AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center

On 15–16 July 2026, the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) at the Asian Institute of Technology served as Implementation Partner, alongside UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme), for the SEA-MaP Regional Project workshop in , validating the Regional Training Program on Plastic Waste Management.

GWSC's participation included our Co-director, Prof. Thammarat Koottatep and GWSC staff, Ms. Suchitra Piempinsest, ; Mr. Malik Alimuhammad; Dr. Tatchai Pussayanavin; Mr. Ruel Francisco Puno; and Ms. Supaluck Luchutawachee.

We looks forward to continued collaboration with SEA-MaP and partners as the Regional Training Program moves toward rollout across ASEAN Member States.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 Ms. Zu Zu Aung , 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS) 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗯'𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, on the publication of her MSc research in Water Practice & Technology (IWA Publishing). The GSGS SSEA Regional Hub is hosted at the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) at AIT, where Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, GWSC Co-Director, contributed to the study as a co-author.

Her paper, "Optimizing sludge management: system dynamics modelling for predicting sludge accumulation and solid concentration in a commercial septic tank," builds on her MSc thesis at Mahidol University. The study uses a system dynamics model built in STELLA to simulate how a 1,200-L commercial septic tank performs under different household sizes, using field data from six commercial septic tanks in Pathum Thani Province.

As part of the award, Ms. Zu Zu Aung will also receive a travel scholarship to attend the IWA Congress 2026 in Glasgow.

Authors: Zu Zu Aung, Nawatch Surinkul (corresponding author), and Kritsanat Surakit, Mahidol University; Ahmad Soleh Setiyawan, Institut Teknologi Bandung; Tatchai Pussayanavin, Ramkhamhaeng University; and Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, Co-Director, AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center at AIT.

Read the paper: https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2026.339
Read about the award: https://gsgs.network/inspire/research-excellence-award-2025/

𝗚𝗪𝗦𝗖 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗪𝗔 𝗬𝗪𝗣 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱'𝘀 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽

On 3 July, IWA YWP Thailand partnered with Thai Water Expo 2026 and Informa Markets to host "Co-Creating Smart Water System: Designing Smart Water Management Through Collective Participation and Shared Decision-Making" at QSNCC, Bangkok.

Dr. Chotiwat Jantarakasem (Chair, IWA YWP Thailand) opened the session, and Dr. Prathan Banjongpru (Senior Sanitary Engineer, Water Quality Management Division, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) delivered the keynote on the Khlong Saen Saep case study — a close look at Bangkok's urban water quality challenges and what restoration efforts have taught the city so far.

Dr. Chawalit Chaiwong (Center of Excellence in Water and Sanitation Management, GWSC/AIT) joined the panel alongside Mr. Wicharn Tantitham (Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning) to discuss stakeholder engagement, digital innovation, and collaborative governance for smart water systems.

The recurring theme: technology alone doesn't solve this. Progress depends on partnerships across government, academia, the private sector, professional bodies, and local communities.

Thanks to GWSC's kesirine jinda, Wilasinee Chanamarn, and Panadda Panchai, who supported the day as volunteers.

Read more: https://www.gwsc.ait.ac.th/workshop-on-co-creating-smart-water-system-designing-smart-water-management-through-collective-participation-and-shared-decision-making/

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. What it doesn't have enough of is collection infrastructure — the pipes and systems that get wastewater to a treatment plant in the first place.

That's the core view from Dr. Chawalit Chaiwong, Senior Research Associate at AIT & GWSC, in Episode 2 of the International Water Association's YWP Thailand "Next Wave" podcast with host Dr. Thitiwut Maliwan (Chulalongkorn University).

Bangkok shows the pattern clearly:
• 8 large-scale treatment plants cover roughly 60–70% of the city
• Over 40% of the water in its 2,000+ km canal network comes from treated wastewater discharge
• Only about 10% of treated wastewater gets reused — mostly for watering plants and washing floors

Dr. Chawalit's recent work pairs water reuse with nature-based solutions — constructed wetlands, green roofs, green walls — which run on 20–40% less energy than UV, ozone, or membrane systems. Not new technology, but a shift in how utilities are starting to think about cost and purpose-fit treatment.

"We don't need to treat water back to 100% of its original state — we just need it to serve whatever purpose it's going to be used for, in a way that's worth the cost of treatment."

Read the full conversation: https://www.gwsc.ait.ac.th/water-doesnt-need-to-be-perfect-it-needs-to-be-useful/

www.gwsc.ait.ac.th

At , AIT's Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) and IIT Palakkad's Global Sanitation Center of Excellence (GSCOE) are co-hosting a workshop: "Bridging Validation and Scale: Regional Pathways for Deployable NSS Systems."

Non-sewered sanitation technologies routinely pass lab validation, then stall before reaching the market. Regulatory misalignment, inconsistent testing standards, and unclear paths to institutional adoption are the usual culprits. This session brings together academia, industry, government, and testing labs from South and Southeast Asia to map the barriers and chart a regional roadmap for scaling NSS systems.

Date: 11 July 2026, 14:00–15:30, Venue: Hall A01-002, IIT Palakkad, Kerala, India

Convenors: Prof. Sangam Shrestha (Co-Director, AIT-GWSC) and Prof. Thammarat Koottatep (Co-Director, AIT-GWSC)

Speakers: Dr. Praveena Gangadharan , Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Global Sanitation Center of Excellence (GSCOE), IIT Palakkad), Dr. Ni Nyoman Nepi Marleni (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia), Ms. Ima Yuliwati (Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works and Housing), Mr. Wijarn Thunthithum (Former Dept. of Public Works, Thailand)

Moderator: Mr. Hendra Gupta (Deputy COO, AIT-GWSC)

More info: https://nssconference2026.org

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘂𝗺.

The Global Sanitation Graduate School (GSGS) Regional Hub South and Southeast Asia (GSGS RH SSEA), hosted at Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) at Asian Institute of Technology, ran a Training of Trainers on the CWIS curriculum from 25–26 June, bringing together faculty from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), KUET, SUST, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Kathmandu University (KU), Pokhara University, and AIT.

Day one covered CWIS fundamentals, sanitation technologies, climate resilience, and social inclusion, with a visit to AIT's NATS lab. Day two moved into governance, financing, behaviour change communication, and IMIS. Both afternoons closed with faculty building classroom assignments together rather than just sitting through lectures.

The aim: give educators across the region shared tools for teaching CWIS, and a network to keep comparing notes as the curriculum rolls out at their home institutions.

Speakers: Prof. Tanvir Ahmed (BUET), Dr. Md. Shofiqul Islam (KUET), Prof. Thammarat Koottatep (AIT/GWSC), Dr. Mohammad Ismail Hossain (KUET), Dr. Anish Ghimire (AIT), Dr. Anjum Tasnuva (KUET), Ms. Isha Basyal (GWSC), Dr. Md. Imran Kabir (SUST), Mr. Subrata Paul, Dr. Sanjiv Neupane (GWSC)

Full recap here: https://www.gwsc.ait.ac.th/training-of-trainers-tot-on-gsgs-curriculum/

The Singapore International Water Week 2026 brought together global experts to discuss innovative solutions for water and climate resilience. Prof. Sangam Shrestha from the Asian Institute of Technology and Co-Director of the AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center shared insights during the panel discussion on “Predict, Prevent, Protect: AI-Driven Early Warning Systems for Water and Climate Risks.”

Prof. Shrestha highlighted that climate volatility is no longer a future challenge but a present operational reality across Asia. Drawing examples from the Mekong region, he emphasized the growing complexity of interconnected climate risks, the importance of AI-enabled early warning systems, and the urgent need for trusted and shared data infrastructures to support timely decision-making.

He further stressed that the future of AI in water and climate risk management depends not only on advanced technologies, but also on building “AI-ready institutions” with multidisciplinary talent, integrated data systems, and strong collaboration among governments, researchers, and communities to transform forecasts into meaningful action.

Conversations like these at SIWW remind us that resilience isn't just built on better models — it's built on better partnerships.

Thank you to the organizers of Singapore International Water Week 2026 and fellow panelists for such a rich discussion.

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.