Flushing the toilet: an act that most of us carelessly perform several times a day, but that for 4.2 billion people in the world is still a luxury. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two pioneering engineers about the crucial role wastewater management plays in society, including how sewers can help in the fight against Covid-19.

Dina Gillespie is an area operations manager with Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater company. She is passionate about turning sludge into energy and about the history of London’s impressive sewerage system, which was built in the 19th century to cope with cholera outbreaks. She also discusses the risks fatbergs pose to our lives, and why we should all be more careful about what we flush down the toilet.

Birguy Lamizana-Diallo is the UN Environment Programme Officer in charge of wastewater management in West Africa. She studied the impact septic tanks and open-air latrines have on the environment and on the life of the community in her home country, Burkina Faso. After more than 20 years working in the private and public sector, she now coordinates training programmes to raise awareness of the environmental costs and the health and safety aspect of managing wastewater.

Produced by Alice Gioia

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L: Birguy Lamizana-Diallo
R: Dina Gillespie