Giving Compass' Take:

• Technology can help address cholera outbreaks by providing tools that assist city officials in enhancing pit latrine-emptying services.

• How can new technology and innovation around global health stay sustainable? 

• Read about other technology in Yemen that is helping control cholera epidemic. 

Particularly in regions where rainy seasons lead to frequent flooding, residents who rely on unimproved sanitation and drinking water facilities are at risk of exposure to the disease.

Pit latrines often fill up with rainwater, causing them to overflow and spill their contents into the surrounding environment, spreading cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.

Technology, however, can play a part in addressing this challenge and WSUP has developed two tools which aim to help city authorities do just that – by improving data about pit latrines that may overflow, and enhancing the effectiveness of pit-emptying services provided by the private sector.

If city authorities are better informed about where sanitation facilities are inadequate, or where pit latrines might be at risk of flooding during the rainy season, then they can act accordingly – for example promoting pit-emptying services to reduce the likelihood of fecal contamination.

WSUP is developing a mobile app that will enable vacuum tanker drivers, owners, and municipal authorities to monitor pit emptying activities in their city. The PULA app will track the movements of vacuum tankers, provide information about operating practices and identify patterns in customer demand.

Read the full article on cholera by Rosie Renouf at WASHfunders