Rain, Rain Go Away

It has been raining heavily this week...torrential downpours and strong lightening every night.  We even had quite a bit of haul today.  Although one would think rain is welcomed in water scarce regions such as this, rainwater often goes to waste if not properly harvested and re-used.  It is causing significant floods and mud in some areas which makes it even harder for the water trucks to reach the rural areas.  I worry about the kids we met in Plastic View and how they are dealing with this weather.

The topic of informal settlements is such a difficult one - people are setting up shacks anywhere they see a piece of empty land.  But without proper planning, the consequences for the residents can be high.  Recently, there was a significant pipe burst which killed 2 children because there was a shack built on top of it.  The City is now moving people out of this area completely and relocating them (shacks and all) to another, safer area which isn't sitting on top of the pipe infrastructure.  One of the areas we are looking into is how to detect outdated pipes and potential bursts - perhaps there are new innovative solutions which can help them gain better visibility and prioritize where new pipes and meters should be placed.

 #ibmcsc