Source: Dawn
Author: Murtaza Haider
The abysmal state of sanitation stinks to high heaven in Pakistan. The economic losses resulting from poor water supply and sanitation in Pakistan equal $6 billion. Alarmed by the under spending on basic disease prevention in Pakistan, Rachid Benmessaoud of the World Bank noted that the “total amount of the losses caused by poor sanitation in Pakistan is 7 times higher than the national health budget.”
Realising that millions of lives are lost each year due to poor sanitation, water supply, and hygiene, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has decided to challenge engineers and innovators to redesign the toilet to offer safe sanitation to billions who are forced to relieve themselves in open.