Help Us Respond to Disasters on Our Waterways

Waterkeeper Alliance is an independent voice for the environment and communities during natural and human made disasters. Please consider donating to our Indiegogo Rapid Response campaign to ensure we can respond to disasters faster and farther afield.

Right now in Bangladesh, local Waterkeepers are on the ground responding to an unprecedented catastrophe in the Sundarbans, one of the world’s most unique natural habitats. They are working around the clock advocating for the government to take sound actions in cleaning up the state-owned Padma Oil Company’s spill of 348,000 liters of oil by calling for an immediate stop to untrained local community members, particularly children, cleaning up oil, as well as the movement of commercial vessels through the mangrove forest to protect this UNESCO World Heritage site. Waterkeeper responders are in the thick of this disaster, providing a voice for the surrounding communities, rivers and creeks of the Sundarbans.

Rapidly responding to disasters is one of our key strengths. Early last year, Waterkeeper Alliance and North Carolina Riverkeepers were on the scene when a collapsed stormwater pipe released 140,000 tons of toxic coal ash sludge and wastewater into the Dan River in North Carolina, a public drinking water supply for downstream communities like Danville, Virginia. The Waterkeeper team was on site within 36 hours, collecting samples, documenting the impacts and rapidly sharing information with the public and news media. The Waterkeeper Rapid Response team proved to be an invaluable resource, as Duke Energy, the company responsible for the spill, waited more than 24 hours before notifying the public it had happened and did its best to cover up the real threats to people and the environment.

The Waterkeeper Alliance Rapid Response Team initiative is an innovative solution that provides trusted and independent emergency response to disasters on our waterways. Your support today will help us protect waterways and threatened communities when the next tragedy strikes.