Not just a drop in the bucket: expanding access to point-of-use water treatment systems

Abstract

Since 1990, the number of people without access to safe water sources has remained constant at approximately 1.1 billion, of whom approximately 2.2 million die of waterborne disease each year. In developing countries, population growth and migrations strain existing water and sanitary infrastructure and complicate planning and construction of new infrastructure. Providing safe water for all is a long-term goal; however, relying only on time- and resource-intensive centralized solutions such as piped, treated water will leave hundreds of millions of people without safe water far into the future. Self-sustaining, decentralized approaches to making drinking water safe, including point-of-use chemical and solar disinfection, safe water storage, and behavioral change, have been widely field-tested. These options target the most affected, enhance health, contribute to development and productivity, and merit far greater priority for rapid implementation.

Figure 3

Figure 1

Promotional materials for branded, locally produced sodium hypochlorite solution manufactured and marketed in Bolivia (CLARO), Madagascar (Sûr'Eau), Zambia (Clorin), and Ecuador (Agua Pura). Social marketing of such safe water products is used to promote behavior change.

Figure 1

Promotional materials for branded, locally produced sodium hypochlorite solution manufactured and marketed in Bolivia (CLARO), Madagascar (Sûr'Eau), Zambia (Clorin), and Ecuador (Agua Pura). Social marketing of such safe water products is used to promote behavior change.

Figure 2

Above. A Chinese woman in Ningxia Province appreciating the good taste of SODIS-treated water. Right. A child from the Rachuonyo District, Nyanza Province, western Kenya, drawing water from the spigot of a clay pot that has been locally modified for safe water storage. (Photo: Valerie Garrett.)

Figure 2

Above. A Chinese woman in Ningxia Province appreciating the good taste of SODIS-treated water. Right. A child from the Rachuonyo District, Nyanza Province, western Kenya, drawing water from the spigot of a clay pot that has been locally modified for safe water storage. (Photo: Valerie Garrett.)