AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center

16/06/2026

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) joins the nation in mourning the passing of H.R.H. Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati.

AIT extends its deepest condolences to His Majesty the King, the Royal Family, and the people of Thailand during this time of profound national sorrow.

May Her Royal Highness rest in eternal peace.

15/06/2026

Our Co-Director Prof. Sangam Shrestha will be taking the stage at Singapore International Water Week 2026 — and this is a conversation worth tuning in for.

🗓️ 18 June 2026 | 1:00–1:45 PM
📍 Technology Forum, Hall E, Level B2, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Panel Discussion: Predict, Prevent, Protect — AI-Driven Early Warning Systems for Water and Climate Risks

From flash floods to contamination events, climate volatility is pressing harder and faster on water systems worldwide. This session explores how AI-driven early warning systems are giving utilities and governments a crucial edge — the ability to see risk coming before it becomes crisis.

Panellists will dig into how real-time data, machine learning, and integrated monitoring are being put to work on the ground — and what it takes to translate these tools into resilient, community-protective systems.

Panellists:
▸ Prof. Sangam Shrestha — Professor, Water Engineering & Management, Co-Director GWSC, AIT
▸ Dr. Thanapon Piman — Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute Asia
▸ Dr. Ken Hunu, D.Eng., PE, BC.WRE, PMP, CFM (Moderator) — Principal Technical Professional, Global Technical Network Chair, Water, Atkins Realis

If you're attending SIWW 2026, mark this one on your schedule.

🔗 siww.com.sg/water-expo

11/06/2026

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Two years ago, Lakshmipur Municipality's entire sanitation system lived in filing cabinets.

Holding records on paper. Route decisions by instinct. No reliable picture of which of the city's 130,000 residents were falling through the gaps.

Now more than 25,000 holdings are GIS-mapped in a live IMIS platform and the municipality operates it themselves.

We asked Executive Engineer Mohammad Zulfiqur Hossain what the hardest part was. His answer wasn't the technology.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 — 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵."

Staff who had spent years on manual systems had to learn to trust something new. Through GWSC and Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), The 10-Town Project PMU didn't hand over software and leave. They stayed working alongside the team through data collection, fixing problems on the ground, building confidence and capacity rather than just capability.

With new features with it's modular system that allows for more impact, the idea is that it covers its own running costs over time.

Lakshmipur has since been designated a Mentor City. Municipal teams from across Bangladesh are visiting to watch IMIS run on real holdings, not a demonstration, the actual thing.

The article includes Mr. Zulfiqur Hossain's vision for a fully integrated smart city, and what he'd say to cities still sitting on the fence. Read more: https://shorturl.at/ern0U

A Q&A with Mr. Zulfikar, Executive Engineer, Lakshmipur Municipality — on the journey to deploy IMIS and what it means for the future of urban WASH governance.

06/06/2026

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭.𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗗𝗚 𝟲.𝟮 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

We contributed to a new IWA discussion paper that takes an honest look at where Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) stands after nearly a decade and where it needs to go. The paper draws on 68 interviews with governments, utilities, funders, and researchers across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and beyond. As a knowledge partner, cross Asia, we've supported 29 CWIS-related technical assistance projects, including Feasibility Study for Integrated Waste Management atSub-District Levels (10 Unions) in Banglades, and our CWIS Scaling Hub continues to build the evidence the sector needs to move faster.

A few things that stood out:
• An initial ~US$10M grant helped shape over US$5.6 billion in sanitation funding aligned with CWIS principles. That's not a small thing.
• Two-thirds of respondents called CWIS fit for purpose — mainly because it treats sanitation as a full-city, full-service-chain problem rather than an infrastructure project. The equity focus and flexibility across sewered and non-sewered systems came up again and again.
• Climate resilience is the biggest gap. Most practitioners know it matters. Most programmes haven't embedded it yet.
• What's needed is better practical guidance, more capacity on the ground, and financing that matches the ambition.

Full paper: https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book/987/Citywide-Inclusive-Sanitation-CWIS-Current-status

Abstract. Urban sanitation remains a challenge globally, and the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach is increasingly being adopted to facilitate

05/06/2026

🌍 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆.

The planet is sending signals. Rising seas. Longer droughts. Flooding that overwhelms systems that were never built for this. The Earth isn't being subtle and sanitation doesn't just get harder. It collapses. And the communities with the least to start with absorb the worst of it. That's not a projection. It's what we see in the countries we work in.

Our work at GWSC sits right at that intersection. Piloting new sanitation technologies in Indonesia. Rolling out digital tools so city managers can actually see what's happening with water and waste in their cities. Running training programs with practitioners across Central and South Asia.

The question, as this year's campaign puts it, is no longer if change comes but how fast we guide it.

𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆: To our partners, governments, and communities making that possible: thank you. Every voice. Every move. Let's keep going.

💧

05/06/2026

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 — 𝗚𝗪𝗦𝗖'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀' 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴! 🎉

The DSOP-DL project (Digitalization of Sanitation Operations and Performances for System-Wide Improvement) will digitalize sanitation operations in Dhulikhel, Nepal and Lakshmipur, Bangladesh — helping local municipalities move from guesswork to data-driven decisions across the entire sanitation value chain.

Collaborating with Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) from Malaysia as our Supporting Partner, and Dhulikhel Municipality, Nepal, and Lakshmipur Municipality, Bangladesh as Resident Partners, to put practical digital tools in the hands of the people who need them most.

Digitalization is already reshaping the sector, 17 of 27 projects under the W*P programme have embraced it. DSOP-DL is our contribution to that momentum: stronger institutions, better performance, more inclusive services.

Congratulations to all partners. Here's to leaving no one behind.💧

04/06/2026

🌊 We are incredibly proud to share this wonderful news! 🎉

Our very own GWSC Co-Director, Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, has been honoured with the AIT Distinguished Researcher Award 2026 (Professor Category) at the 145th AIT Graduation Ceremony.

This recognition is a testament to Prof. Thammarat's decades of dedication to WASH research, f***l sludge management, and sustainable sanitation solutions that have shaped policy and practice across Asia and beyond.

At GWSC, we are privileged every day to work alongside a leader whose commitment to clean water and sanitation for all continues to inspire our team and the communities we serve.

Please join us in congratulating Prof. Thammarat and all the distinguished awardees! 👏

22/05/2026

🎓 Congratulations to our GWSC Scholars — Class of May 2026!

We are thrilled to celebrate six outstanding graduates who completed their Master's degrees at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) with the support of the GWSC Scholarship Programme.

This month, they were welcomed at the GWSC office by Co-Directors Prof. Sangam Shrestha and Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Ekbordin Winijkul, and Academic Chair for the Environmental Engineering and Management programme Dr. Wenchao Xue.

The gathering was a moment of genuine reflection, on the dedication it takes to earn these degrees, on the networks and friendships built along the way, and on the relationships forged with mentors, peers, and communities that will last a lifetime. As leadership mentioned, the knowledge gained here is only the beginning. What carries these graduates forward is the curiosity they bring to every challenge and the people they've chosen to surround themselves with.

We would like to congratulate EEM Graduates — Environmental Engineering & Management, Mr. Zahir Shohel, Mr. Md. Alamgir Miah, Ms. Nazia Tasmin, Ms. Meto Seldon, Mr. Glenn Lucas Hendrajaya and WEM Graduate — Water Engineering & Management, Mr. Hanik Lakhe.

GWSC is committed to supporting 50 scholars from South and Southeast Asia between 2023 and 2026 — building the next generation of water and sanitation leaders across the region. These six graduates join a growing community of change-makers, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will make on water and sanitation challenges in their home countries and beyond.

To our graduates: the work ahead is meaningful, and you are ready for it. Congratulations! 🙌

20/05/2026

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 🚀

🏗️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Uzsuvtaminot manages water supply and sanitation for the entire country — 18 organisations, over 26,000 staff, and a rapidly growing infrastructure portfolio backed by AIIB, ADB, EBRD, and the World Bank. Yet the human capital pipeline has lagged behind. Uzbekistan's water sector urgently needs a new generation of professionals trained in modern technologies, data systems, and inclusive service delivery. A presidential resolution has already been approved to establish the country's first International University for Water and Sanitation — and AIT & GWSC has been invited to help shape what it becomes.

💡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜𝗧-𝗚𝗪𝗦𝗖 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 GWSC is AIT's knowledge and technical advisory hub for water and sanitation — working across South and Southeast Asia with governments, international finance institutions, and development partners on citywide sanitation, digital data innovation, GEDSI integration, and treatment technology. Alongside Faculty of Civil of Environmental Engineering's world-class programmes in Water Engineering & Management and Environmental Engineering & Management, AIT brings both academic depth and on-the-ground implementation experience.

As H.E. Akhmad Suvankulov, Chairman of the Board of Uzsuvtaminot, put it during the visit: building strong institutional capacity must come first — before technology, before infrastructure — as the true foundation for lasting service delivery.

📍 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 True to the timeline agreed in March, our team travelled to Uzbekistan in May to meet Uzsuvtaminot on their ground. The visit was led by Prof. Thammarat Koottatep (Co-Director, GWSC), joined by Dr. Wenchao Xue (Associate Professor & Director, Belt & Road Research Center, AIT) and Mr. Dorai Narayana (WaterLinks, Philippines, AIT Consultant).

The visit validated the two-track partnership structure that will define the collaboration going forward:

🎓 Track 1 – Academic & Curriculum Development (led by FCEE, AIT) Working with Uzsuvtaminot to design the curriculum for Uzbekistan's first International University for Water and Sanitation — spanning BSc, MSc, PhD, and TVET pathways that are modern, practice-oriented, and built for the realities of the sector.

🏛️ Track 2 – Institutional & Capacity Development (led by GWSC) Supporting Uzsuvtaminot's national and regional utilities to strengthen institutional capacity, with a particular focus on Non-Sewered Sanitation (NSS) — bringing our knowledge & expertise in delivering TA for governments and IFI.

Together, we're working toward a water sector that is not just better funded — but better equipped.

19/05/2026

🌐 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! 💧

Today, the Global Water and Sanitation Center (GWSC) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) had the absolute pleasure of hosting an delegation from Taiwan for a dynamic knowledge exchange.

We were honored to welcome Assoc. Prof. Jein-Wen Chen and Dr. Aldeno Rachmad Ika from the Cheng Shiu University - Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research (CENTER), Cheng Shiu University and Dr. Bonusa Nabila Huda, from Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi.

The visit provided a fantastic platform for both centers to showcase our respective expertise, research capabilities, and ongoing initiatives. Our teams engaged in highly productive discussions to explore strategic collaborations.

A huge thank you to the CENTER delegation for visiting us and for the insightful dialogue. We are excited about the potential of combining our strengths to advance sustainable water management and environmental research across the region! 🤝