How to stop fires destroying whole neighbourhoods
The innovative fire alarm designed to protect South Africa鈥檚 poorest communities
Fires are common in South Africa鈥檚 informal settlements - it鈥檚 estimated that there are about 5,000 every year. They鈥檙e often caused by faulty wiring or open flames used for cooking or heating. Because the shacks are crammed in so tightly the flames can spread with frightening speed and destroy hundreds of homes.
So a group of entrepreneurs invented a smart fire alarm for just these sorts of places. It has a sensor that spots fast increases in heat and then sends alerts to all the neighbours so they can quickly take action. They also designed insurance to help people who are affected by these fires rebuild and replace what they鈥檝e lost. We go to one of these settlements in Cape Town and find out what difference it has made to the lives of the people living there.
Reporter: Richard Kenny
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 03:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 04:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 06:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean & South Asia only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 07:06GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 14:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Australasia
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 15:06GMT麻豆社 World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 18:06GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 20:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Australasia, Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview & Europe and the Middle East only
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 21:06GMT麻豆社 World Service News Internet & East Asia only
- Sun 17 Nov 2019 12:06GMT麻豆社 World Service Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 18 Nov 2019 00:06GMT麻豆社 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
People fixing the world on YouTube
Watch stories of people changing their world on the World Service English YouTube channel