We are Sewasan, a social venture formed by a group of young entrepreneurs from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds, different parts parts of the world, for solving the critical problems of access to water and sanitation facilities in urban slums.
What do we do ?
We at Sewasan provide access to safe, dignified and affordable sanitation solution to urban slum dwellers. We also believe that the solution will provide quantifiable water savings to communities who do not have access water and sanitation problems. Sewasan’s business is constructing and maintaining toilet facilities in urban slums where demand for such services is high. Sewasan manages the development of the facilities and their use in the community to ensure cleanliness, functionality, steady revenues, improved public health, and environmentally responsible handling of waste.
Why do we do this ?
According to Khosla (2000), 'Open defecation is a serious health and environmental threat because pathogens from excreta contaminate soil and water. Absence of poor sanitation facilities exacerbates the health problems of the poor, causing loss of productivity and loss of income. With the primary income earner being too sick to work, onus falls on children, interrupting their education and leading to a troubled childhood for children and poorer standards of living for the entire family.'
Open defecation is a direct consequence of urban water shortages. Over the last decade, many community toilet complexes have been rendered dysfunctional in India , due to severe water shortages and drastic drops in the ground water table levels. Consequently, slum residents are forced to defecate in open spaces, exacerbating urban health and safety. The women of these communities are prone to various gynaecological illnesses and are put at risk of harassment and even rape. Currently, over 1.8 million people in Delhi , capital of India, alone live in the slums, most of whom are facing these problems every single day.
How are we unique ?
We provide an innovative waterless toilet solution to our target community. The toilet is a 3-hole-squatting pan, modified to suit the Indian way of defecation, along with a composting pit at the bottom. The source
separated urine and wash water are diverted through the sewer pipes to the main drain and human feces is decomposed on site in the cemented composting pit below the toilet structure, also preventing ground water contamination. To facilitate the decomposition of solid waste, saw dust and other organic materials are added in the pit. This ecological method of sanitation consumes less than a litre of water per day for a family, and converts human waste to fertilizer and revenue. This clean, hygienic and functional toilet can be constructed almost anywhere irrespective of high water tables, hard rock below the ground or other conditions which prevent the construction of regular toilets.What are our guiding principles for the solution ?
Our sanitation solution is based on our belief in the following four guiding principles:
1. Convenience
2. Hygiene
3. Easy operation and maintenance
4. Accessibility
Where do we start ?
We are presently working on setting up a pilot project in a slum in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. The pilot project willrequire an investment of Rs. 18 lakh and will provide a better standard of living to a potential customer base of 3500 slum dwellers
How are we financially sustainable ?
Given the current health and safety issues, Sewasan sees a solid business opportunity with the potential for
reasonable financial returns and immense social value.We will use various affordable and flexible subscription models such as pay per use, monthly, individual and family memberships as our main revenue stream. We will also generate additional revenue by selling the manure created by decomposition of human feces. This revenue will allow our venture to continue improving the water, sanitation and safety conditions of the slum dwellers. Sewasan will need a capital investment of Rs. 18 Lakh to construct the facility and operate for a period of 20 months, at which point the venture will break even and will be able to sustain on its own. This will cover the costs of
construction of 50 toilets, registration, training, operations and maintenance, electricity, water and the
purchase of the new materials that will be required for the duration of 20 months of operations at the site identified for a pilot project. The project will have a ramp up period that will last from 3 to 9 months. The return on investment after 24 months of operation is expected to be 8%, assuming 70% of the community of 3500 people subscribe to our solution. A part of the profits from the venture will be given back to the community for improving the quality of education in their area. The venture will be run through an administrative body which monitors functioning, operations & maintenance of the facility and is responsible for revenue collection and enrolment to subscription. The administrative body will have representatives of the community, local NGO and Sewasan board members.
Is the community a part of the solution ?
The community is part of the solution since the very inception of the idea. The numerous interactions with the community have aided us to come up with this unique offering, which is a sustainable design even in drought-like conditions and is very easy to maintain. To promote community feeling of ownership of the solution , we ask for a nominal contribution from the community for the construction of the facility. The skill sets of the community are also absorbed during various stages of the project like design, construction, operations, administration, maintenance, etc . We believe community involvement and contribution is centric to the solution provided and therefore we aim to strengthen our relationship with the community over a period of time.
How did ACARA help ?
ACARAperceived risks of our proposal and have employed various risk mitigation measures to counter them. We have a thorough understanding of our business plan now because of the unique opportunity provided to us by ACARA summer institute.
What next ?
We plan to put up a prototype in the community to test our assumptions and mitigate our risks.
Team Description
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTTA (UMN)
Emily Gross
Pursuing Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the College of Science and Engineer at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Currently serving as Vice-President of Innovative Engineers.
Kurtis D. McIntire, E.I.T.
A Graduate Research Assistant working on master’s degree in Civil/Water Resources Engineering at the
University of Minnesota. Has five years of experience in water resources engineering, institutional research,
hydrologic analysis, and water quality modelling.
Laurie McGinley
A graduate of the Master of Architecture and Sustainable Design programs at the University of Minnesota. Volunteered with Peace Corps El Salvador for two years and worked in municipal development. Is interested in sustainable systems and how communities adopt them.
Mark A. Edstrom
Pursuing an MBA at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in areas of focus are
entrepreneurship and strategy. Has an expertise in plumbing, electrical, and other building-related mechanical
systems.
Matt Carney
Currently pursuing Bachelors of Civil Engineering and minors in Sustainability Studies and Construction
Management at the University of Minnesota. Has an expertise in water resources, sustainability and project
development.
THE ENERGY & RESEARCH INSTITUTE (TERI)
Bhumika Khanna
Currently pursuing her MBA in Infrastructure Management at TERI University. She holds a Bachelors degree in Information Technology & has over 2 years of work experience. She has expertise in strategy, growth and innovation and marketing.
Radhika Kapoor
A graduate in electronics and communication engineering, She is currently pursuing her MBA in Business
Sustainability at TERI University. She co-founded a youth network, ‘Youth For A Cause’, as a platform for
discussion of social and environmental issues. She has worked with NGOs on various sustainability issues and has expertise in sustainability business strategy, networking and project development.
Rahul Raju Dusa
A chemical engineer by profession and is currently pursuing his post graduation in renewable energy and
engineering management from TERI University. His areas of interest are energy efficiency and sustainable
development.
Shruti Sehgal
An engineer by profession, Shruti is now pursuing her MBA in infrastructure at TERI University. She has an
expertise in networking, establishing contacts with government officials, and technology project design.
Shilpy Dewan
Pursuing her post graduation in MBA infrastructure from TERI University, She has very good communication
and networking skills with rural poor and has taken up specialisation in finance.
Shashaank Shekhar
An engineer by profession, he has over 4 years of experience with SAIL and is currently pursuing his post
graduation in renewable energy and engineering management from TERI University. His expertise lies in
technology design, project development and management.
Upkari Nath Tripathi
A chemical engineer by profession, Upkari is currently pursuing his post graduation in renewable energy and
engineering management from TERI University. His expertise lies in construction, operations and process
management. He has in depth understanding of the needs of the urban poor and establishes an instant
connect with them. He plans to take the plan forward under his leadership as the project manager on-site
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