to munich to meet cultural leaders commemorating the past taking creative risks and building community 700 years of jewish life journey. this week on culture media. welcome to these a special edition of africa all about about innovation today we're looking at the value of sustainable of a nation drawing on examples from africa and europe i am son go to a no go here in company uganda and i know of course joined by michael in nigeria hi chris. hi sandra with the force leaving cities in africa that are growing fast

more and more people are leaving the conscious side in such a chill it is now things can get a little crowded at times and that puts a strain on the environment today we're going to look at where the problems lie and which challenges need to be that there are just some of what's coming up. what to do with what becomes goods to tell 6 to adapt to drought by diversifying its water supply. what happens to the environment as more people move into the sea to we hear from the united nations agency un opposites. and from got bitch to go do you think then capital is using the bone to try to generate. the movement of people is the driving force behind up in isolation most people move

to the sea to in the hope of finding a better life they may be fleeing the effects of climate change or persecution all sittin up better place to implement their ideas while most people living in the c.t.'s also means the grits a strain on the environment in those areas will begin with our eco check to bring you some facts and figures. grain is eating into green more and more land just being covered in concrete and asphalt urban areas currently occupied some 2 percent of the world's surface the landmass of russia and brazil combined. u.n. studies predicts cities will take up twice as much space by 2050. if population growth stays at the current rate it will have dire consequences for all more than half of us already have. live in urban areas by 20 or 50 that's expected to be true

of 70 percent of the world's population. cities are spreading outwards in asia and africa particularly more and more prime arable land to spain developed by the end of this decade will see the loss of an area as big as germany. the steep rise in migration to cities is also impacting living conditions more shanty towns are springing up without proper sanitation or electricity. traffic volumes and c o 2 emissions are increasing and the amount of waste to. some to 1000000000 tons of garbage are produced road wide annually by 2050 that amount is projected to double. global warming is fuelling extreme weather events the pressure on urban ecosystems is growing. increasingly people are realizing that

cities have to be made greener enter more sustainable in megacities urban farming is beginning to take off along with rooftop and for good gardening. citizens are doing their bit cleaning up rivers and recycling plastic. and in industrialized nations cities are turning to intelligent traffic systems and sustainable building. c o 2 emissions could drop 30 percent in cities if more cars were shared for example but even then the environmental impact of continued urbanization will present challenges for the leaders of the africa's rapidly growing towns and cities. something needs to be done for sure many cities and collaborations already feeling the effects the impact of climate change is especially noticeable in south africa

with heavy rainfall in winter and extreme heat waves the rest of the year. that is right crease in $28.00 thing kept on almost reached day 0 when the authorities would have been forced to tunnel the tops during the long dry period to prevent any repeat of that scenario the city is now investing heavily in water management. at some played the construction work site in full swing the west water treatment facility on the outskirts of camp town is currently being upgraded financed through in on by the german development bank for some fleece the upgrade is long over due the form on top of the wish to water is a clear sign that the plant is struggling currently the plant is those are the 372000000 liters of water. flowing into the plant is was on average about 90 maybe you can see that the progress overloaded in terms of the amount of flow that's

conceiving flashback to 2018 due to a severe drought kept on dams had run dry residents queued to stock up on drinking water daisy. through strict last minute water restrictions kept town escaped the catastrophe. for city councillors sonthi limburg the water crisis was a learning experience the city did learn very important lessons from the drought one of the key is the need for us to not be entirely dependent on surface water from grain damage because there is a risk of future rainfall patterns remaining very low and we have seen this being the case for the last 5 winter and so we do that it is necessary and critical for the city to diversify its food supply and this is one mechanism in which we will waste water through the average central it will be able to treat an additional

18000000 liters of water the end product can be used for multiple purposes the different quality that will come out of this problem won't be possible but it will be to us in the standard we can be used for industrial purposes can be used for for your guys and purposes future droughts in a fast growing population are major challenges for the water supply in kept on and surrounds especially in informal settlements poor water infrastructure puts the health of residents at risk so no one song see is the community leader of the language settlement contaminated water that is running through the streets is a big problem here at the end of the day all this k. water you see it offshoot true based on water pipe the storm water shoots straight to believe our very far feeds the dam where we get our drinking water you know so it means municipalities should do as much to clean the environment find a way

a solution or for the community not to get or get sick you know. only a few kilometers down the hill scientists are trying to solve some of the issues. that's the water had research is a test natural processes to treat quantum we need to drown of from the informal settlement what the experts kevin winter initiated the research site. we're really not putting enough resources into our wastewater treatment works into our water provision and into our drainage because the drainage is where the vectors for disease are starting to move and so here's one example where we actually intercepting some of that water from what is effectively drainage somewhat for the downstream and cleaning that water up and using that water safely then to irrigate gardens stones and couple in sources such as peach pipes actors bio filters and clean the water of bacteria nutrients and heavy metals these nature best solutions

require space but present a useful addition to conventional treatment plants kept on has learned the hard way only by investing in its water infrastructure can the city be feed for the future the upward of some fleet is should do to be finished by 2023. but a lot more is needed to prepare our biggest cities for the future they native nations human settlements program works for more sustainable i've been development so what does that mean for me and how could it change our lives if africa met we all must figure from the regional office to. wanting. to see you where you are. but that upper trend of. today printed 20 we are talking about 6 to 600000000

people living in cities which got to 40 percent of the population and by 203550 percent of population living settings look at africa sub-saharan 54 percent of population leaving informal settlements with water sanitation green energy and really a preschool. the deficit in africa in time of masters billions of dollars yet to be have to do it if you want to keep those people in this particular area i'd estimate the question today facing just jealous of increased population important for us to see step out of aware of how africa and cities can be news climate and of the mental issues for now. it's obvious you know driven by something and i drop by something which is jobs

have just a basic infrastructure if you don't have you to where we are in the village we're going to do there people are looking for better jobs and better employment they're also looking for artists of it except mrs graham a chance of course what happened in mozambique really pushed people to go to the cities of course because they had no face and this is happening regrettably now every year so what they can do there but also you have conflict pushing people to come to the cities look at what's happening decide reagents people are african for the rally to come to the city because that's where they can find peace. i'm tending to order if you are overloading the cities. those efforts let's take it to other cities and bring jobs and opportunity for people to be there instead of just concentrating on one city's you heard about this program if you can have it and public space and greening which is more about you know allowing cities to have

such a consideration to the green and trees come you know to planting but also allow people to get out houses and get access to those green area will help assist them with hope for social reasons in term of integration and social cohesion we are putting the emphasis more on so going to cities before last but also to loosen the pressure on big cities so that people have access you know to basic services they can access to water sanitation health for system schools where they are instead of needing to compete with city thank you very much. do you know the feeling of pain in the beetle of the city and the heat chills becomes unbearable with not even a breath of fresh air to cool new dell is because so cold heat islands build up between the buildings and it's not a problem of city life in the era of climate change let's look at what happens.

urban heating is the name given to the so-called heat island effect. temperatures in towns and cities rise more sharply than in the surrounding areas because of the density of streets and buildings and the many people cars in trains all of which produce. spread over the year the mean air temperature in in urban areas is around $1.00 to $3.00 degrees celsius warmer than the areas outside them were large green spaces within them. on top of this town and city centers often cooled down far less at night because the building density doesn't allow cool air to move around the city. on hot summer nights without a breeze the temperature difference between the city and its surroundings can be more than 10 degrees celsius. so what to do above the ramp in conditioning is not friendly solution we all know but there are

a number of sustainable ways in which tells can prepare for. a germ these steps are being taken to protect cities both from extreme heat and must leave room for with the help of nature. these young trees fresh from the nursery are being planted in a new residential neighborhood complex and handing the least on some wonderfully green and french especially when compared to these beach settings. the space alter is a hybrid species bred from japanese and caucasian alder with many beneficial characteristics benefit evans says when it gets hot the poorest in their leaves close to retain valuable moisture. we haven't planted many of the spades out there yet it's new here a climate change tree a city tree of the future. we still have to see how they fare in urban settings my suspicion is they're far superior to native species. climate change is playing

havoc with cities around the world. one reason many cities can't deal well with heavy rain or floods is that so much city surface is covered by concrete and water can't see into the ground. environmental scientists complained that this sealing effect means half of all rainfall is lost compared to woodlands and meadows and not available to people all nature. rain water that's channeled straight into drains and carried away is gone they can evaporate and it's removed from the natural water cycle very effective evaporation cools the air and we feel that they start physically all the sealed surfaces heat up a lot and stay hot if there's no cooling effect from about aeration that's one reason we get urban heat islands and the alternative approach can be found in southern berlin in a neighborhood where sponge city water management principles have been adopted here

rainwater is collected on open ground and roofs and channeled into local pools it doesn't just disappear down the drain and it was to weigh how to kluger is a hydrologist who works for villains only miscible water company think tank. rainwater is a very valuable resource we need it to adapt our city to a changing climate that's why our goal is to manage and use it locally. so the entire project takes up 10 hecht is it's full of unpaved surfaces strips of garden and the roots here also covered in soil and plants lots of opportunities for rainwater to be soaked up and slowly released into the ground and i have come a rainbow to see into the ground between the paving stones or it flows into little depressions in the grounds like this one. that's why there's a gap in the curb. and that water sinks in order to evaporate

that's benefiting the trees so steam. then had from the air been set up his climate cups 5 years ago his heat resistant trees can't do entirely without water but it will take time to find out just how much water they need and how well they adapt . using dan simon found. yes it's still in the early stages. we're testing $61.00 species of tree seeing how they fare. we've been growing some of the species for decades so we already know their strengths and weaknesses and shark news up on a business story has so far raised 10000 trees new to germany's urban landscapes but better able to weather climate change trees like the turkey oak and you climb a tree which is being introduced more frequently into hamburg's neighborhoods all of which should make for some pretty cool cities. warm here charland good

urban isolation with a growing amount of garbage here in lagos the produce of the escalator 10 pounds return for trash every day and only a small amount of bread to dispose off to stay there but. things can get pretty if many in the city and more than that disease can spread out a water supplies become contaminated i think each problem sometimes requires a huge investment if you appeal spent in minutes setting up a new polling station and the other one to get it using garbage the plant supplies a quarter of the city's households with electricity sounds like 2 problems solved at once. this incineration plant called repeat is the 1st of its kind in africa it produces electricity for capital city.

every day at around 2000 tons of garbage delivered here 2 thirds of that is burnt. first the waste is stored at the bunker for 5 days to release moisture then it is burned at a temperature between $8850.00 degrees celsius. khamis same to you who has been working here since the opening of the plant. the trash come in. and burn it after that. through be hit so what's up so i thought will create a stamp that this thing. that i want to put away generates electricity. the filters of the incinerators am made to e.u. standards so that as little pollution as possible leaks into the air. that makes it

more eco friendly then open burning off waste on landfills which is still common in african countries the plant was built on parts of the former question dumpsite at the outskirts of the city. the director elam a year who says that cautious about 50 years to discard the waste of this. his administration has transformed the dumpsite into a manageable landfill if this keeps away fires and better order through a street meant and guess venting there are a number of course this is never acceptable this was true analogy because they are not a valid source out of the us was this which cannot be better and which plan this facility will be disposed on the land. the repeat incineration plant was constructed and funded by an international consortium and the ethiopian government it provides electricity to around 25 percent of households in

a the suburb. that is. low capacity 25 may go but it is contributing for. cleaning the seat and it is contributing for. energy to the system so it will serve us. other cities to. cleaning bases. of course all fired power plants or gas facilities are more efficient in making electricity then this incineration plant. but this waste energy system is not only generating electricity it is also saving land space preventing the release of toxic chemicals into groundwater and reducing the release of methane into that most fear . getting your aunt in megacities is often a grueling business and can take hours there is

a long entire funnyman has been growing fast bowling steadily out what to call them or anyone it is now home to over 5000000 people but it is a nightmare on the air right now the city is starting to talk of the problem by developing a walk in closet and box and it was more than 100 kilometers of new pastorate are planned for coming here. there was a time when it will take up to 2 hours for it to get from his house to walk in the morning although he lives within the city limits of daddy saddam he was dependent on mini buses that are the most common means of transport here. they're usually jam packed before you even get to and everyone is squeezing together the other problem is that they are so many traffic jams and to spend a lot of time just sitting and waiting to move is also exhausting couple problems

with more than 6000000 inhabitants that he says is well known on its way to becoming the next to mega city in africa in the next couple of years the book relation is expected to belong to $10000000.00 look atari heads one of the agencies done with that uptick and improving infrastructure. people way experience you know when just. their infrastructure out was. some of it was not very good so many hours were just. being on the road going to work in the mornings and in the evenings when people went back home. one solution about business up a chance to see them with the kids had bass lessons that they passed on much of the traffic across the city this is them so far. 21 kilometers and has already cut travel time for some residents in half. when we consider their options the bus

systems appear to be easier to implement in your city because of. the cool train system and we also looked up inclusive it was when you. really know. most of the people working around our school be absorbed through into the new system there turns on n.p.r. object was supported by the institute for transport and development policy. before the b r t came into doors long of public transport services provided by heavily polluting mini buses and the purity was able to replace 3000 vehicles with a 140 high capacity busses that all meet a much better emissions standard. then new bus system has been a blessing for so long and he's just one of the many thousands of passengers will cut their commute by 50 i was a month. before i felt bad because i was always getting home so

the kids will be asleep by the time i advised but it's so much better now i get to spend time with my kids. play with them because they're actually gets me home so much that you don't want to. once the project is completed in 2000 and the time for a new talk of 6 nines will come around $100.00 benko took you know many times until then so no need and i visit it's all gotten so numb we have to rely on. what least some of the journalists. that's it invades a special edition of the album night vision thinking open showing it well if you're currently doing something to protect the environment would like to hear from me so please do get in touch with us on all social media platforms i am sundra to nobody else lining up in kampala uganda. banks on drugs to join us again for another edition of i could offer a metric from

a crystal lens it's called by from lagos nigeria take care o. say you like straight.

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this is the dumping years i've made it jump me pays tribute to the new victims of a racist attack a year ago today writes gunman killed 9 people in the city of hama before touching the gun on his mother imagine yourself some of president friends call fish time out the just the puppet to unite against right wing extremism. also on the program the us.