For water-poor Kenyans, swipe of a smart card brings gallons of relief

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1 For water-poor Kenyans, swipe of a smart card brings gallons of relief By Daniel Wesangula, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 801 A boy returns home carrying a 20-liter container of fresh water, which cost 5 Kenyan shillings (5.5 U.S. cents) to fill from a private tap in the street, in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, on March 14, Photo: AP/Sayyid Azim. BOTTOM: A new business makes it easier to access water through an ATM. Photo: UNFCCC/Chris McMorrow In Nairobi, Kenya, water is big business. And the local sellers are not happy with fruit seller Mercy Muiruri. The local vendors operate almost like a mafia or cartel. They worked to keep prices high on purpose. At the end of last year, Muirui found a different solution to washing fruits before making them into a salad for her customers a water ATM. Now she buys her water from a machine.

2 Now I know the water I use is safe and from a trusted source. Even my customers will be happy, she says. Machines Dissolve Uncertainty Muiruri has been operating food businesses in one of Kenya s most populous slums, Mathare, for nearly two decades. Until recently, she used water from local sellers whenever she needed it. But I could not vouch for its safety. I, like many of my friends, never knew the source of that water. It got to us in 20-liter (5-gallon) plastic containers, and we used it, she says. Muiruri is part of a water revolution spreading across Kenyan slums. Last year a partnership between Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, the city s main water distribution company, and Grundfos, a Danish water engineering firm, resulted in the installation of water vending machines. The machines are expected to transform the way

3 slum residents access water. For a long time, populations have been at the mercy of unpredictable markets and an unreliable climate. There were no guarantees around having clean water. Good For Health, Finances To buy clean water at one of the new ATMs, users load points onto smart cards. By a simple swipe of their smart card, water is released from the main storage and into a waiting container. The water reaches the ATM through over 18 km (11 miles) of newly laid pipes. The pipes are connected from the city s main supply lines. The supply lines receive treated water from Ndakaini Dam, the main reservoir for the city s more than 3 million residents. Apart from knowing we are drinking and using safe water, the vending machines have also helped us cut costs, Muiruri says. I can put the difference saved back into my business. The daily income in a slum household in Kenya is just over a dollar, and the average home uses around 100 liters (26 gallons) of water a week. The water vendors operating in the slum would charge 50 Kenyan shillings (Sh) for a 20 liter (5 gallon) container of water, equal to 50 cents. With the introduction of the ATMs, weekly spending on water in Mathare has been reduced. It has dropped from Sh250 ($2.50) to Sh2.50 (2.5 cents). Residents Are In Charge The water company has been trying for years to develop sustainable solutions to water supply problems in slums. Initially, our pipes were vandalized by these same cartels that sold water to residents at exorbitant prices, says Mbaruku Vyakweli, the company s communications officer. Now, all we need is a safe and secure area, agreed on by the residents, and we supply the water from our own dams and reservoirs. Our prices are constant because the product is available throughout. Plus, the water ATMs are run and monitored by residents; they own them and therefore take better care of them. Unlike the cartels, which take advantage of residents, the ATMs in Mathare are managed by a village chairman in association with a committee of residents. The smart cards are given out to residents for free. The residents then load them with as much money as they want from a Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company outlet. "Life Has Become Much Easier" These outlets are spread around the slum, where some 200,000 people live. And for safety and convenience, they are located in central and well-lit areas, such as near floodlights and along the main streets of Mathare, making them easily accessible day and night.

4 The ATMs and new water sources will benefit residents' health. In the middle of last year, a cholera outbreak swept through the slum and other surrounding areas, resulting in two deaths. The cramped slum conditions combined with poor sanitation including unhygienic water contributed to the spread of the disease. At the time, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), a humanitarian group, was recording 200 new cholera cases every week. Muiruri has only been using her smart water card for four months. Now the memory of dealing with water brokers and the constant worrying over her family s health now seems distant. Life has become much easier. I can budget and I am also saving on other costs because I spend less on charcoal or kerosene to boil my drinking water. It has already been treated, she says. Nairobi s water company now hopes to bring the machines to other places where access to clean water is an everyday problem.

5 Quiz 1 Read the section "Residents Are In Charge." Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this section? The water company has previously set up water machines in other poor countries. The water company is mostly made up of people who are not originally from Kenya. The water company has had to overcome some challenges to create a successful product. The water company had to convince residents that the water machines would be worth their time and money. 2 Read the section "Good For Health, Finances." Select the paragraph that BEST supports the idea that the machines are supplying safe, cheap water. 3 Which of the following details from the article is MOST important to the development of a main idea? For a long time, populations have been at the mercy of unpredictable markets and an unreliable climate. The supply lines receive treated water from Ndakaini Dam, the main reservoir for the city s more than 3 million residents. With the introduction of the ATMs, weekly spending on water in Mathare has been reduced. Unlike the cartels, which take advantage of residents, the ATMs in Mathare are managed by a village chairman in association with a committee of residents. 4 Read the following summary of the article. It is incomplete. Two water companies have partnered up to install water vending machines across Kenya. The machines have helped residents have access to clean and safe water. Which sentence should be added to complete the summary? In addition, gangs once controlled residents' access to water. In addition, residents have smart water cards to access the machines. In addition, residents have previously gotten sick from unclean water. In addition, the machines have allowed residents to spend less money on water.