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WEEKLY EDITION AUG 30, 2017 The Pope and Portable Sanitation: Why "His Holiness's" Visits are Potentially Problematic The PSAI recently advised officials in Colombia on proper sanitation requirements for their upcoming string of outdoor masses, as the Pope plans to visit the country next week It has been 31 years since the Catholic Church's highest representative last visited Colombia. With 79% of the Colombian population identifying as Catholic, Pope Francis will be the fourth Pope in history to make a trip to the country, and the reaction is expected to be overwhelmingly positive. However, it is also expected to be overwhelmingly large. Pope Francis will arrive in Bogota, Colombia on September 6 and is scheduled to hold an open-air mass (Mass Campal) on September 7 in Simon Bolivar Park. Currently the city is expecting a turn out of over 600,000 attendees at the outdoor mass. The challenge will be providing enough restroom options for the massive crowd. When the city and the event organizer, Canal Capital, first began planning for the mass, they originally considered 3,000 portable units. However, multiple Colombian planning organizers set their sights on fewer units until the total was a mere 1,400 units. This number is significantly lower than the PSAI's standards – which are backed by solid scientific research on the topic – suggest is necessary for a crowd of that size. It would take at least 3,102 public toilets to properly prepare for the expected turnout. This number, however, would rise to 4,572 units if the event lasts more than six hours with no pumping services. When alerted to the dilemma in Columbia by a PSAI Member located there, PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos stepped in to assist. She penned an advisory letter to those involved with planning for the event in Bogota, which can be read here. In her letter, Kos explained the findings of the Missouri study and what factors must be considered when determining the required number of units. She also cited two separate visits by the Pope to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and to the Philippines. When the Pope visited Philadelphia, PSAI standards were used when determining the required number of units. The event was successful and sanitary, which kept negative publicity for the city at bay. Kos explained how when the Pope visited the Philippines, there was an obvious lack in available toilets, causing an extremely unsanitary situation and extensive coverage of the lack of toilets from international press. This letter was meant to sway those planning the event to reconsider their current number of reserved units. According to PROs in Colombia, however, those in charge of planning this event have yet to secure even the 1,400 units that are currently required. So far, Bogota has no more than 400 restrooms. There is currently a dispute as to whether an additional 800 units have been reserved under contract – yet 1,200 units still fall far below PSAI standards for such an event. Renting a proper number of portable units has been a bit of a challenge. While most Colombian PROs are willing to reach an agreement with event organizers under such special circumstances, there are still those who are unwilling to offer such a vast amount of their inventory for the proposed price. Read more about it in a feature story carried in the premiere Columbian newspaper here. (If you use Google Chrome, the web page should translate automatically.) After reaching out to a few of our PSAI Members in Colombia, many agreed that the recent preparations for the Pope's visit have been hectic. For PSAI Member SeptiClean, they've felt like a bit of "a rollercoaster." Many confirmed that the units availabl e for the Pope's scheduled visit in Bogota - along with the units available for his visits that will follow in Medellin, Cartagena, and Villavicencio - are simply not enough. PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 5