by opening up livelihoods in the sanitation sector state-wide. The members are a skilled workforce who carry out door-to-door waste collection, segregation of dry waste, operate and maintain treatment facilities and other community-based waste processing centres.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/breaking-the-bias-women-vanguards-of-garbage-free-kerala-325bfb...
 
Description Brown Gold (un)clean (un)seen performance 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact As part of the interdisciplinary research and arts element of the 'Towards Brown Gold' project, we highlight second-generation sanitation challenges. We have built a sanitation education and lobbying facility at Lumbini Peace Park Nepal and are engaging with sanitation workers and community members to push for rights to clean water and to raise awareness of the potential for shit re-use. We also developed a performance with Sanitation workers at the Women of the World Festival in 2022 at Lumbini Peace Park to increase the visibility of sanitation workers at this site.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://vimeo.com/701769069/2ed09e7f8e
 
Description Brown Gold Mud Houses- At a glance 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact These mud houses are a beautiful community facility and art installation for everybody to enjoy and learn more about global sanitation challenges, humanure, clean water and how to design and empty toilets well.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://youtu.be/QqAbhMsej3A
 
Description CANALPY Field Visit 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Two top-level bureaucrats visited the CANALPY office. The visitors were the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Local Self Government and the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Kerala Government. The purpose of this visit was to elaborate on the possibilities and practices on off-grid sanitation solutions across Kerala state by learning from the decentralised liquid waste management experience in Alleppey and to discuss the possible opportunities under LWM.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Climate change, sanitation and Alleppey town 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In a seminar organized as part of local planning by Alappuzha City Council, spoke on the topic of liquid waste problems in the changing times.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.facebook.com/canalpyorg/posts/pfbid02r6sH8awXGstmpAG1K8xs8EkG6dQPfm9q9wwcxYwNbKWdWQUmZQY...
 
Description Community Engagement (exposure visit of the local level representative), Lumbini 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Engagement of local level representative from CSOs, Mother Groups, Dalit Society, Muslim Society, Youth /Child clubs etc. for wider message dissemination on safe water and sustainable sanitation. Participants excited to see the message displayed in knowledge center. At the program, they shared about the present sanitation practice and committed to convey the safe water, sanitation, gender related message to the community. They also asserted that this is important to follow the safety rules while desludging the toilet pit to protect from the diseases which may spread in lack of proper sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.facebook.com/100083284325293/videos/589874839139878
 
Description Concern - Hope - Answer. 'GEX 23' Liquid Waste Management Conclave 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Despite being faced with waste management challenges due to its unique developmental status, Kerala recently organized a liquid waste management conclave in Kochi, bringing together experts and stakeholders to explore innovative solutions and best practices. This event provides a promising opportunity for Kerala to further improve its waste management efforts and promote the well-being of its citizens.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Conference organized by SD Dombo University of business and integrated development studies.
Theme of conference "Bridging The Gap Between Applied Research, Policy Formulation, and Implementation"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://ubids.edu.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023_BOOK_OF_ABSTRACTS_2023_pdf.pdf
 
Description Conference side event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact 'UN 2023 Water Conference Side Event Water and Nutrition: Harmonizing Actions between the Water and Nutrition Decade. What does it take?', Organized by IFPRI, IDS, IATP
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Consultation and Information Collections 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) that explored data from specific group of people on predefined semi -structure questions on knowledge, attitude, perceptions and status on SWM/FSTP. Discussants were from the following groups: sanitary workers, Squatters, Dalot Community, Women's group, Muslim community , entrepreneurs and tharu leaders.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Consultation and Information Collections 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The Key Informant Interview (KII) explored authentic information from key actors on many aspects of the research questions. The interviewees included a municipality social development officer, ward chair, entrepreneur, service holders, dalit federation chair, Tharu leader and a sanitation supervisor.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Courtesy meeting with Stakeholders 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact "The main objective of the meeting was to discuss on the topics as follows;
• History of ODF campaign
• About the formulation of Sanitation and Hygiene Master plan
• Collaborative efforts of all for making the ODF campaign successful
• WASH coordination committee after federal structure
• Role of local government and coordination among government line agencies and stakeholders
• About the plan for the sustainability of ODF achievement and further activities to address the off-grid sanitation
• The role of WSSDO at present
• Need of development partners to accelerate the campaign regularly
• Need of community sensitization
• Opinions of social organizations working on WASH sector
"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Courtesy meeting with officials of Gulariya Officials 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Courtesy meeting with the Mayer, Deputy Mayer, Administrative Officer and Planning Officer in Gulariya Municipality for sharing the ongoing research program as well planning sharing for the workshop on April 2023. (Date will be finalized in next meeting)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Discussion on Adaptive OSS and Toilets for Waterlogged Areas 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Brainstorming session for an appropriate technology design for solution liquid waste management organised by Integrated Rural Technology Center (IRTC), an important player in decentralized sanitation solutions for Kerala. Participation by project members Rohit Joseph and Professor NC Narayanan.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Dissemination at stakeholder's workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Dissemination at National stakeholder's workshop organised by TBG project, Hotel Shanker, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was attended by wider community from Government, Academia, professionals and practitioners.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Documentary 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The documentary emphasizes water and basic sanitation accessibility among the migrant women working as cane cutters.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023,2024
 
Description Documentary 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact A documentary mainly to highlight the conditions of sanitation workers, focusing on their health, economic insecurity, and the social discrimination they face.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Education project (Lumbini) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The mud houses are free and open to the public, It invites visitors to come and learn about second-generation sanitation issues through art and conversation with sanitation workers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/mud-houses-as-a-tool-for-change-brown-gold-at-wow-festival-nepa...
 
Description Emerging Sanitation challenges in the context of changing climate 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In the seminar organized as part of Alappuzha district's comprehensive waste management project, spoke on the topic of liquid waste problems and solutions in the changing times.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.facebook.com/canalpyorg/posts/pfbid0suP9wm81A1U79bvCjJwYckdF13LAwpUwfM7Y2k2WSmeLrMuVWGB2...
 
Description Equality for sanitation workers is key to transforming waste into Brown Gold 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Blog arguing that the explicit recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation became the driving force in focusing on designing and building sanitation infrastructure to serve the needs of women, menstruating girls, and people living with disabilities. But to truly realise the potential of brown gold, we must also focus on the service providers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/equality-for-sanitation-workers-is-key-to-transforming-waste-in...
 
Description Field assessment 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Understanding waste, surface water and groundwater interactions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Film 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact The film's message will reach a broader audience, helping individuals recognize the transformative influence of art on sanitation and hygiene practices. Additionally, it will serve as an advocate for sanitation workers, whose vital contributions to society often go unacknowledged, invisible and undervalued.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description First experiment of co-composting, Gulariya 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact "Experimental Trials- MSW shorting, shredding, mixing and piling
Four separate piles were created to explore the composting process to compare quality parameters, Oversize materials of biodegradable waste were shredded to optimize the mixing with the dewatered FS, Turned twice at first week, once a week for first month and at every two weeks after then to accelerate smooth compost process.
Preliminary Findings:
The reduction of pile volume and changed in density of each pile at the beginning, at 24 days, 45 days . It shows how the decomposition process is being occurred in the composting process- the volume reduces rapidly in the first three weeks, then seems stable .
Findings - Mesophilic and Thermophilic process during composting
At the initial stage of composting (first week), temperature of compost pile except FS only > 45 degree centigrade (Thermophilic process)
Expected more than 60°c but seems lower temperature due to smaller pile size,
After second week, temperature gradually decreases (mesophilic process)
Findings- N,P,K value & C/N value of different piles at 45 days
Nitrogen (N) is higher in all pile than guiding value except dewatered FS
Phosphorus (P) is also higher in all piles than guiding value except MSW fraction only
Potassium (K) is far less than limit value in all pile
C/N ratio seems very low than almost all pile - means high nitrogen and deficiency in carbon content at 45 days"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description First round stakeholder workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Discuss on the status of water and sanitation in Mekelle city and identify major issues for further studies and interventions
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Formalisation of fecal Waste management system meeting at Cherthala Muncipal office 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Invited by the Cherthala municipal secretary (Alappuzha district) to help and coordinate in looking at the sanitation worker's aspect from a research angle. Meeting was held in connection with the building of new FSTP plant in Alleppey.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description From off-grid sanitation to the circular economy: challenges beyond technological solutions in India 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Workshop/Event titled 'From off-grid sanitation to the circular economy: challenges beyond technological solutions in India', with 51-100 participants.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/recirculate/2022/03/ctu22/
 
Description Gulper project visit 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Gulper-project visit and integration with nec faculty.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://actionkhabar.com/news/2023/11/23/5789?fbclid=IwAR1Jar1qHFwwKvRjd0iq45Aj91BuDA_40-tamsx5BGY1L...
 
Description Half-day workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The workshop, held on November 23, 2023, at Hotel Shanker in Kathmandu, was a significant event where researchers of Ethiopia, Ghana, India and Nepal presented the findings of inter/multidisciplinary research. This workshop provided an opportunity for a comprehensive discussion on the research findings and the current status of water and sanitation in Nepal and abroad. The participants actively engaged in the session, providing valuable feedback and suggestions for further improvement. The workshop had a total of 70 participants from different government, non-government organizations, I/NGOs and university ensuring a diverse representation of stakeholders.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Has sanitation work in south India improved over time? Here's what we found in Kerala 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact A blog about the shift in sanitation work in Alleppey town in South Kerala and how the pool of sanitation workers have changed over past few decades.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/has-sanitation-work-in-south-india-improved-over-time-heres-wha...
 
Description Has sanitation work in south India improved over time? Here's what we found in Kerala 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The sanitation sector across in India and across the world has witnessed a major shift in the past few decades, seeing changes in sanitation work, due to the emergence of new technologies and laws. But still, many sanitation workers use the same means to conduct their work despite the technological advances.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/has-sanitation-work-in-south-india-improved-over-time-heres-wha...
 
Description How a regional blockage triggered rapid emergence of urban agriculture with waste water: The case of Mekelle city, northern Ethiopia 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Blog on urban argiculture waste water in Mekelle.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description IDS Blog Article: 'On World Toilet Day let's re-imagine 'shit' as 'brown gold'' 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A blog article on the IDS website for World Toilet Day, entitled 'On World Toilet Day let's re-imagine 'shit' as 'brown gold'', with information on the project and links to other relevant resources. The 2020 focus of World Toilet Day was on sustainable sanitation and climate change, making the 'Brown Gold' project of particular relevance.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/on-world-toilet-day-lets-re-imagine-shit-as-brown-gold/
 
Description IDS Press Release: 'New IDS research project seeks to re-imagine 'shit' as 'brown gold'' 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact News article for project on the IDS website entitled 'New IDS research project seeks to re-imagine 'shit' as 'brown gold'', outlining the aims and objectives of the project and linking to other relevant pages such as the project web page.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/news/new-ids-research-project-seeks-to-re-imagine-shit-as-brown-gold/
 
Description IDS Project Page: 'Towards Brown Gold: Re-imagining off grid sanitation in rapidly urbanising areas in Asia and Africa' 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Project page on the IDS website entitled 'Towards Brown Gold: Re-imagining off grid sanitation in rapidly urbanising areas in Asia and Africa', providing an overview of the project background and objectives and linking to other related outputs.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/projects/towards-brown-gold-re-imagining-off-grid-sanitation-in-rapidly-urbani...
 
Description INFRA+ Interrelations: Infrastructure for Fragmented Cities 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk given by Professor Lyla Mehta and Postdoctoral Fellow Tanvi Bhatkal titled 'Marginality and Infrastructure in Off-Grid Settings'. This was part of the INFRA+ 'Interrelations: Infrastructure for Fragmented Cities' webinar.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNnxjk_gGwc
 
Description Ideation Workshop on Sanitation 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Workshop co-organised by project members Rohit Joseph and Prof. NC Narayanan. Workshop conducted to finalise a shelf of technology options for fecal sludge management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Installation of Mud Houses 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact "Two mud houses are made in Lumbini Peace Park to act as a sanitation education and lobbying facility. We are engaging with sanitation workers and community members to push for rights to clean water and to raise awareness of the potential for shit re-use. The houses located near the World Peace Pagoda in Lumbini Park, have been built using local materials such as bamboo, thatch, dung, mud. On the outside of the houses, the process of proper faecal sludge management, the need of water-sealed toilet pits, and how faeces is mixed with drinking water sources from the non-sealed toilet pits, are artistically displayed. Educational materials are placed in the first mud house where visitors can get information about hygiene. In tea cups made of mud placed here, the visitor can create a picture related to sanitation and hygiene, and they can anonymously share feedback and suggestions related to sanitation and hygiene. A suggestion box is also there for further suggestions. Banners in English and Nepali languages are placed on the corridor between the mud house with information on sanitation, hygiene, drinking water, feacal sludge treatment, gender, marginalisation, and more, and posters in Nepali and Awadhi languages are placed on both sides of the corridor. These mud houses are a beautiful community facility and art installation for everybody to enjoy and learn more about global sanitation challenges, humanure, clean water and how to design and empty toilets well.
National/international visitors as well as general people from diverse community visit the houses regularly aiming to learn something and share their opinions and experiences."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022,2023
 
Description Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR) Awayday and combined ISPAR Board 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presented on the universities research strategy, research investment, support, vision and priorities including sharing about the Brown Gold project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Inter-School Drawing Program 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Inter-School Drawing Program was held among the students of Public Schools situated in Lumbini Cultural Municipality. The participants for the drawing were selected by the Schools and nominated students attended the program along with School Focal teacher. For the program, the theme of the drawing was sent to each School. The key theme of the program based on (positive/negative impact of faecal sludge, drinking water and sanitation)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Interaction Program with Sanitation workers and Local Entrepreneurs, Lumbini 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact The program was held with private entrepreneurs and sanitation workers who have been working in the field of Faecal sludge management in Lumbini and surrounding areas for years. The participants in the program shared their experiences about their profession and the challenges they faced during FSM.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Introductory Consultation Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Dissemination of project information, consultation on pertinent questions and documenting all aspects of current status, perceptions, knowledge, attitude and practices. By Prof.Sabitri Tripathi, Prabha Pokhrel, Prof.Dhundiraj Pathak, Kishmat Singh Tharu (M.Sc. student), Water Aid Nepal team.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Invited Panel Member at Global Expo 2023, Kochi 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Suchitwa Mission is the 'Technical Support Group' in the Waste Management sector under the Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala. Suchitwa Mission organized a Global Expo on Waste Management Technologies named as GEx Kerala 23. Participated as a key speaker for the expo regarding the role of social campaigns to engage community in liquid waste management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Invited panel member at 'Sanitation in Urban Informal Settlements' workshop and representative for IWA Health Related Water Microbiology Specialist Group at World Water Congress 2022 Copenhagen (11-15/09/22) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This workshop - "Sanitation in Urban Informal Settlements" - was attended by about 50 participants from 16 countries representing academia/universities (40%) institutions/associations (25%), utilities (15%), companies (10%) and NGOs (10%) and resulted in the generation of a Summary Report (legacy document). This report was disseminated Summary Report via UN-Habitat, Slum Dwellers International, and the Internationa Water Association's (IWA) Specialist Groups.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://worldwatercongress.org/programme/#thursday-programme
 
Description Journey of Mud House Construction 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact "The mud houses: a reflection of art, science, sanitation research and education
through local art and culture for sanitation promotion."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://youtu.be/KFp1lDYrxG0
 
Description Lecture 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Professor Ebdon's inaugural lecture will take you on a faecal odyssey, from the depths of southern England to the mega-slums of India, and from rural Malawi to the plains of Nepal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.brighton.ac.uk/research/research-news/films-and-publications/inaugural-lectures/professo...
 
Description Liquid Waste Campaign Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Workshop conducted to state wide participants about a state level campaign for integrated liquid waste management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Local Craft Training 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact We will be conducting the training for making wicker crafts(baskets, penholders etc) for marginalized women within two weeks, we can ask them if they are interested and make time for the training which will provide them with some secondary means of income generation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Making the invisible visible in the sanitation chain 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In this blog, we show the importance of some of these activities in highlighting the often invisible aspects of sanitation on World Toilet Day
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/making-the-invisible-visible-in-the-sanitation-chain-664f1e0905...
 
Description Meeting for the planning and preparation of national workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact "Courtesy meeting with the Senior WASH Policy Advisor, WaterAid, Govind Shrestha for national level workshop on first week of May 2023. Final date will be decided while a lot of people to work around here.
"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Meeting with different actors including Municipal chairman, elected representatives, government officials, sanitation workers who are from Alleppey - one of the project sites 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The meeting had a brief introduction of the brown gold project and discussion with
state actors, mainly Alleppey municipality. The meeting release the release of a short study conducted on waste management in Alleppey town that includes suggestions for 'clean city, clean home' project to develop further.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Mud houses as a tool for change: Brown Gold at WOW Festival Nepal 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Blog discussing how the Brown Gold project created an interactive art installation to through a group mud-houses, to facilitate dialogue and education around better sanitation practices and repurposing 'shit' as 'brown gold'. The houses are located at Lumbini Peace Park, Nepal, with the first one opened for the Women of the World (WOW) Festival on 16 April 2022, and remains open for more than a year.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/mud-houses-as-a-tool-for-change-brown-gold-at-wow-festival-nepa...
 
Description Naural Science Research, Gulariya 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The main objective of the research in Gulariya Municipality is to find out the quality of ground water which community people have been using for years. In lack of water sealed toilet pit and not maintaining the distance betwen water sources and toilet pit, the risk of water contamination seems high. In addition, the research is focused to investigate the challenges and opportunities for the improvement of sanitation and waste management services with an aim to support Municipalities and marginalized communities by recommending their increased access to quality services and the optimum use of resources from waste.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description New Posters 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Indeed, our initial information relied on secondary data. Now we've our own research findings, which have been shared with stakeholders. We can update previous messages depicted in the mud houses by using new data and findings.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Access to water and decent sanitation service is a human right. However, its realisation has always been fraught with challenges which are likely to be magnified as structural injustices intersect with the impacts of the climate crisis.

We see this, for instance, with extreme weather events such as droughts and floods and the serious risk they post to Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and access.

This session is part of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development's (ICCAD) 'South Asia Regional Hub' conference and will discuss how we should re-imagine WASH under conditions of climatic uncertainty to ensure just, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dksLkC2fk&ab_channel=TheResilienceHub
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Deepa Joshi shares insights on the importance of including a gender and solidarity focus whilst moving towards brown gold.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4js1G1284eg&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=3&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Dr Solomie Gebrezgabher shares insights on why we need to move towards brown gold in Wa, a rapidly urbanising town in north western Ghana.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unhJpQ_ec_A&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=6&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Dr Diogo Trajano Gomes De Silva shares insights on the important role of natural science has in moving towards brown gold.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxuYKfJjcgE&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=4&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Dr Kifle Woldearegay Woldemariam shares insights on why we need to move towards brown gold in Mekelle, an urbanising town in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h0W6Am9AvY&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=9&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Dr Hannah Macpherson shares insights on the important role the arts have in moving towards brown gold.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6mjLTs3ywE&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=5&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Professor N C Narayanan shares insights on why we need to move towards brown gold in Alleppey, a large urbanising town in Kerala, India.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE16kokAsow&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=7&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Professor Lyla Mehta shares insights on the importance of moving towards brown gold.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtt4TadkKZw&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=2&ab_chann...
 
Description Online event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact In this video, Professor Sabitri Tripathi shares insights on why we need to move towards brown gold in Gulariya, an urbanising town in western Nepal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFBJUSd1Mec&list=PLNI18GVaeqKvGMyVfIyI6C14mjRHI0ZtO&index=9&ab_chann...
 
Description Online symposium-Connecting the unconnected organised by Lancastar University, UK, Panelist of the session: Informal toilets and safer circular water economy 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Lancaster University UK organised International symposium: connecting the unconnected on March 28-29 both in persion and online mode for reserchers practitioners and policy makers concerned with sanitation for water and health for the benefit of informal urban dwellers.On behalf of BG project Dr. Diogo Gomes Silva (Natural Science team) presented a paper where as Prof. Sabitri Tripathi acted as panelist for a session Informal toilets and safer circular water Economy.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL http://recirculate.global/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CTU_proceedings.pdf
 
Description Opinion: War and famine: history repeating itself in Tigray 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact IDS researcher Lyla Mehta reflects on past work in Tigray and recalls the families met during fieldwork in Tigray years ago who had been rebuilding their lives and argues that it is imperative that the UN, African Union and governments all over the world to push for an immediate ceasefire and enable unfettered humanitarian access to prevent more suffering
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/opinion-piece-war-and-famine-history-repeating-itself-in-tigray...
 
Description Opinion: Why is the UK government turning off the tap during a global pandemic? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Providing clean drinking water is considered one of the most cost-effective ways of improving health and productivity across the global South. Tanvi Bhatkal and Lyla Mehta reflect on the implications of the recent House of Commons approval of the UK government's recent decision to reduce its Official Development Assistance budget from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/opinion-piece-why-is-the-uk-government-turning-off-the-tap-duri...
 
Description Panel 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Global South Arts in Health Week, Egypt convening for practioners and researchers
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Panel Discussion 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Panel discussion on 'Researching Invisible Populations'
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Panel Discussion 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Panel discussion conducted for Masters in Public Health students at University of North Carolina (UNC), USA as part of their course. Led by Prof. Musa Manga, a faculty at UNC. Researchers and practitioners from Kenya, Uganda and Bangladesh were panel members along with me. I represented Brown Gold project and mentioned about my work in Alleppey
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description Photo Voice training 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Community members from Wa, Ghana, were trained on photo voice and were also provided with a mobile to take a photo of the world around them as they see it from their perspective/lens.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Photo essay 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This photo essay reveals how Temporary Migrant people in Nanded city access sanitation facilities and talks about the difficulties they face.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/migrants-in-nanded-no-shelter-no-water-mr/
 
Description Planning, coordinating and execution of Annual Brown Gold meet - 2022 December 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The annual Brown Gold Meeting and the first in-person meeting of Brown Gold was held in Alleppey from 27th November 2022 to 2nd December 2022. The research collaborators from India, Ghana, Nepal and UK were part of this 5 day program and discussed the work done so far. The meeting also laid down what are the possible activities/publications that can be planned in the coming year
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Platform presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Presented at Nepal Engineering College, Changunarayan, Bhaktapur, Nepal to the students and faculty of NEC
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Platform presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation on non-sewered sanitation challenges in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia presented to the first International Water Association conference on Non-sewered Sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL http://www.iwarr2023.com/En/Menu/b4a92f18-6b51-4787-8294-7ae35dcbfcbe
 
Description Platform presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Platform presentation in the Global South Academic Conclave on WASH and Climate linkages at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India to share our BG project findings on integrated FS and organic waste management and my thoughts for its sustainability. The conclave was the perfect blending of veteran academicians and professionals from the WASH and waste management sectors, where scientific findings have clear policy linkages.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://gsac.cwas.org.in/speakers-details.html#DhundiRajPathak;
 
Description Platform presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Platform presentation on non-sewered sanitation challenges in Nepal presented to the first International Water Association conference on Non-sewered Sanitation,
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://nssconference.org/poster-programme/
 
Description Political ecology of floods and sanitation in Alleppey 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact The research team participating in the national workshop jointly organized by ActionAid, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and Kila visited Alappuzha. There are 45 people in the team from different states of India and countries like Germany and Norway. Presented the sanitation challenges in changing climate and the political ecology of floods and sanitation in Alleppey.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.facebook.com/canalpyorg/posts/pfbid02n2eS8DT1DFcVdWBJAG9cHBvBfrfWQQxTRr2cxwDiKA1DNccuUbN...
 
Description Poster presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation on non-sewered sanitation challenges in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia presented to the first International Water Association conference on Non-sewered Sanitation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://nssconference.org/poster-programme/
 
Description Poster presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation on nutrient recovery and sustainable FSM in Nepal presented to the first International Water Association conference on Non-sewered Sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://nssconference.org/poster-programme/
 
Description Presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Global South Arts in Health Week
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Global South Arts in Health Week, Egypt convening for practioners and researchers
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact This was to share evidence from Mekelle city to industry/business people at Federal level.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation: Marginality and infrastructure in off-grid settings 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The presentation discusses how marginality and unequal notions of citizenship shape access to infrastructure and public goods. A sanctioned discourse of scarcity and infrastructural norms perpetuate these exclusions and unequal experiences of citizenship. This is particularly true in off-grid settings which are unconnected to centralised systems and are likely to be so for the foreseeable future.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/presentation-marginality-and-infrastructure-in-off-grid-setting...
 
Description Presentation: Technology, Policy and Laws : Understanding the Evolution of Sanitation Work and Workers 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The presentation/talk discussed about how technological advancement and emergence of law in the sanitation sector (mainly related to manual scavenging and dry latrines) has shifted the nature of sanitation work and the pool of sanitation workers. The talk specifically focuses on Alleppey town in Kerala based on empirical data collected and analysed. Also at pan India level how different legislations, commissions and policies on manual scavenging triggered/impacted the sanitation sector, mainly the workers. Finally discussing how the rehabilitation policies are not properly designed or implemented. Also looking at the evolution of Sanitation technologies, basically from dry latrines to flush toilets. These points were added just to provide an idea about what i would be speaking broadly.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://youtu.be/OQfp_831DfQ
 
Description Radio Jingles 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact "Jingles are developed in both Nepali and local language and aired by local FM in Lumbini.
The content of the message is related to safe water and sanitation, sustainable management of human excreta and role of sanitation workers.
It is aired at least 7/8 times every day and agreed for 6 months (Jan-June 2023).
While the population in this Rupandehi district is 982,851 and FM frequency is good in the area so we can assume that at least one-fourth of the population will directly benefit.
"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.facebook.com/100083284325293/videos/599676381995924
 
Description Regular courtesy meeting 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Regular courtesy meeting with 1-10 attendees.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022,2023
 
Description Research Graduate School (RGS_ORG): BMRI (Business and Management Research Institute) Annual Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presented on the role of research within the universities sustainability strategy, including sharing about the Brown Gold project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Review workshop in Alleppey 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact "The objective of the workshop was to review the progress and sharing the country-wise experiences and outcomes on diverse themes of the Brown Gold project, i.e.
-Marginality and agency
-Off-grid sanitation challenges in rapidly urbanizing cities
-Circularity: Opportunities, challenges, tradeoffs and politics
-Institutional and policy analysis
-Inter/multi-disciplinary within the project
-Art project in Lumbini "
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Revisiting the UN Water Conference: 46 years of learning and forgetting? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This event examined the progress and challenges that have shaped water and development from Mar-del- Plata (1977) to the upcoming UN Water Conference in New York City (2023). Speakers will focus on key achievements and missed opportunities, and reflect on what's proposed at New York in terms of realising water for all.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/events/revisiting-the-un-water-conference-46-years-of-learning-and-forgetting/...
 
Description Sanitary Workers Forum Conference 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation by Brown Gold project member Prabha Pokhrel. This informed on shifting sanitary systems in Gularia Municipality, Nepal through a presentation sharing that caste also played an important role in sanitary work in this context, with certain lower caste groups associated with the work. However, that this was also changing, with higher-caste groups entering waste work of different kinds. It also mentioned that, despite improvements, sanitary workers still lack adequate access to protective equipment and measures, insurance and remuneration.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://whova.com/web/swfft_202111/
 
Description Sanitation Conclave 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In collaboration with Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Alliance Nepal (CWISAN), Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) organized 'National Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Conclave 2023' on December 2023 in Kathmandu with the objectives of learning and sharing sanitation initiatives in Municipalities, advocate for local governments to put greater emphasis on sanitation services and accelerate the efforts in achieving SDG 6.2. Altogether 180 participants attended the Conclave, including the federal ministers, senior government officials, the mayors and deputy mayors from several municipalities. Under panel discussion session-Service Development for Sanitation Value Chain, Ms. Prabha Pokhrel, Institutional Development Expert/Investigator, Dr.Dhundi Raj Pathak., Waste Management Expert from the Brown Gold Project and Mr. Govind Shrestha, Senior WASH Policy Advisor of WaterAid Nepal jointly presented the research findings on 'Safe Containment, Recovery and Equity in Off grid Sanitation- Gulariya Case
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://muannepal.org.np/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NCWISConclave-Report-1.pdf
 
Description Sanitation Workers Forum 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Attendance at the Sanitation Workers Forum 2021 by project members Hariprasad V M, Rohit Joseph and Professor NC Narayanan.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL http://www.amita-bhakta-hidden-wash.net/exploiting-sanitation-workers-is-a-form-of-modern-slavery
 
Description Second experiment of co-composting, Gulariya 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact "Second trial of co-composting at IWMC Gulariya from jan 4th week. Municipal solid waste shorting, shredding, mixing with dewatered FS and sawdust. Probably, sawdust will help to get required C:N value for good compost and verify the cause of contamination in previous sample.

Two separate piles are created to explore the composting process to compare quality parameters, Oversize materials of biodegradable waste are shredded to optimize the mixing with saw dust and dewatered FS, will turn twice at first week, once a week for first month and at every two weeks after then to accelerate smooth compost process.
"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Second round stakeholder workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Assess and evaluate the conditions of sanitation services in Mekelle area.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Seminar 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Exploring the possibilities to reduce pollution in Vembanad lake from house boat tourism activities
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Seminar 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact 'Transformation and the potential of co-production: Climate change, urbanization & public health in an uncertain world', Seminar of climate change, urbanisation and health researcher, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Sharing the findings of BG project and case study of Gulariya to the Students of Kathmandu University, Tribhuwan University and Nepal Engineering College under GSGS program of IHE Delft, The Netherlands 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A Sanitation professional course has been running under GSGS program of IHE Delft funded by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to different universities in Nepal since 2021 . For example : Kathmandu University, Tribhuwan University and Nepal Engineering College. I am one of the Instructors to teach different modules on Sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021,2022,2023
 
Description Sharing the intial field visit findings of Gulariya case study under Brown Gold Project 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I presented a seminar to the undergraduate, masters, PhD students and faculty of Imperial College London regarding the sharing of findings of BG project(gulariya) on May19, 2022 by the invitation of Prof. Michael Templeton.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Singing program, Lumbini 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact With an objective to engage and promote sanitation workers and marginalized community, a singing program was organized inviting sanitation workers group, Sathi Sanjal (Friend network) and kisoree Samuha (teenage group) from diverse community. The theme of the song was related to faecal sludge management, water contamination due to onsite sanitation and non-water sealed toilet pit and profession of sanitation workers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.facebook.com/1752024782/videos/464335069112917/
 
Description Social Science Research, Gulariya 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The main objective of the research in Gulariya Municipality is to investigate the challenges and opportunities for the improvement of sanitation and waste management services with an aim to support Municipalities and marginalized communities by recommending their increased access to quality services. At the same time, the role of local institution and concerned stakeholders, current practice of defecation, disposal after the pit is full, reuse of faecal sludge, political rights and power relation were the major agenda to discuss.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Stakeholder meeting (Field work) at different sites in Alleppey 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Meeting local people to understand the sanitation scenario in Alleppey town.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Stakeholder workshop (Tigray) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Two days stakeholder workshop as part of awareness creation, co-learning and further engagements on sanitation and circularity in Tigray
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Stakeholder workshop at Nanded 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Brief introduction of the Brown Gold project and discussion with two communities to discuss preliminary findings.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Stakeholders Workshop in Lumbini 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Supporters
Results and Impact "The program was organized on the topic "Toward Brown Gold? Reimagining off-grid sanitation in rapidly urbanizing areas in Asia and Africa". At the program, stakeholders from WASH sectors, representatives from Muslim, Dalit, women groups and youth clubs were participated. Sanitation workers of LDT and workers from Dalit community were also presented at the program. The program was organized for sharing the findings of Gulariya and collect feedback from the stakeholders and communiy representatives. The program was focused on the following topics;
1. Objective of the Brown Gold Project and the issues on How do we address unsafe faecal sludge management in rapidly urbanizing areas?
2. Challenges of unsafe faecal sludge discharge and the active role of local government to resolve the issues.
3. policy formulation and its proper implementation
4. Sharing of Social, technical and institutional challenges in Gulariya , Bardiya
6. Shared the existing scenario of faecal sludge treatment plant in Gulariya
7. Sharing the findings of social science research in Gulariya Municipality
8. Sharing tge findings on technical issues in Gulariya Municipality"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://vimeo.com/701769069/2ed09e7f8e
 
Description Study/interviews 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact A study was done to learn about the difficulties faced by sanitation workers in Nanded city. The research focused on issues like gender roles, caste discrimination, and the lack of proper infrastructure.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Study/interviews 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact The study in Nanded examines migrants' access to sanitation using the Photo Elicitation method.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Oxford University Creative methods research group symposium
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://x.com/shibajibose1/status/1659242077899587615?s=20
 
Description Symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Transformation, decolonisation and co-production. Addressing complex challenges in sustainability research. SENSE Symposium  "Science and Impact" organised by VU, Amsterdam
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description The Mirage of water in Kuttanad: A photostory 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact A photo story of 14 photos with description of the
photos. The photo and story together details the issues of Kuttanad residents in Kerala who are facing cute water shortage of potable water due to multiple issues including improper waste management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/the-mirage-of-water-in-kuttanad-a-photostory/
 
Description The mirage of water in Kuttanad: a photostory 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In this photostory, Demathlal PM (CANALPY Research Assistant) and Hariprasad VM (PhD student, CTARA, IIT Bombay) - researchers with a keen interest in documentary photography - document and share some water challenges, including groundwater, faced every day in Kuttanad. In early 2022, Demath and Hariprasad embedded themselves within the communities in Kuttanad, with the aim of using photography to shed light on their situation and bring the focus to the unique challenges related to groundwater.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/the-mirage-of-water-in-kuttanad-a-photostory-9b4433447f96
 
Description Thelineerozhukum Rani Kanal' - a Documentary 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact A documentary in the local language was prepared and circulated about the liquid waste pollution in Alappuzha, the people affected by it and the innovative solution implemented.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://fb.watch/cBVj1o-Hus/
 
Description Third round stakeholder workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Share results with stakeholders, as co-learning, and to identify opportunities/pathways for promoting circular economy with waste management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Towards Brown Gold - Reimagining off grid sanitation in Wa, Ghana 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The workshop sought to provide a common understanding of the current systems of sanitation in Wa as well as the challenges and opportunities relating to reuse of fecal sludge and other waste streams for productive purposes.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Towards Brown Gold - Tracking the waste in Wa municipal assembly, Ghana 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In a Booth session, a poster is presented at the World Toilet Summit in Nigeria on the importance of understanding the current sanitation systems to explore the potential for circular economy solutions through the reuse of fecal sludge and other waste streams.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/news/world-toilet-summit-nigeria-2022
 
Description Training 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact Following the insights obtained from the case studies on farmers using raw faecal sludge for farming and in consultation with the community of farmers, the Wa Municipal Assembly and Regional Department of Environmental Health and Sanitation, a conclusion was reached that there is a need for capacity building of farmers on safety measures and how to produce quality compost from Faecal sludge and other locally available organic waste materials.
From 1st - 5th May, 2023, 40 farmers from Kpongu and Nakori were trained on safety measures and hands on training in co-composting of faecal sludge and other organic waste materials available in the community. In addition to farmers, participants included agriculture extension agents, the municipal director of agriculture, regional deputy director of agriculture and vacuum truck drivers. The training was well received by the community. Moreover, the training was carried out with the consent and support of the Wa Municipal Assembly and the Regional Department of Environmental Health and Sanitation. Personal protective equipment (PPEs) were also provided to the communities for future use.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Understanding barriers to safe household water and sanitation in Western Nepal 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Scientists Dr Diogo Da Silva and Prof James Ebdon from the Centre for Aquatic Environments have been working with project partners Dr Sabitri Tripathi (NEC) from the Nepal Engineering College and Dr Dhundi Pathak Tribhuvan University to better understand the risks to human health from groundwater contamination in the lowland Terai region of Nepal
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/understanding-barriers-to-safe-household-water-and-sanitation-i...
 
Description UoB 2022 Annual Research Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Shared the Brown Gold project as part of a research Panel titled Communities on the Move.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Waste Management Planning 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Ideation and strategisation for an year long liquid waste management campaign
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Waste Management Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Planning of liquid waste management program.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description We need a unified water movement. Here are 5 ways we can achieve it. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact "Water management experts discussed the achievements and missed opportunities of the past 46 years at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The message was clear - we do not have another 46 years to wait for the goal of universal water and sanitation coverage to be reached.

Here are five calls to action from the event to realise water for all."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/we-need-a-unified-water-movement-here-are-5-ways-we-can-achieve-it/
 
Description Webinar presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Webinar hosted by University of osnabrueck, Brown gold presented as a case study to reflect on researchers can engage with the state Lyla Mehta, Sharachchandra Lele, and NC Narayanan drew upon their experiences of engagement with the state (beyond the state), to illustrate the challenges of this type of engagement and to indicate a way forward.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact If you are a migrant in this town in Maharashtra, getting the most basic need for water fulfilled is a challenge. People are suspicious of marginalised communities and unwilling to share resources and public spaces.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/migrants-in-nanded-no-shelter-no-water/
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Tigray in northern Ethiopia has been devastated by a brutal war since November 2020, which included a siege and blockade that stopped all communications and most essential services, along with humanitarian supplies. While a peace agreement signed in November 2022 sought to put an end to the armed conflict, in reality, there are still significant challenges regarding the supply of essential services to the population of about six million.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/how-war-and-crises-in-tigray-triggered-an-urban-agriculture-boo...
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Participatory action is at the heart of visual methods. Working directly with individuals and communities, visual methods can take various creative and immersive forms - performance, video, creative writing, music and photography.

In the Towards Brown Gold project, we worked with Brahmin, Kshatriya, Tharu, Madhesi and Muslim people in Gulariya, Nepal, using photovoice and photo-elicitation. We aimed to build a bank of knowledge based on the communities' lived experiences from different perspectives, and how they engage with water and sanitation systems.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/using-visual-methods-for-community-led-change-cfcf60583b38
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact "From singing to participatory theatre, the arts are a proven tool used to facilitate increases in Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) awareness and improve public health.

In the Towards Brown Gold project, we are taking this a step further. We are using the arts to engage people and communities living in rapidly urbanising towns and cities with so called 'second generation' sanitation challenges. This includes showing the value of shit (faecal sludge) as a resource, sharing the importance of safe faecal sludge management in non-sewered 'off-grid' toilets and making visible marginalised communities who are often the worst affected by poor sanitation."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/arts-can-improve-health-global-south-arts-in-health-week-shows-...
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact "The UN 2023 Water Conference took place in New York on 22-24 March, 46 years after the last UN water conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The 1977 conference led directly to the UN water decade of the 1980s with an avowed aim of achieving 'water for all'. Perhaps overly ambitious, given the ensuing global crises, decades later some two billion people still live without safe drinking water and 3.6 billion lack safely managed sanitation. Added to which only 56% of domestic wastewater is safely treated.

Much has changed in the intervening years. Sanitation was barely on the agenda in the 1970s and most of the focus was on rural water supply, not urban water or wastewater challenges. The urgency of climate change and water's central role in extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are only now gaining major attention."
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/blog/UN2023
 
Description Website/blog 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Peer-to-peer learning and exchanging ideas about the latest developments in the field of faecal sludge management is a crucial step in finding and implementing tangible and sustainable sanitation solutions.

Towards Brown Gold researchers Prof Sabitri Tripathi, Dr Diogo Da Silva and Prof James Ebdon recently presented their research from the project at the International Water Association's 1st ever 'Non-Sewered Sanitation Conference' (IWA NSS) in Johannesburg, South Africa, October 2023.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/why-we-need-to-take-faecal-sludge-management-seriously-4f6e4cd9...
 
Description What are the Priorities for Realizing SDG 6.2 in Ghana 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact The Ghana Development Studies hub, in collaboration with the Sanitation Learning Hub and the Brown Gold project, hosted the webinar looking at the main priorities for sanitation in Ghana. The webinar discussed progress and challenges and provide practical ideas to identify and address the main priorities for progress to achieve SDG 6.2 in Ghana.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.ids.ac.uk/events/what-are-the-priorities-for-realizing-sdg-6-2-in-ghana/
 
Description WoW festival in Lumbini 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact On the occasion of WoW festival, a stall was installed in Lumbini peace park where visitors shared their personal sanitation experiences and hopes for the sanitation improvement by writing and painting on fan, mud cup and post card. All these collected experiences are displayed in our education mud houses.
Out team shared about safe water and sustainable sanitation along with the posters on Towards Brown Gold 'off grid' sanitation project information displayed in both Nepali/ Awadhi language. Our volunteers and sanitation focal person shared in details about the project and impact of unsafe water and poor sanitation to human health.
Artists Anshmina Ranjit and Alice Fox had conducted program with marginalized sanitation workers. The event was quite impressive to draw attention about the challenges that women are facing in this sector and sufffering by the dangerous flows of pathogens. The event was also focused to make the visitors realize about the importance of sanitation work and develop the sense of respect to the sanitation work.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://vimeo.com/701581728/e9120f3c36
 
Description Working Group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Photovoice is used to address power relations between the researchers and the participants through the collaborative nature of photovoice. For the purpose, two groups (Male/Female photovoice group) are formed and 8/9 members are involved in each group from diverse section in terms of age, caste and religion. Using photo-elicitation, we seek to draw perceptions about the sanitation chain from these different groups. We also look at the intersections through the accompanying photos taken by natural science team to complement the knowledge gathered through our social science studies.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/using-visual-methods-for-community-led-change-cfcf60583b38
 
Description Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The province level workshop held on May 03, 2023 at Lumbini was a significant gathering that brought together a wide range of stakeholders. Its objective was to share the research objectives and findings in Gulariya Municipality. The workshop commenced by launching two policy briefs, highlighting the key points of the research. Furthermore, a resource recovery initiative was showcased during the workshop by utilizing humanure on flowers. This demonstration aimed to emphasize the potential of human waste as a valuable resource. Researchers presented the findings of the inter/multidisciplinary research covering various aspects related to water, sanitation, and other relevant areas. During the workshop, the participants had the opportunity to observe the mud houses located in Lumbini Peace Park near the World Peace Pagoda. These mud houses served as a sanitation education and lobbying facility, allowing participants to gain practical insights and knowledge.
The participants actively engaged in the workshop by providing feedback and suggestions for further improvement. The event gathered a total of 79 participants from different government and non-government organizations.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact As part of Joint Sector Review Thematic Consultation, Ministry of Water Supply on 10th May 2023 organized a workshop on ""Prioritizing Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene in Nepal: Beyond ODF"" with the support of WaterAid Nepal under Brown Gold (BG) Project. Brown Gold Nepal team shared findings of Gularia research and Policy Brief in the workshop. Few key messages/recommendations in the workshop were
- Standardization and enforcement of septic tanks to ensure consistent and widespread usage.
- Highlighted the benefits and potential of co-composting as an effective approach for nutrient recovery and sustainable waste management. Also highlighted the importance of standardization, regulation, and an integrated approach, as well as the need for government support to promote the use of organic fertilizers.
- Panellists provided valuable insights into the standardization and integration of septic tanks in building design and the optimization and effective utilization of faecal sludge treatment plants, emphasizing the need for proper planning, regulation, awareness, and sustainable management practices in the sanitation sector.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The workshop, held on May 10, 2023, at Kathmandu was a significant event that involved various national level stakeholders. During the workshop, researchers of social science and natural science presented the findings of inter/multidisciplinary research. Additionally, a panel discussion session was arranged, featuring five panellists from diverse Ministries and Municipality. This session provided an opportunity for a comprehensive discussion on the research findings and the current status of water and sanitation in Nepal. The participants actively engaged in the session, providing valuable feedback and suggestions for further improvement. The workshop had a total of 70 participants from different government and non-government organizations, ensuring a diverse representation of stakeholders.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://washkhabar.com/np/2023/05/11/30170
 
Description Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The province level workshop held on May 03, 2023 at Lumbini was a significant gathering that brought together a wide range of stakeholders. Its objective was to share the research objectives and findings in Gulariya Municipality. The workshop commenced by launching two policy briefs, highlighting the key points of the research. Furthermore, a resource recovery initiative was showcased during the workshop by utilizing humanure on flowers. This demonstration aimed to emphasize the potential of human waste as a valuable resource. Researchers presented the findings of the inter/multidisciplinary research covering various aspects related to water, sanitation, and other relevant areas. During the workshop, the participants had the opportunity to observe the mud houses located in Lumbini Peace Park near the World Peace Pagoda. These mud houses served as a sanitation education and lobbying facility, allowing participants to gain practical insights and knowledge.
The participants actively engaged in the workshop by providing feedback and suggestions for further improvement. The event gathered a total of 79 participants from different government and non-government organizationsT
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Workshop presentation ' What can art do in Water and Sanitation research and practice? 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Share results of literature review on arts in development and outcomes from our visit to Nepal for Women of the WOrld festival with SANCOP community of practice.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Workshop presentation, with title "How a regional blockage triggered rapid emergence of urban agriculture developmental development with waste water: The case of Mekelle city, northern Ethiopia" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Share results of our study which revealed that the regional blockage has triggered extensive small-scale urban agricultural practices (field crops, fruits, vegetables, livestock, ornamental trees or combinations) using water from various sources (rivers and streams, shallow or deep wells, springs, pipe-borne water, water collected during the wet season, greywater, water from city drainages, and rainfall for rainfed).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Workshop presentation. Title: "Human waste management and potentials for circularity in Tigray, Ethiopia: Lessons from Mekelle". 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Share study results of the Mekelle brown gold project and discuss on options for sustainable waste management with circularity in Tigray and beyond.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description World Toilet Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A stall was made for displaying the message on safe use of toilet, excreta management, causes of water contamination and among others.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description World Toilet Day 2022: An Interview with Solomie Gebrezgabher 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact An interview (blog) with Solomie Gebrezgabher on the world toilet day to learn about IWMI's work in the "circular economy," including the Brown Gold project and its relation to groundwater and sanitation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/2022/11/world-toilet-day-2022-an-interview-with-solomie-gebrezgabher/
 
Description World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact World Toilet Day raises awareness of the global sanitation crisis and the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. This year, the focus is on valuing toilets, drawing attention to the fact that toilets and their supporting sanitation systems are underfunded, poorly managed and neglected in many parts of the world. The call to action is clear: there needs to be urgent investment and innovation to accelerate progress across the 'sanitation chain'; from toilets to the collection, transport and treatment of human waste. This is a key action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 of water and sanitation for all by 2030. But toilets are just one part of the solution.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/world-toilet-day-reflections-from-towards-brown-gold-94eb4c3091...
 
Description World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Blog written by project members Tanvi Bhatkal, Shibaji Bose, Solomie Gebrezgabher, Pallavi Harshe, Veena Jadhav, Seema Kulkarni, Lyla Mehta, NC Narayanan, Prabha Pokhrel, Sabitri Tripathi, and Hariprasad VM titled 'World Toilet Day: Reflections from Towards Brown Gold'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://medium.com/@TowardsBrownGold/world-toilet-day-reflections-from-towards-brown-gold-94eb4c3091...
 
Description YouTube Video. Brown Gold (un)clean (un)seen 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Video captures a performance led by Nepalese sanitation workers, and artists Ashmina Ranjit and Alice Fox, at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) 2022, in Lumbini, Nepal. Called '(un)clean (un)seen', the performance brought attention to the incredible work sanitation workers do, and findings from the Brown Gold project so far, along with an information stall hosted by Brown Gold in the festival.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2oUfHqfrJo