Toilets can be a matter of life and death. This city takes that seriously.

The coalition is a global partnership helping to broaden the reach of start-ups and small firms that deal with sanitation by connecting them with established corporations in low-income countries. While the gap in services in places like India can appear daunting, Rodger said it also offers opportunities. Unlike cities in the West with old and difficult-to-upgrade sanitation systems, cities like Pune have newer systems and offer a cleaner slate.

“Our focus is on communities with less infrastructure, so you are in these leapfrog opportunities where you don’t have to repeat these mistakes,” Rodger said.

The Toilet Board Coalition sees the money-making potential of the “sanitation economy” — which ranges from high-tech toilets to the extraction and use of biofuels from waste — and estimates that it will be worth $61 billion in India alone by 2021.

source: nbcnews.com