Saniflo partners with Wetlands Work! and the World Toilet Organization

Saniflo, a manufacturer of macerating and grinding toilets as well as drain-water pumping systems, is partnering with the World Toilet Organization and Wetlands Work! to bring new sanitation systems to the floating villages of Cambodia in honour of World Toilet Day.

“There is a pressing need to address water sanitation issues around the world. This is prevalent in the floating villages of Cambodia, where one in seven children under age five die and many others are unable to go to school for days or weeks at a time because sanitation-related illnesses,” said Ross Evans, national sales manger, Saniflo Canada. “That is why Saniflo is renewing its commitment to the World Toilet Organization and World Toilet Day on November 19, 2015 to bring awareness to this cause and help to improve the living conditions with effective sanitation initiatives.”

The region around Lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, is home to over 100,000 people who live and work floating on the water. The levels of the lake fluctuate during the dry and rainy seasons from between one and nine metres, making plumbing and sanitation initiatives difficult. Entire villages use the lake for all of their daily needs including, bathing, washing, cooking, fishing, drinking and as a toilet. This is in spite of the sanitation issues and health risks they face everyday including cholera, hepatitis and other transmittable diseases.  

This year, Saniflo’s investment will provide new water treatment systems called HandyPods for schools in four villages in the Kampong Chhnag province of Cambodia. HandyPods, developed by Wetlands Work!, are a mobile ecosystem made-up of micro-organisms and plants which eliminate 99.99 per cent of fecal bacteria before releasing the water back into the environment. The system can be connected to buildings, such as schools in order to handle the water-level fluctuations of the lake.   

A second phase of this sanitation initiative will also work towards increasing water-treatment and hygiene awareness among children and other community members in hopes of reducing illness and school absenteeism, while also encouraging the adoption of similar treatment systems directly in homes.

For more information visit http://www.saniflo.ca/world-toilet-day.