Toward Achieving Global Water and Sanitation for All

I conduct research on water and sanitation in different regions of Asia and Africa. Around the world, large numbers of people still lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation, including sanitary toilets and systems for managing human waste and wastewater. Even in Japan, the provision of water and sanitation becomes a critical issue following a disaster. Human excreta and untreated wastewater not only contaminate drinking water and affect the aquatic environment, they are one of the most significant and inherent environmental problems caused by human life. They are also a source of greenhouse gas emissions.

At the same time, excreta and wastewater hold value as fertilisers and serve as vital resources for ensuring water and food security. In low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa, my goal is to achieve sanitation systems that integrate appropriate treatment with resource recovery, thereby creating healthy water and material cycles that serve as the foundation for clean and sustainable living and environmental conditions.

In addition to  introducing environmentally-friendly sanitation technologies for treatment and resource use, I strive to create community-based mechanisms that encourage people to see sanitation as a personal concern and to take initiative in solving related problems – an aspect that is often overlooked in daily life. Through this integrated approach, I hope to help solve global water and sanitation problems and build a future in which all people – from cities to rural communities, from Africa to Japan – are free from water-related constraints.