Search This Blog

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Poor sanitation breeds disease and exploitation in Kenya's slums

The chronic lack of clean water and proper sanitation leads to social as well as health problems, adding to residents' misery

* Reddit
* Buzz up
* Share on facebook (1)
*
*
Comments (0)

* By IRIN, part of the Guardian Development Network
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 September 2010 17.05 BST
* Article history

kenya slums Kenya's slums are a breeding ground for disease and exploitation Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images

Poor sanitation, lack of water and related disease outbreaks are making the lives of the residents of the sprawling Korogocho slums in Nairobi even harder.

"The lack of water and improper waste disposal are a big threat to our lives due to the risk of water-borne diseases," Nancy Wangari, a community health worker and village elder in Korogocho, told IRIN. "The threat of typhoid, cholera and other diseases from poor sanitation is real."

Although some pay-toilets have been set up, the cost remains prohibitive, forcing residents to dispose of excreta in plastic bags (so-called flying toilets), which litter the area. In the past few days, a broken sewer line running from the neighbouring Kariobangi estate has been emptying its effluence into the slum, choking the already narrow pathways between rows of houses.

The scene in Korogocho is replicated elsewhere in Kenya, where rapid urbanisation has meant more informal structures with little or no water and sanitation services are springing up. According to the 2009 census, an estimated one in five Kenyans uses the bush as a toilet – access to piped water covers only 38.4% of the urban population and 13.4% of rural residents.

While the "water and sanitation challenges themselves are formidable… their impact on other social, political, and epidemiological systems is equally significant", notes a recent Humanitarian Futures Group (HFG) report, Urban Catastrophes: The Wat/San Dimension, which examines how water and sanitation stress drives other humanitarian crises in slums.

"As with any valuable good, the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities in slums is an attractive target for corruption, greed, collusion and exploitation," it states. "Solutions must therefore focus on understanding local social networks."

Korogocho resident Maurice Omondi said water vendors make a killing out of residents' misery. "I pay two shillings (about 15p) per 20-litre jerry can but with the rampant water shortages, it may cost between five and 10 shillings for the same in the neighbouring estates," Omondi told IRIN.

Countless communities are exposed to their own and others' faeces. Water vendor Peter Macharia* told IRIN he had diverted the main water line running through the slum to his homestead.

"My business is now threatened as the National Water and Sewerage Company is demanding we install meters on all supplies to our homes," Macharia said as he collected money from queuing women and children. The lack of land tenure may, however, make it difficult to ensure consistent water payments.

According to the HFG report, many urban environments have enough water in absolute terms to provide for residents' needs. The challenge is how to equitably manage and distribute it.

In Kenya, slum infrastructure has remained inadequate as it is not government policy to support development in what are considered illegal informal settlements. Residents tamper with electricity and water connections, often resulting in clashes as security personnel are deployed to stop the connections.

According to experts, slum conditions may make the settlements a breeding ground for tomorrow's pathogens. Health problems such as malnutrition, diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid fever are already common, especially when water is mixed with industrial and sewage effluent.

"General cleanliness in the slums is not good at all. Even as we try our best to keep our individual compounds clean, some people litter our compounds with flying toilets," Korogocho resident Miriam Wangari said.

Progress towards halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015 has been slow, say experts.

"At present, there are 2.6 billion people living without safe sanitation, which means countless communities where people are exposed to their own and others' faeces. Excreta is then transmitted between people by flies or fingers and also finds its way into water sources, resulting in a public health crisis," says a Water Aid report entitled Ignored, The Biggest Child Killer. In Africa, diarrhoea kills almost one in five children before their fifth birthday, it says.

Low-tech waste removal systems such as mobile toilets, bucket removal and dry composting toilets are among measures recommended in slums. In Korogocho, private individuals use handcarts with large drums to manually empty sludge from pit latrines at a fee. This is often done at night and the contents sometimes end up in the Nairobi River.

With Kenya's population projected to grow by up to 1 million people a year, existing water and sanitation facilities will be stretched further.

"The lack of resources and consequent inability to address the increasing demands on water and sanitation systems throughout the urban and peri-urban areas will not only threaten the viability of cities and towns as a whole, but could transform even relatively viable urban areas into slums," warned the HFG report.

* Not his real name

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented a prestigious prize to a project on biodegradation of Polystyrene

Canadian Teenagers Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong Wins 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Stockholm (2010-09-07) – The 14th annual international competition for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize concluded this evening. The winners, Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong from Canada were handed the prize by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at a ceremony at the World Water Week in Stockholm. Their research on biodegradation of the plastic Polystyrene won them the prize.

Photos, video and press kit available at: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/media

“Every year more and more chemical debris is introduced in the environment and water bodies around the world. Research has shown these chemicals can release toxics into the water, they can be harmful for the environment, and deadly to life in water. Much of the debris in the world’s waterways are plastics which is used for fast food containers, disposable cups, and packing material for example. To date, there is no natural solution to safely take care of these harmful plastics. The winning project created a novel approach to break-down these plastics using micro-organisms and enzymes that are cost effective, and readily available. This method could greatly reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the world’s waters,” said the International Jury in its citation.

“Expanded Polystyrine (EPS) is a great threat to the environment since it contributes to the spread of toxins such as styrene and bisphenol A into our waters. We hope that our method will be widely used and consequently increase the water quality in the world,” said the winners after receiving the prize.

The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world’s brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. Each year, thousands of participants in over 30 countries join national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The international winner receives a USD 5,000 award and a prize sculpture. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world become interested in water.

“We believe the Stockholm Junior Water Prize has the power to transform our industry by engaging students—the next generation of water leaders —to address critical water issues,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control group. “As water pollution and scarcity continue to threaten areas around the globe, the innovative research that this competition generates year after year gives us confidence that we can rise above future global water challenges.”

Excellence Diploma to China
A Diploma of Excellence was given to Ms. Yingxin Li, Mr. Zhaonan Yang and Ms. Wanling Chen from China for their project “Novel Soil Remedation Technology for South China”
The international Jury said “their project neatly addresses the theme of this year’s World Water Week: The water quality challenge. The team of extremely enthusiastic and dedicated students worked both in the field and in the laboratory for a long time. Their effort resulted in an exceptional report dealing with several crucial water quality-related problems including fertiliser loss, recycling of waste, and the improvement of soil fertility. The technique developed by the students holds great promise to help solve some of today’s most pressing problems within the agricultural sector.”

PRESS INFORMATION
For more information and interview requests, contact:
Ms. Britt-Louise Andersson, SIWI, +46 8 522 139 72, britt-louise.andersson@siwi.org
Ms. Anna Norén, SIWI, +46 76 129 26 90, anna.noren@siwi.org

About the Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The competition is open to young people between 15-20 years of age, who have conducted water-related projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world develop personal interests, undertake academic study, and often pursue careers in the water or environmental fields. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is the Patron of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The winner receives an award of USD 5,000 and a handmade blue crystal sculpture. The Stockholm International Water Institute administers the competition, which is sponsored globally by ITT Corporation. The official suppliers for the competition are Infobahn, Halebop, Hertz, People Travel Group and Trosa Tryckeri. http://www.siwi.org/stockholmjuniorwaterprize

About the World Water Week in Stockholm
The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together 2500 experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. www.worldwaterweek.org

About Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that contributes to international efforts to combat the world's escalating water crisis. SIWI develops and promotes future-oriented and knowledge–integrated policies, towards sustainable use of the world’s water resources leading to sustainable development and poverty eradication. www.siwi.org
World Water Week opens in Stockholm

By Mohammad Ghazal

STOCKHOLM - Water experts from across the globe convened in Stockholm Monday at the opening session of the World Water Week 2010 with calls for addressing “pressing” global water issues and ensuring clean water access and safe sanitation to people.

Over 2,500 leading experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from over 130 countries along with 200 organisations are participating in the event taking place at the Stockholm International Fairs premises.

During the event, held under the theme: “Responding to Global Changes: The Water Quality Challenge”, participants will look into a number of issues, including food security, climate change, the right to water access and sanitation, urbanisation, water governance, and the strategic water concerns of businesses.

Anders Berntell, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute which organises the meeting annually, said in his opening address that water quality will be the main topic to be discussed in addition to other related issues.

Stressing the high importance of preserving the adequate quality of water and ensuring adequate sanitation and personal hygiene, Berntell said: “Bad water kills more people than malaria, AIDS and wars combined.”

“In 2009, over 50 countries still reported cholera to the World Health Organisation (WHO), something we will hear more about later. Two-hundred million people are infected with schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia. Every year 1.8 million people die from diarrhoeal disease attributable to unsafe water or poor sanitation and hygiene, mostly children under five,” he added.

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, freshwater ecosystems have degraded more than any other ecosystem, including tropical rainforests. Several studies indicate that more than 40 per cent of fish species and amphibians are threatened with extinction, he said.

“Polluted freshwater ends up in the oceans, causing serious damage to many coastal areas and fisheries, thereby constituting a major challenge to ocean and coastal resource management,” he said.

In her speech at the opening session, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said: “A great deal has happened since World Water Week was launched 20 years ago.”

“Today, almost two billion more people have access to safe drinking water compared with 20 years ago, and around 1.5 billion more people have access to sanitation. The provision of safe water has actually outperformed global population growth and given more than eight million people, roughly the population of Sweden, access to safe water every month - for 20 years!” she said.

In seminars held during the day, experts underlined the importance of addressing global water challenges, including water scarcity, pollution and equity, with calls for focusing on providing people with access to sanitation and clean water, a matter they said reflects positively on the overall development of each country.

“Lack of sanitation has a cost on the country’s gross domestic product as due to lack of sanitation in a certain country, this country will lose in being able to attract tourists and in spending more on health. Not having sanitation has also an impact on the environment and there is a cost for that,” Jaehyang So, manager of the Water and Sanitation Programme, which is a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to wate? and sanitation, said in one of the seminars.

According to Berntell, a supporting statement will be completed by the end of the week to be later presented to the high-level plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in the United Nations that will take place in New York on September 20-22.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of both the World Water Week and the Stockholm Water Prize.

A majority of the previous Stockholm Water Prize laureates are present in Stockholm in observance of the jubilee to share their solutions to future water challenges at a special laureates’ seminar later during the week in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

This year’s World Water Week in Stockholm, which is the first European Green Capital, will run through September 11.

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Four R’s of Education


As hundreds of millions of children across the world head back to school this fall, and you prepare your back-to-school stories, something critical will be missing for more than half of those children. It’s not teachers or text books or even desks. It’s toilets.

Which means each year, 272 million school days are lost to absenteeism caused by diarrhea; in some areas, over 40% of diarrhea cases result from transmission in schools, rather than homes. Over half the world’s schools lack toilets and a place for children to wash their hands; 50% lack safe drinking water. It doesn’t matter how good the education is -- if children are forced to miss school.

That’s why this October, a coalition of nearly 30 organizations, including UNICEF, will organize a series of events in Washington DC to demand that the US Government, the World Bank, and others involved in the education of children across the globe, no longer forget the crucial 4th R: the Restroom. No future school should ever be built without safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, nor should any student be resigned to the disease and indignity of a school without a restroom. That 4th R makes a monumental difference to education:


· In one school in Ghana , Mohammed Yahaya, a teacher, proclaimed, “I’ve been teaching here for eight years. Before the borehole well we had 46 students now we have close to 400 students!”

· In Bangladesh and Tanzania , studies show school attendance increases 15 % and 12% respectively, when water is available within a 15-minute walk compared to one hour or more.

· In Alwar District , India , the school sanitation program increased girls’ enrollment by one third, leading to a 25 % improvement in academic performance for both boys and girls.

The impact is lifelong and also affects the next generation. Women who have been to school are less likely to die during childbirth and each additional year of education is estimated to prevent two maternal deaths for every 1,000 women.

We invite you to begin your back-to-school reporting in advance of the October events. We can help you identify programs that are tackling this issue and improving lives. We can direct you to WASH and education experts to interview about this issue. We can connect you to US organizations, teachers and students that are directly involved with solving this problem through service learning programs ( US schools matched to developing country schools). The coalition has a global network of on-the-ground partners that will help you meet the students, teachers and parents affected by this issue so you can hear their stories directly.
ends

Thursday, September 2, 2010

For the Magical Wash Tour at the World Water Week at Stockholm in September, please check this link:

Magical Wash Tour
Dig Toilets, Not Graves


4,000 children die, every day

That’s three children every minute of every day. They die because they don’t have proper toilets, so many have to defecate wherever they can. Faeces contaminates everything they touch, eat and drink, causing deadly diarrhoeal diseases.
The solution is so simple

We can stop the suffering by digging safe pit toilets. The technology needed is as simple as a spade. The training and equipment are no more complicated. And pit toilets last for years, saving lives day after day. So your gift will keep on working.

To sign the petition, please log on to
Sign our petition now and help us change lives

ends