Magazine

For generations, Indonesia's Citarum River has provided fish to eat, irrigation for rice fields, and fresh water for drinking, washing and cooking for the millions who live along its banks.

But today, it's known as the most polluted river in the world.

The river supplies water to textile factories that make clothes for some of the biggest fashion brands in the world - H&M, Gap, Uniqlo. It also provides an open sewer for the factories to dump toxic chemicals, thousands of litres at a time, creating an ecological disaster.

Fishermen used to make a living from the Citarum, but now the only thing they catch is plastic.

"There are no more fish here, because the water is too polluted. There are none left," says Rudi, who now spends his days collecting plastic bottles. Each day he picks up more than 50kg of plastic.

Nour, a mother of two young children, uses water from the river to wash clothes, do the dishes and wash vegetables.

"The colour of the water - sometimes it's black, sometimes it's red," she says.

Nour says her two children are always sick. She blames the river.

"The oldest has nausea, no appetite and headaches. The last time we took him to the doctor, he told me he had the symptoms of a liver problem."

We exposes the toxic state of the Citarum and investigates the human cost of Indonesia's poisoned river.

For decades, Puerto Rico's status as a US territory has been a source of political, social, and economic conflict on the island. The 3.5 million American citizens who reside there have no voting representation in Congress.

Now Puerto Rico is fighting for its survival in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in September 2017.

Maria was the most powerful hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 90 years. More than 1,000 people died from the storm and its aftermath. It cut a path straight across the island, destroyed 70,000 homes and left at least 250,000 homes badly damaged.

Krystal Torres and her daughters lost everything in the storm. Their house - like tens of thousands of others - was flattened, so they have had to rent a room in a neighbour's house.

"It fell apart completely. Everything was lost ... every time I look at the spot where my house was - many nights I have stopped there to cry," Krystal says. She wants to "continue buying things, little by little, until we can at least rebuild the floor."

Rebuilding housing is projected to be the most expensive part of reconstruction, mounting more costs on top of an already staggering debt crisis.

What's more, roughly half of Puerto Rican housing is considered "informal" - homes built without a permit, and often not to code. These low-income communities were the hardest hit by the storm.

The main challenges to rebuild are the level of investment, political will, and the significant time needed to formalise and improve infrastructure in these neighbourhoods - a task that has been neglected for generations.

"The members of Congress do not think of Puerto Rico as a part of their constituency and responsibility, and that is what is underneath this crisis," says Ana Maria Archila from the Center for Popular Democracy. "It is a crisis of democracy as much as it's a climate crisis, as much as it's an economic crisis."

With the next Atlantic Hurricane season due to start again soon, the island's most vulnerable communities - still recovering from the storm of the century - feel they are on their own.

Fault Lines went to investigate how Puerto Ricans are coping six months after Hurricane Maria and why some of the island's poorest residents are being denied federal aid to rebuild.

Lebanon has not held a parliamentary election since June 2009. Now thousands of Lebanese aged 21 and over are considering candidates in a May 6 ballot.

Lebanon's current parliament has postponed elections and renewed its term on three occasions. Politicians said the extensions were due to security concerns amid the war in neighbouring Syria, a crippling domestic debt crisis, and disputes over electoral reform - an issue largely resolved with a new electoral law ratified in June 2017.

New political organisations and independent candidates alike are gearing up for the election under a proportional system. Civil society groups, independents and the new Sabaa party have formed an electoral alliance under the Kollona Watani (National Coalition) banner. The coalition argues that its strength is in its numbers and its diversity - 66 candidates drawn from all religious sects - and that it represents a move away from the dynastic character of  traditional parties.

We will ask some of these new voices about advancing alternative political ideas, as well as their hopes for dramatically changing Lebanon's future.

The shortage of water in some parts of the world is one of the greatest risks of our time.

And the battle to secure supplies of the most vital life-giving commodoties is political, environmental and economic.

The UN says there's an abundance of fresh water but that it's unevenly distributed around the world - and supplies are under increasing pressure.

Such as in Cape Town, where around four million South Africans are running dry.

But what's being done to confront the crisis which affects at least one billion people around the globe?

And what's caused the crisis in the first place?

In drought-stricken Kenya life for all residents, and particularly the herding community, has been nothing less than devastating. Erratic weather patterns and the increasing effects of climate change have led to a lack of vegetation and water resources jeopardising the survival of livestock and the pastoralist way of life.

"Last drought, when I migrated near Tanzania, I lost roughly 15 beasts. It's a big impact, I felt it, it was really bad. When it comes to us, I cannot control it. I have to bear," says Joshua Ntaserua, a Maasai herder who has experienced the changes in weather patterns first-hand.

Though it may seem a small price to pay amidst the ongoing two-year drought, cattle are very important to the Maasai, with significant monetary and practical value in each individual specimen.

However, as the onslaught of unpredictable weather continues, some Maasai herders, including Ntaserua, have turned to a hi-tech solution to help them adapt to the current environment. The brainchild of an NGO aiming to help herders with drought, an app that helps locate greener pastures has been introduced to the herding communities suffering the worst.

Downloadable onto a smartphone, the app has helped some herders halve their livestock mortality rates by locating the closest areas of good pastureland for the cattle to travel towards.
 But how exactly does the app work and is this a real solution for Kenya's herders?

earthrise travels to Kenya to see how pastoralists in the south are using this satellite mapping technology to make informed migration decisions.

Since 1978, 1 million hectares of mangroves have been cut down in Myanmar. In the Ayerwaddy Delta in the south, mangrove forests have been significantly depleted - often cut down to make way for shrimp and rice farming, as well as charcoal production and collecting palm oil. Worldwide, 35 percent of the world's mangroves are now lost.  

Only 16 percent of the original cover is left in the vulnerable Delta Region where the mangroves are being destroyed at rates three to five times higher than global deforestation.

"At the moment, mangrove conditions are severely degraded," says Win Meung, a seasoned ecologist who heads a mangrove regeneration project in Myanmar.

"In the coastal areas, 60 percent of the villagers don't have a permanent job and try to find their money in the mangrove areas. They cut the trees and within one hour they can get the money [they need] for their livelihood."

Mangroves play a vital role in the fight against climate change and extreme weather events such as cyclones. They help mitigate carbon emissions, as well as protect vulnerable coastal communities from extreme weather, while strengthening seafood stocks up to 50 percent.

While Meung and many locals have tried taking matters into their own hands, planting over 400,000 seedlings by hand to try and repopulate the mangrove population, the activity has taken 3 years and there is a lot more yet to be done before another cyclone hits.

Armed with a drone and the capacity to fire 5000 seeds an hour, can this new technology be the way forward for Myanmar's mangrove crisis?

earthrise heads to Myanmar to see how both the drones and local action are coming together to help reforest successfully, restoring a vital natural habitat.

It was an uprising that started with a controversial change to Nicaragua’s pension plan. Thousands of Nicaraguans, led by university students, began calling for President Daniel Ortega to step down. Social media lit up with anger. And thousands of people took to the streets.

The change to the social security measure was revoked under pressure by Ortega, but not before violence had broken out and a media blackout was put in place. The police crackdown was immediate and many people were killed. Officially, the toll remains at 10, but rights’ groups say that number could be closer to 40. Among the dead was journalist Angel Gahona who was killed while broadcasting live on Facebook. The UN Human Rights Office has called for an investigation into the deaths.

Ortega himself led a coup to overthrow a dictatorship in 1979 and returned to power in 2006. He has since served three consecutive terms. Over the years Ortega has consolidated his power, installing allies and family members in all branches in government and the military, and aligned himself with the Catholic Church. The political opposition has been largely eliminated and term limits abolished. Last year, he made his wife Rosario Murillo the vice-president.

Ortega’s influence, though, seem to be waning. Last week, senior members of the church and military came out in support of the students.

On Tuesday’s show we’ll discuss the latest. What does the future of Ortega and Nicaragua look like?

After weeks of mass protests, arrests and resignation of the Prime Minister, Armenia's on the brink of ushering in a new leader.

Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan became the sole candidate, after Monday's deadline passed without any other candidates registering.

The ruling Republican Party refused to name a candidate after the ousting of their long-time leader, prime minister and former president Serzh Sargsyan.

The Republicans have dominated Armenian politics since 1999.

But it's not guaranteed opposition leader Pashinyan will become Prime Minister.

Parliament could seek to halt his bid and he'll need votes from some Republican Party deputies to win the majority he needs.

What's the expected fallout in the former republic of the Soviet Union?

Rising global temperatures have been linked to changing weather patterns. Drought, storms, wildfires – extreme weather have recently become the norm and conditions will only worsen unless things change.

earthrise travels to southern Kenya and to Myanmar to see how the locals in these areas are coping with extreme weather.

Navigating Drought

In drought-stricken Kenya life for all residents, and particularly the herding community, has been nothing less than devastating. Erratic weather patterns and the increasing effects of climate change have led to a lack of vegetation and water resources jeopardizing survival of livestock and the pastoralist way of life.

As the onslaught of unpredictable weather continues, some Maasai herders have turned to a hi-tech solution to help them adapt to the current environment. earthrise travels to Kenya to see how pastoralists in southern Kenya are using satellite mapping technology to make informed migration decisions.

 Cyclone Shield

In the Ayerwaddy Delta in the south of Myanmar, mangrove forests have been significantly depleted - often cut down so that people can use the area to plant rice, farm for prawns and collect palm oil. Only 16 per cent of the original cover is left in the vulnerable Delta Region where the mangroves are being destroyed at rates three to five times higher than global deforestation.
Mangroves play a vital role in the fight against climate change and extreme weather events such as cyclones. They help mitigate carbon emissions, as well as protect vulnerable coastal communities from extreme weather, while strengthening seafood stocks up to 50 per cent.

earthrise heads to Myanmar to see how drones and local action are coming together to help reforest are successfully restoring a vital natural habitat.

Ethiopia's government is calling for the return of cultural artefacts plundered 150 years ago by British military forces. The relics, some of which are currently on display at London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), were stolen in 1868 after the Battle of Maqdala, in which British troops raided the fortress of Abyssinian Emperor Tewodros II to release a group of imprisoned missionaries.

Upon the defeat of his army, Tewodros killed himself and British forces loaded elephants and mules with their loot. They also spirited away Prince Alemayehu, the emperor's seven-year-old son.

​The dispute over the pieces on display at the V&A has once again cast a spotlight on debate over whether the spoils of war should remain in Western museums, or be returned to the people and lands from which they were taken.

Ethiopia has previously requested that several British institutions give back hundreds of manuscripts and artefacts - and that the remains of Prince Alemayehu are returned.

V&A Director Tristram Hunt has proposed lending items in the museum's collection to Ethiopian institutions as part of a "long-term loan" partnership.

Several Ethiopian officials, however, have balked at the suggestion.

“It is clearly known where these treasures came from and whom they belong to", said Ethiopian National Museum Director Ephrem Amare. "Ethiopia’s demand has always been the restoration of those illegally looted treasures. Not to borrow them.”

So, should looted historical artefacts remain in Britain's museums, or should they be returned to Ethiopia?