World Toilet Day 2017 – Wastewater
20 November 2017
IWRA celebrated World Toilet Day 2017 with a dedicated webinar that brought together both academics and practitioners to explore some key issues related to this years theme – “Wastewater”. Our panellists were particularly attuned to gender issues, focusing on the need to break down taboo issues such as menstrual health, and be sensitive to gender concerns, including risk of assault when using sanitation services outside of the home in many developing countries. Other key questions came around cultural and social dimensions and investigated the roles of wastewater reuse and queried if flush toilet systems were really the solution for everyone. These highlights how people in different countries perceive and face unique challenges that need to be addressed in the proper context. All of our presenters could agree on broader universal goals, but recognized that achieving them are not a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
This webinar counted with the participation of more than 75 registrants from all over the world, and our invited panellists included V. S. Saravanan (University of Bonn, Germany), Freya Mills (University of Technology, Australia), Halshka Graczyk (Institute for Work and Health, Switzerland), Sonja Loy (Texas A&M University, United States), and Gunilla Oberg (University of British Columbia, Canada). It was moderated by Scott McKenzie (University of British Columbia, Canada).
Please download the presentations below:
