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Alternative toilet facilities in schools attract more children in Kibera

Henry Owino

October 02, 2018 |

Talk Africa |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kibera, Nairobi

In a slum in Kiberia, Kenya, a new invention called Peepoople Kenya (or Peepoo for short) is addressing a mounting sanitation issue from open defecation and lack of clean facilities. The solution is a single-use, biodegradable toilet (via a bag that spreads across a small pot) in new and maintained facilities. Teachers and pupils testify to the cleanliness and usability of the toilets and have even found unexpected benefits as well, like the facilities in a safer location and less time lost from lessons by waiting in line for a latrine.

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Wastewater and public health in the rural South

Melissa Brown

September 24, 2018 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hayneville, Alabama

A wastewater infrastructure crisis in the southern United States is much like those found in far less-developed countries. Now researchers and nonprofits are looking to successes in Africa, in an effort to eradicate obscure diseases and improve quality of life.

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Berlin's mayor tries to wean Germans off the water bottle

Luisa Beck

September 14, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

Although commonplace in many parts of the world, Berlin has recently adopted the practice of using water fountains to cut back on plastic bottle usage. Not everyone supports this environmental push, but the mayor is hopeful they will at least catch on with tourists who are accustomed to the invention already as well as act as a resource for refilling plastic bottles rather than throwing them away.

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A major US city will start drinking its own sewage. Others need to follow.

Zoë Schlanger

August 23, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

As water shortages continue to be on the rise, so are water expenses. El Paso, Texas is more familiar with this than many other cities due to it's serious lack of rainfall and historically rapid consumption of water. The city's newest approach, however, utilizes a closed-loop water system that cleans and recycles sewage water, making it ready for public consumption.

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Water scheme improves access to safe water

Bill Oketch

August 22, 2018 |

Daily Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Nebbi District

With little access to clean water, the community in the Nebbi District in Uganda were facing health issues. A new government initiative, however, has changed this reality by implementing a water scheme that utilizes technology to trap water and transport it closer to the community.

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Dams and reservoirs can't save us. This is the new future of water infrastructure.

Zoë Schlanger

August 22, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas only gets about 10 inches of rainfall per year, which doesn't help the water shortage the city is facing. Faced with no other choice but to seek solutions, the city has already implemented rainwater catchment systems, but is now looking to other countries as they turn their focus to toilet-to-tap practices.

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A Huge Win for Keeping Water Systems under Public Control

Dharna Noor

August 17, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Voting to approve the prohibition of privatizing the city water system was just the most recent success in Baltimore's history of keeping the water system under public ownership. Through efforts pioneered by the city's various communities coming together, the city itself has turned into a model for others to learn from.

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'Uber For Poop' Aims To Break Up Senegal's Toilet Cartel

Robert Smith

July 27, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Senegal, Dakar

In Senegal, emptying your septic taste is expensive business; the two options, hiring someone to shovel it onto the street or paying a high price to the "cartel of 'toilet suckers,'" are not sustainable for residents or public health. To force members of the raw sewage cartel to compete with each other and lower prices, a new call center "auctions" the service by text to individual sellers instead of forcing people to contend with a banded group, and "prices for toilet suckers have come down an average of 7 percent" since the program began.

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Wastewater treatment is a problem in the rural South. Who is working to fix it?

Melissa Brown

July 26, 2018 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Haynesville, Alabama

In the South's rural Black Belt, wastewater management is an issue, but local activists, government officials, and civil engineers are working together to create a new type of sanitation system that works for the geography. The approach also includes public information campaigns to educate people about proper maintenance and stop rumors that can prevent that maintenance.

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In the Black Belt, a template for fixing failing sewage infrastructure

Melissa Brown

July 25, 2018 |

Southerly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alabama

Improving sanitation and hygiene in rural communities requires coordinating experts and policy makers to find solutions that fit. In addition to coordinating research projects on alternative forms of sewage and wastewater management, the Equal Justice Initiative, the Alabama health department, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working to educate residents about sanitation and public health.

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