CCIJ Weekly Round Up: ‘House of Water’ Can’t Provide Clean Water To Its Citizens

The water-rich country of Tajikistan struggles to provide clean water to its citizens. Winston Mwale talks about his versatile career as a journalist. David Dembélé of Senegal and Jacques Ngor Sarr talk about their recent water pollution investigation in our first French-language podcast. Ruona Meyer and Billy Ntaote’s investigation is available on the CCIJ website.

Podcasts

Transparency Talks

In this episode, Waterless podcast host and CCIJ stalwart Winston Mwale talks about his childhood passion for reading, how he realized his dream of becoming a journalist and the many roles he has played in his versatile and impactful career.

Listen to the whole episode here.

Waterless

In our first French-language podcast, David Dembélé of Senegal and Jacques Ngor Sarr talk about their potent investigation into water pollution in the Falémé River that runs between both countries.  The journalists explain how they navigated the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating consequences illegal gold mining and other pollution sources have on the Falémé, and what can be done to improve the urgent and stark situation.

Listen to the whole episode here.

Tajikistan, ‘House of Water,’ where half of the population lacks access to water

In Tajikistan, which is home to 60 percent of Central Asia’s water resources, only 51.4% of the country’s population have access to clean water. CCIJ member Azad Aybek explores the country’s water woes and why change is so hard.

Read the whole article here.

Villagers struggle for water as big business cashes in on Mountain Kingdom’s “green gold”

CCIJ members Ruona Meyer and Billy Ntaote investigate a company that is draining rural villages in Lesotho of their water supply a year after the country declared a drought emergency. Along with providing villagers their drinking water supply, the natural water springs from which the MG Health extracts from are also known to have “healing powers” and are used for traditional medicine purposes. MG Health has built fences around these water sources, keeping healers, animal herders and other villagers from accessing them at all.

Read the whole article here.