What is the name of your organization?
Rietland
What is the name of your solution?
Phytoair® aerated wetlands
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Rietland, turning urban waste water into a valuable resource through constructed wetlands.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Belgium/Kenya
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
KEN
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Solving wastewater problem in urbanization and informal settlements. Rapid population growth in urban areas has led to the mushrooming of low income informal settlements which has led to a stress on local resources and infrastructure. Water, sanitation, and sewerage are some of the most affected areas. About 70 percent of Nairobi's water and sanitation infrastructure was developed during the colonial era to serve only a few urban residents. With a population of approximately 5 million, the city is currently experiencing a 66% population boom. The growing population has led to increased demands on water resources as well as makeshift solutions for sanitation and wastewater. Septic tanks are the most common solution. It is unfortunate that most of these facilities are poorly maintained or borderline illegal, resulting in unprecedented health and life risks when released into the environment.
Urban wastewater is a liability that can be turned into an asset by the use of constructed wastelands.
What is your solution?
A permanent and sustainable solution to the urban wastewater problem can be achieved by using constructed wetlands(CW). Using natural processes, constructed wetlands purify and remove pollutants from contaminated wastewater.
A constructed wetlands system is not a new technology; it has been around for millennia, dating back to the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The 20th and 21st century have seen them evolve to encompass a variety of substrates, including hydrosoils, biofilms and aeration.
By channeling urban wastewater into constructed wetlands within a community, the contaminated water is subjected to physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove pollutants, rendering the water safe for non-consumption domestic use. By using CW there will be less pressure on community water systems, less contamination and fewer diseases associated with urban water systems.
Implementing the most advanced types of wetlands, like aerated wetlands, the footprint of the wetland can be reduced to only 10 - 25% of the footprint of a conventional constructed wetland, thus making it possible to apply them in an urban context.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solutions targets the urban populations in African cities and towns. A UNEP report titled 'Sick Water' revealed that 90% of wastewater is discharged untreated in coastal areas which leads to marine dead zones, and further 1.8 million children die each year from waterborne illnesses. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 30% of the population has access to improved water and sanitation services, and the situation is even more dire in Kenya, where just 16% of the urban population has access to sewage systems. Building wetlands in urban areas could significantly improve the lives of millions by reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases and enhancing the availability of clean, reusable water, which is already a significant challenge, especially in arid regions.