Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development

Dr Abishek Sankara Narayan, scientist at Eawag’s Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development (SANDEC), received the IWA Young Leadership Award on 4 October 2026 at the opening ceremony of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2026 in Glasgow, UK.

As I wrap up projects and activities before retirement, this is the ideal moment to look back, reflect on how the landscape has changed, and consider how, hopefully, our research has helped develop the sector and improve solid waste management in low- and middle-income countries.

We used the water flow diagram in combination with SWAT+ modelling to assess seasonal water supply challenges in terms of quantity and quality in Panchkhal municipality. Water supply was challenged by infrastructure damages during weather extremes and an extended drought during the dry season. Households showed the highest vulnerability to the impact of water shortage.

As flood events become more frequent and intense, combining satellite images, infrastructure plans, and household survey can provide new insights into the vulnerabilities of drinking water services. This approach could help identify and better manage urban flood risks. 

A financial assessment of different chlorination methods allows decision makers (governments, NGOs, water suppliers) to prioritise the most suitable method for different contexts. Even under tight resource constraints, appropriate financing of a chlorinator can enable rural communities to access safe water.

The CARE project examines how wastewater utilities build capabilities to embed resource recovery practices. Using interviews and case studies, the research contributes towards leapfrogging from treatment-only to recovery, producing toolkits and policy guidance for water sector practitioners.

For the first time, Sandec is contributing to sanitation planning in a European city. Supporting the Albanian govern ment in developing solutions for the areas that cannot be connected to centralised sewerage, this project increases the understanding on the actual implementation modalities of the citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) approach.

Fair research partnerships require more than funding: trust, shared decision-making and jointly defined priorities are key.

An Eawag project in Bengaluru, India, is opening up new ways to respond to droughts and water scarcity. The focus is on the decentralised reuse of treated wastewater. Technological solutions alone cannot resolve the complex water challenges. Social aspects must be considered, as well.

Access to safe drinking water, as defined by the SDGs, modestly protects children from diarrheal diseases. An Eawag study shows which service elements matter most.

The sanitation objective of Sustainable Development Goal 6, sanitation for all, is off-track and far from being completed by 2030. Vermifiltration could help address this gap: The nature-based sanitation management system shows increasing promise globally because of its low cost. Researchers at Eawag’s Sandec department visited vermifilter installations in India and Switzerland to examine how local differences influence their optimal design.

Can urban drainage system serve as a proxy for disease surveillance? Eawag and partners in Uganda explore a new approach to public health surveillance.

A new study provides precise data on the origin of plastic in the sea. It could be key to reducing this pollution in a targeted way.