Transcript:

Around the world, more than a billion people live in informal settlements. These unplanned areas are often densely packed and lack municipal services.

Ramírez-Lovering: “They’re often in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. They have generally poor drainage, unsafe water, and all of these problems are exacerbated by often a lack of sanitation.”

That’s Diego Ramírez-Lovering of Monash University in Australia. He says when it rains, stormwater can mix with wastewater and flow into streets and homes. In many areas, the problem is getting worse as climate change brings more heavy downpours.

Ramírez-Lovering: “So in a way, climate issues become health issues, and the intersection of those two is really quite dangerous.”

So to help, he’s part of a global initiative that’s improving infrastructure in a dozen communities in Indonesia and Fiji.

They’ve installed private toilets, stormwater drains, septic tanks, and artificial wetlands that help filter water pollutants.

And now they’re studying how the changes affect the health of young kids, who are especially vulnerable to illness from water contamination.

So the team hopes to build climate resilience and improve people’s health and well-being – all at the same time.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media