Areas like the Niger Delta that have experienced environmental devastation, continue to fall behind global standards due to the lack of investment in remediation and infrastructure. Our friends at Advanced Simplicity developed the Sustainable Community Infrastructure Development (SCID) program to introduce a holistic approach to community development.
The UNEP report highlighted some of the social and environmental atrocities that have plagued the Niger Delta. Similarly, studies in the area have shown the toxicity of vegetation and fish that still manage to grow in the area. Below is a detailed explanation of what SCID is and plans to achieve in the NigerDelta.
SCID delivers decentralized infrastructure to rural communities; this includes permeable roads, renewable energy, groundwater treatment, bio-digester toilets, and food production. It provides fast-acting remediation and restoration of waterways and soils, becoming available for community use once again. The program is circular, using waste streams and valuable resources to create value-added products such as compost and refined fuel products.
When designing the SCID program, the choice of technology and their incorporation into the overall system had to meet key requirements; these were:
• Simplicity
• Robustness
• A long-life span
• Minimal maintenance
It was also essential that the program should perform a “techleap”. That is, communities are delivered advanced technological solutions, rather than antiquated options that other parts of the world no longer have a use for. This protects against obsolescence and ensures longevity. SCID projects are designed to be ongoing for decades, providing essentials that can be further built upon.
The success of SCID is the community. Community engagement delivers knowledge, training, job creation, food security, health improvements, and ongoing sustainability. SCID delivers essential infrastructure to a local area and restores community resources so that they can re-establish themselves over time. The video below gives an idea of what the project is all about.
For information, please visit their website.