WB, partners hold 1st sanitation hackathon in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The World Bank, in partnership with Google Developers Group, Google Business Group, Globe Labs, Globe Telecom and Blogwatch held a Sanitation Hackathon (SanHack) last Dec. 1 and 2 to help find innovative solutions to address sanitation problems.

A hackathon is an intensive brainstorming and programming marathon, drawing together the talent and initiative of software developers. In a short amount of time, programmers put their heads together to come up with simple and practical applications that can be used in real-life situations.

Manila was the national host for the first-ever global Sanitation Hackathon, which simultaneously took place in the cities of Davao, Cebu, Zamboanga, Baguio and Bacolod.

Aside from the Philippines, other countries that participated in the hackathon include: Indonesia (Jakarta), Bangladesh (Dhaka), India (Pune), Pakistan (Lahore), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), South Africa (Cape Town), Senegal (Dakar), Peru (Lima), Finland (Helsinki), UK (London), and various cities in the US and Canada.

World Bank country director Motoo Konishi expressed his support for the event which aims to find innovative approaches to improve access and delivery of basic services.

“Sanitation is an essential part of a healthy community. We continuously work with government to achieve the Millennium Development Goal targets for sanitation by supporting programs that promote proper hygiene and improved sanitation facilities,” Konishi said, adding “The World Bank’s investment in sanitation also focuses on urban sewerage systems and wastewater treatment to protect the environment.”

Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, including 1.1 billion who have no facilities at all and defecate in the open. These sanitation shortages cost thousands of lives daily and billions of dollars in economic losses annually.

In the Philippines, the economic costs of not having adequate sanitation is around 1.5 percent of GDP in 2005, or $1.4 billion. At the rate of the current progress, the world will miss the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for sanitation by one billion people.

With the number of mobile subscriptions exceeding five billion, more people today have access to a mobile phone than to a clean toilet. The ubiquity of cell phones in the developing world creates an opportunity for mobile technologies to offer solutions to sanitation challenges.  

Last year, the World Bank and partners held a Water Hackathon, which brought together experts on water and information and communications technology (ICT) to think of new solutions to address the world’s water crisis. About 60 water-related innovations were created by mashing up data, building on open-source technology platforms, and developing new systems.

Some of the applications produced during the hackathon provided a platform for citizen feedback, while others opened up data never previously made public, introducing a new level of accountability.

This year, SanHack  brought together developers to come up with innovative solutions and tackle sanitation challenges.

“This event has the potential to help meet the needs of the poor since majority of the population have access to mobile phones, internet. The Bank fully supports this initiative as it promotes open development by allowing tech communities to share and learn from one another through this event,” said Ousmane Dione, sector manager for the Philippines, sustainable development unit.