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Lessons from India in building urban resilience

Patralekha Chatterjee

May 29, 2017 |

Citiscope |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Surat, Gujarat

TARU, an Indian thinktank, has found that Indians cities have combined decentralized action and "multi-stakeholder engagement" in public policy to respond to problems of scarcity in water and power as well as climate change-related natural disasters. Municipalities are putting responsibility for improving local lives at the grassroots level; integrating disruptive technologies from the private sector; and fostering collaboration between government and citizens.

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Jordan's Water Wise Women

Amani Zain

May 17, 2017 |

Al Jazeera |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Jordan, Mafraq, Mafraq Governorate

The country of Jordan has one of the scarcest water supplies of any country on earth - one that can barely sustain its population, especially with Syrian refugees pouring in and further straining limited resources. Poor piping infrastructure and leaks greatly contribute to the shortage. An organization called Water Wise Women is training women in plumbing skills, empowering them to repair leakages in their homes and communities to help save precious water.

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Ladakh's Ice Stupas

Russell Beard

May 17, 2017 |

Al Jazeera |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: India, Leh, Kashmir

Nearly a billion people living in the arid regions of the Himalayas depend on glaciers for their water supply. But with climate change, glaciers have been retreating drastically every year, threatening the life source of villagers like those in the Ladakh region of Kashmir. One engineer, Sonam Wangchuck, has come up with an ingenious feat of engineering to help the villages store glacier water by constructing stupas - or towers - using thorn branches that retain ice in tall structures, which melts and provides clean water for drinking and agriculture during the dry season.

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Turning Goats into Water

Mukul Devichand Dougal Shaw

May 16, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Pakistan, Pathan Goth, Sindh

Fariel Salahuddin was determined to tackle the extreme lack of access to fresh water she encountered in rural Pakistani communities, but she wanted the model to be sustainable, not dependent on donations. Most of the communities didn't have regular access to rupees to help sustain their solar water pump micro-enterprises - what they did have, however, were goats. Salahuddin set up a scheme where villagers could pay for their clean water access with livestock instead of cash, which she then sells using Facebook at high rates during Muslim festivals to generate a sustainable revenue source.

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Printing A Solution to the World's Biggest Problems

Wendy Williams

May 11, 2017 |

Pro Bono Australia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Solomon Islands, Honiara, Guadalcanal

A research fellow at Deakin University’s School of Engineering in Australia has developed a world-first technology 3D printer prototype capable of printing plumbing and sanitation supplies using discarded plastics - and what's more, it runs on solar power. They are partnering with NGO Plan International to implement this technology in the Solomon Islands, where locals will learn to print the parts they need, thereby solving the dual problems of plastic rubbish and a lack of access to vital mechanical parts for clean water supply. The model gives these communities tools to solve their own problems.

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How 700 Kerala villagers waded through a dead river, cleansed it and brought it back to life in 70 days

Ramesh Babu

May 07, 2017 |

Hindustan Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, Budhanoor, Kerala

The Kuttemperoor river in Alappuzha district of Kerala, India was once treated as a source for water and food stability. After years of illegal sand mining and construction sites dumping sewage, the river was unrecognizable to those that had once known its clean shores. As water scarcity became a reality for the small village of Budhanoor, and government action seemed unlikely, a group of 700 villagers - mostly women - banded together and spent 70 days physically de-silting and revitalizing the 12-kilometer long river.

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Kenyans turn to camels to cope with climate change

Andrea Dijkstra

April 24, 2017 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Isiolo, Nairobi

In agricultural communities across Kenya, global warming has led local farmers to turn to camels -- as an alternative to cows -- for dairy products both to feed their families and take to the local markets to sell. Furthermore, with an uptick in demand both regionally and nationally for camel milk, farmers are finding themselves with new purchasing power for various goods and services.

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The bizarre and inspiring story of Iowa's fish farmers

Maddie Oatman

February 01, 2017 |

Mother Jones |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Webster City, Iowa

A family in Iowa, living 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and 1,500 miles from the Pacific Ocean, are paving the way for the future of fish farms. By filling their unused barn with fish tanks, this third-generation Webster City farming family found a solution for successfully and sustainably raise up to 10 million pounds of barramundi per year.

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How Nepal got the electricity flowing

Bikash Sangraula

January 16, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

Over the last seven years, Nepal's electricity use has remained under the control of the Nepal Electrical Authority (NEA), a monopoly that has been illegally supplying electricity to certain industries 24/7 leaving the public in darkness during blackout hours. Due to the ingenuity of Kul Man Ghising, the electricity has been redistributed and can be utilized for up to 20 hours per day in consistent and publicly known time blocks. It is possible that in the coming years, 24 hours of electricity a day will be available to all in Nepal.

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How To Make Hydropower More Environmentally Friendly

Matt Weiser

December 20, 2016 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dover, Delaware

Dams make for complex and often controversial infrastructure. While hydropower generated from large dam projects is currently providing the bulk of the planet's renewable energy, dams can also cause major environmental and social damage by interrupting animal migrations, displacing indigenous communities, and collecting toxins. A number of solutions are being implemented, however, to address the various issues caused by dams, to help make them a more eco-friendly and viable source of clean energy.

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