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Despite a Punishing Drought, San Diego Has Water. It Wasn't Easy.

Jill Cowan

October 17, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

While much of the state is still facing a severe drought, San Diego has access to plenty of water. Restrictions - like not allowing restaurants to serve water unless it’s asked for and barring residents from watering their yards during the day – have helped. Diversifying where the city gets their water from and investing in water-saving infrastructure, like lining Imperial Valley canals with concrete to prevent water from seeping into the earth, growing desalination capabilities, and adding more capacity to the reservoir, have also helped diversity and save water.

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Nigeria is struggling to end open defecation, but a grassroots campaign is trying to change that

Samson Toromade

September 24, 2021 |

Pulse Nigeria |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

Open Defecation Free Nigeria works to stop people from disposing of human waste in public areas by building public toilets. The organization has built 66 so far and manages a group of volunteers who educate residents about the dangers of public defecation. Encouraging behavioral change is key to ending the practice of open defecation. Fundraising and the sale of private household toilets funds the public toilets, which are tailored to the needs of a community. Most contain a biodigester system that turns waste to liquid or compost manure, which can last for decades and is easy for communities to maintain.

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Pour Flush Toilets Eradicate Typhoid in Katunguru Village

Fatuma Nalwanga

September 19, 2021 |

The Community Agenda |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Katunguru

Katunguru village reduced Cholera and Typhoid outbreaks by building and transitioning to pour flush toilets rather than pit latrines. Pour flush toilets require just a five-foot pit, so waste water doesn’t mix with drinking water and are inexpensive to maintain. A user pours in water to flush the toilet through an S-shaped pipe. In addition to stopping disease outbreaks, residues from filled pits are used as manure and ash from kitchens are sprinkled inside after each use to prevent odors and dry up waste residues. Pour flush toilets are not constructed with wood, so they also minimize local deforestation.

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The Struggle of Ending Open Defecation in Adadama, Cross River State

Udeh Obaziota

August 26, 2021 |

Sparkling 92.3 FM |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Nigeria, Adadama, Cross River

A community-led sanitation approach ended the practice of open defecation, a major cause of water pollution and stomach diseases. The program educated people to change social norms and laws requiring every household to own a toilet and punishing those who defecated in the river with a substantial fine were critical to its effectiveness. The community drove the program, with widespread adoption made easier by the benefits like fewer flies and less stomach illnesses. Low budget toilets, requiring only labor to dig a hole and resources available in the bush, were constructed so that everyone could afford it.

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Can Eggshells Save One of Mexico's Most Polluted Rivers?

Aline Suárez del Real

August 14, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Lerma, Mexico

The Lerma river in Mexico is one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Water from the river leaves behind yellow stains and causes headaches and dizziness. To help bring clean, drinking water to the community a scientist and a resident in Lerma co-found the H2O Lerma With Charm collective. One of the things the group does is create filters from eggshells they install in the local wells. Eggshels, which are high in calcium, combined with magnesium can reduce heavy metals in water by 80 percent. The collective has close to 70 members and have installed filters in seven local wells.

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The Orange Cans That Help Philly Take Out the Trash

Solcyre Burga

August 03, 2021 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As a solution for the garbage littering his block, a Philadelphia resident has launched a much-needed movement to keep the streets clean. Sanitation services have been affected since the pandemic, leading to staff shortages in the face of rising residential trash collection needs. I Love Thy Hood collected signatures and raised money to buy and place bright orange trash cans throughout his neighborhood, keeping excess garbage from littering the streets.

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Menstrual hygiene solutions: Kaduna girls take action

Ismail Abdulaziz Magdalene Offiong Ukuedojor Yusuf Ummul Idris Attah

August 01, 2021 |

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Kaduna

Over 200 teenage girls in northwestern Nigeria have been trained to produce reusable sanitary napkins and tampons, which they can use for personal use and sell to make extra money. In fact, they have sold over 15,000 packs of reusable menstrual hygiene products worth 3.5 million naira, both improving the lives of users and becoming a viable livelihood for communities. The kits contain three cotton-based reusable products, each of which last three to six months. The project was supported as part of the United Nations’ COVID-19 response in Nigeria.

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From killer crocodiles to clean water in rural villages

André Gakwaya

July 27, 2021 |

Rwanda News Agency |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda, Nyarufuzu

The Water Access Rwanda project created a source of clean drinking water by establishing a network of pipelines and solar-powered pumps that help deliver purified drinking water to homes. Not only has the project provided a way for people to access clean water, but it has also provided jobs for over 60 people.

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In Assam, ATMs purify arsenic-laced water

Aatreyee Dhar

July 19, 2021 |

The Third Pole |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Barigaon, Assam

A water management committee manages Barigaon’s water ATM, which uses a nanotechnology-based ion exchange resin to remove iron and arsenic from groundwater. Residents, who swipe a pre-paid card to collect water in their own containers, pay 40 cents per 20 liters or a flat monthly fee of less than $3. Water is free for families who can’t afford the fee and delivery is arranged for those who are unable to transport water. Around 250 villagers use the ATM each day and its success inspired five additional ATMs, with plans to install 172 statewide. Fees cover maintenance and the landowner’s electricity costs.

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As Men Lead Charge Against Period Poverty In Nigeria, More Girls Now Make Their Pads

Ifedayo Ogunyemi

July 12, 2021 |

Prime Progress |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

The Feyisayo Sobowale Initiative (TFSI) works to address Period poverty, the lack of access to menstrual products by people who cannot afford them. In the four-hour training, TFSI distributes free sanitary products and teaches girls in schools how to make reusable pads so as to avoid the dangers of using old rags or paper. The girls receive a pattern and pamphlet with the steps to turn locally sourced cotton fabric into a sanitary pad that can be washed and reused for up to a year. The pad consists of two pieces of the cotton fabric sewn together with a pre-cut towel material inserted between them.

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