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Overcoming Challenges to Improve Water Quality in Cambodia

Water Quality in CambodiaWater quality issues in Cambodia stem from a chain of connected problems. Limited sanitation infrastructure contributes to poor hygiene practices, contaminating water sources in a country already vulnerable to floods and droughts. Organizations are addressing these challenges by establishing reliable water sources and developing infrastructure that promotes healthy hygiene habits.

Root Causes

Nearly half of rural Cambodians rely on rivers, lakes and ponds for drinking water that is contaminated by poor waste disposal. Even groundwater in coastal regions is contaminated with coliform and E. coli, exposing communities to serious health risks. Without proper facilities and disposal practices, communities are left to depend on water that spreads disease and causes chronic illness.

The lack of sanitation infrastructure leaves people with few safe options. UNICEF reports that eight in 10 rural Cambodians defecate in open fields or bodies of water. Without toilets or clean water for handwashing, surface water is contaminated, continuing to pose a threat to water quality in Cambodia. There is a need for both reliable infrastructure and safe hygiene education to minimize the effects of waste disposal pollution.

Opposing seasons make improving water quality in Cambodia even more challenging as natural disasters intensify. Floods during the wet season carry debris and sewage, further contaminating water sources and damaging sanitation infrastructure. Relief is brief after the wet season, as the dry season brings droughts that deplete the remaining safe water sources. These harsh seasonal conditions force many Cambodians living in floodplains to rely on unsafe wells and surface water throughout the seasons.

What’s Changing?

Despite the challenges, progress is taking shape as local organizations partner with UNICEF’s WASH Program (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to improve access to clean water, sanitation infrastructure and hygiene education.

Organizations such as Water for Cambodia are working to restore freshwater as a reliable source. Schools and homes can now use BioSand Water Filters to turn contaminated water into safe drinking water. Built using local materials, it filters polluted water through sand and gravel, producing clean water within minutes. One filter can give a family direct access to clean water for years, all while using the resources around them. New wells, rainwater systems and pipelines are also being built, creating dependable water sources in communities across the country.

Water for Women is tackling gaps in sanitation infrastructure by connecting more than 360,000 people in rural Cambodia to clean hygiene practices. The program improves WASH standards by providing sanitation products, building sheltered latrines and developing safe waste management systems. By prioritizing resilient infrastructure that can withstand floods and droughts, Water for Women is working to create long-term solutions to improve water quality in Cambodia. By equipping communities with the tools to prevent contamination, access to clean water becomes more reliable year-round.

Looking Ahead

To ensure lasting change, Water for Cambodia is investing in hygiene education for schools and households, providing communities with the tools and knowledge to stay healthy. By providing hygiene kits and educational sessions, the program ensures new infrastructure is actively used. Showing real progress is made when clean water, facilities and healthy habits are accessible.

The path to clean water is far from finished, but steady progress is being made. With local innovation, community leadership and global support, Cambodians are slowly breaking the cycle, creating resilient infrastructure to improve water quality and access.

– Hope Jowharian

Hope is based in Paris, France and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Improvements in Water Quality in Egypt

Water Quality in EgyptEgypt is advancing water quality through initiatives that boost safe drinking-water access, modernize irrigation and expand wastewater treatment. It is also scaling up seawater desalination to reduce dependence on the Nile and cut pollution.

Water Stress in Egypt

Egypt is among the world’s most water-stressed nations, with about 98% of its water drawn from the Nile. As of 2018, per capita freshwater availability fell to 570 cubic meters annually, well below the 1,000-cubic-meter scarcity threshold. This shortage is worsened by Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a growing population, climate instability and Egypt’s reliance of more than 90% on a single water source: the Nile.

Expanding infrastructure, diversifying sources and strengthening monitoring have become central to its Vision 2030 roadmap and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal 6. Here are five key ways the country is improving water quality:

Home Connections Bring Safe Water Indoors

UNICEF reported providing safe drinking water to more than 17,800 rural households in Assiut, Sohag, Fayoum, Minia and Qena, enabling them to connect to piped water. It also partners with the “Water is Life” initiative to support further expansion and establish a revolving fund mechanism to sustain implementation. The program has reached an estimated 90,000 people, including hygiene training in schools and communities.

Revolving funds designed to make water connections more affordable continue to expand to nearby underserved districts.

Community Filtration Units Reduce Contamination

The Sawiris Foundation’s “Water Is Life” program operates 27 community water treatment stations in Upper Egypt, serving 11,600 families across Minia, Assiut, Sohag and Qena. These stations draw filtered groundwater through central pipelines. They are paired with behavior change campaigns that help sustain adoption rates above 90%.

Buried Pipe Irrigation Boosts Downstream Quality

The World Bank reported that its “Farm-level Irrigation Modernization Project” converted more than 65,000 hectares of open canals into buried piping systems powered by electric pumps across the Delta canals. About 207,600 users now benefit from improved irrigation equity and water quality, with tail-end access rising from 50% to 85% of the intended flow.

Africa’s Largest Wastewater Plant

The Bahr al Baqar treatment plant began operating in 2021 with the capacity to treat 5.6 million cubic meters per day of municipal and agricultural wastewater. Instead of discharging untreated water into the Nile Delta, it now irrigates roughly 140,000 hectares of farmland in Sinai.

Public-Private Desalination Expands Safe Coastal Supply

With advisory support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Egypt’s Sovereign Fund plans to build 21 seawater desalination plants by 2050. The first phase aims to deliver 3.3 million cubic meters per day, eventually rising to 8.8 million per day, to reduce pressure on Nile sources in coastal governorates.

Despite persistent constraints, including but not limited to aging networks, soil salinity, rapid population growth, financing and the coordination behind these efforts, Egypt is making measurable headway. The country now treats more wastewater, connects more homes and reduces contamination at its sources, signalling progress toward Vision 2030’s clean water goals and improved health for millions.

– Maryam Qutbuddin

Maryam is based in Reading, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Water Purification in Developing Countries: 5 Techniques

Water Purification in Developing CountriesIn 2025, approximately 2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water worldwide. Three criteria determine clean water access: water must be located at home, available when needed and free from contamination. Many families spend dozens of hours per week collecting water. In particular, women often travel long distances to collect water for their households. Collection locations do not always guarantee uncontaminated water.

Drinking contaminated water can spread disease and may be fatal for entire households. Fortunately, nonprofit aid organizations such as the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Vision and Water.org are implementing various water purification methods in developing countries. Decontamination technology, water infrastructure and sanitation education are vital resources in making safe water accessible to all. 

Methods That Make Local Water Safe to Drink

To make clean drinking water accessible, solutions rely on local water sources. Unfortunately, streams, rivers and lakes are often contaminated. Below are several methods used for water purification in developing countries.  

  1. Membrane Separation Technology. Reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration are the two most commonly used membrane separation techniques. Membrane separation uses high pressure to filter water through a porous wall. The permeable barrier prevents bacteria, pathogens and chemicals from passing, only allowing clean water through. Membrane separation technology is versatile and requires little maintenance, making it ideal for rural communities. Membrane separation is especially useful in preventing waterborne illnesses. 
  2. Chlorination. Water chlorination disinfects lakes, rivers and groundwater by adding a sodium hypochlorite solution to contaminated water, effectively killing bacteria and viruses. It is inexpensive, but excessive chlorine intake may pose health risks if used as a sole solution. 
  3. Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS). Solar water disinfection treatment uses ultraviolet rays to kill waterborne bacteria. It is inexpensive and ideal in circumstances where resources are scarce. Families fill 2-litre polyethylene terephthalate bottles with local water and lay them in the sun for six hours. SODIS is primarily valuable for household use, as it disinfects only small amounts of water at a time.  
  4. Filtration Systems. Biosand Water Filtration (BSF) is an inexpensive household filter, making water purification in developing countries domestically accessible. BSF consists of a large container with layers of washed sand and gravel. Local water is poured over the container. The sediment acts as a filter, trapping 90% of bacteria and 100% of parasites, which allows safe drinking water to flow through. 
  5. Wells and Aquifers. Digging wells is a common strategy for improving access to clean water in developing countries. Wells are either hand-dug or drilled underground and pipelines connected to a large pump draw groundwater from a local aquifer. Although wells are a more expensive solution, they can effectively supply water to an entire community.

Long-Term Solutions

Water infrastructure is essential for making clean water widely accessible. Treatment centers, pipelines and pumping networks help distribute decontaminated water over long distances. In Juba, South Sudan, UNICEF’s 2017 Lologo project established a water treatment plant that draws water from the Nile River, decontaminates it and pumps it throughout Juba and local camps. This is one of many infrastructure projects launched globally to support water purification in developing countries.

UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program ensures schools educate students on hygienic toilet use and clean water maintenance. In Bangladesh’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong, children ages 10 to 15 participate in World Water Day art competitions, drawing images reflecting the importance of clean water and sanitation. WASH workers hold hygiene awareness sessions for Rohingya refugees of all ages to attend. 

Looking Ahead

Water purification is a vital step toward poverty reduction. With continued investment in decontamination methods and infrastructure, access to clean water may soon become a reality for all.

– Helen Cusick

Helen is based in Minneapolis, MN, USA and focuses on Good Newsn and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Water Quality: Building Water Resilience in Bhutan

Water Quality in Bhutan: Four Ways to Build Water ResilienceLocated within the Himalayan mountains, Bhutan is a small landlocked nation. It is famous for its abundant freshwater stores, but its water supply has been depleting over time. The country is mainly reliant on agriculture as the basis for its economy, but due to the decrease in freshwater availability, the citizens of Bhutan are facing a humanitarian crisis and need to build water resilience to fight the growing water scarcity. 

Water Resilience in Bhutan

Water scarcity is not a new issue for Bhutan, but it is becoming steadily worse, which has led the Royal Government of Bhutan to work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The goal of the partnership is to assess the impact of water scarcity and develop a strategy for building water resilience in Bhutan.

Following a water sector analysis in 2023, the country found evidence that has become the basis for the Advancing Climate Resilience of Water Sector in Bhutan (ACREWAS) project. This project began in 2023 with a proposed duration of 60 months. 

This project is ongoing to improve water infrastructure, as well as build up the capacities of the local governments. The UNDP has chosen to focus its efforts in the Dzongkhags of Gasa, Punakha and Tsriang, which are three cities facing higher levels of water scarcity. 

Building Water Resilience in Bhutan

The UNDP has identified four ways to build water resilience in Bhutan and they are as follows:

  1. Pipeline Resilience. The first component of the ACREWAS project looks at pipeline resilience and how it can build better pipelines so that water flow is more reliable and resilient. This falls under the infrastructure aspect of the project, utilizing newer technology in order to build water infrastructure that is less prone to deterioration and is reliable. There is a necessity for more efficient and durable water infrastructure in Bhutan. The project targets include the remaking of 74 kilometers of water transmission and distribution lines to improve water flow throughout the country. 
  2. National Water Inventory. The second objective of the ACREWAS project focuses on the National Water Inventory and how to strengthen water governance in Bhutan. This part of the project includes building up the local governments to better manage water access. It also aims to strengthen water institutions so they can better identify shortages and manage their impact.
  3. Water Quality Improvements. The third way the UNDP is building water resilience in Bhutan is by improving water quality through new treatment plants and protecting ecosystems to prevent contamination of freshwater sources. The ACREWAS project aims to restore 41,910 hectares of land as well as 38,518 hectares of watersheds. This helps restore local ecosystems to protect freshwater sources and rehabilitate land, which is vital to Bhutan’s agriculture-based economy. It also makes the land more livable for communities.
  4. Capacity Building and Education. The last way that the UNDP is building water resilience in Bhutan is through knowledge management. This entails educating people on the water issues the country faces. The organization accomplishes this through grassroots advocacy and sharing information about water. By informing citizens, the UNDP hopes to raise more awareness on water management. 

Looking Ahead

Building water resilience in Bhutan has become a necessity and through the ACREWAS project, the UNDP aims to reduce water scarcity as well as improve the current infrastructure so that the country can better support its people. Through ongoing efforts, the UNDP hopes to improve the well-being of the people and create lasting conditions to support water resilience in Bhutan. 

– Olivia Peters

Olivia is based in Newport, Rhode Island, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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The Work Expanding Clean Water Access

clean water accessIn July 2025, the Saqani village in Fiji gained clean water access. The 150 residents no longer have to boil water before drinking it, and the Fijian government is aiming to provide clean water to the entire country. This is just one example of expanded clean water access in developing countries. Around the world, 703 million people, almost 9% of the global population, do not have access to clean water. In developing countries, 80% of diseases are associated with poor sanitation. Governments and non-government organizations have partnered to address this critical issue. Here are some of their recent successes in bringing clean water to people in need.

Water Sanitation and Collection in Kiribati and Tonga

The Kiribati government collaborated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Suez Group to install 10 solar-powered water plants in five of the country’s islands. Between August 2024 and April 2025, the collective built plants on the islands of Aranuka, Onotoa, Beru, Abatiku and Arorae. This brought clean water to more than 5,800 people, 4% of Kiribati’s population. The initiative plans to build plants on four more islands, including two on the island of Marakei.

The plants focus on desalination, the process of removing salt and minerals from water. Desalination allows communities to create drinkable water from more sources, such as seawater, particularly beneficial for an island nation.

In Kiribati, drought and rising sea levels had contaminated well water, and six to eight children had died every week from illnesses associated with contaminated water. Following the construction, the Church also replaced a broken water pump and built a second water tank in the Fahefa village in Tonga, an island nation south of Kiribati.

Funding for the Water Sector in Cambodia

Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MISTI) and the French Development Agency (AFD) partnered in June 2025 to finance clean water access in the country. The organizations, along with the European Union, are considering a fund of €275 million for Cambodia’s water sector between 2025 and 2027.

The organizations established a new borrowing limit to a bank to support private water supply companies. They also discussed creating programs to train water sector professionals in Cambodia.

Almost 4 million people in Cambodia lack access to a safe toilet. Of the poorest rural Cambodians, 80% defecate in open spaces, which can lead to water contamination. One in three people in the country does not separate contaminants from water, increasing the risk of contracting disease.

New Water Infrastructure in India

In June 2025, engineers inspected locations in Khowai, India, to determine which could house new water infrastructure. The town plans to install overhead water tanks at these sites, one of which is near a high school. The Khowai Municipal Council expects to allocate $5.8 million for the projects.

In Manipur, east of Khowai, the Indian government’s JalJeevan Mission (JJM) has provided rural households with tap water capabilities since August 2019. As of June 2025, the project has implemented 286 water supply schemes.

– Tyler Payne

Tyler is based in Allentown, PA, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Recent Efforts to Improve Water Quality in the Philippines

water quality philippinesThe Philippines has struggled with water quality for years. Recently, many efforts have been made to improve water quality in the Philippines, through new infrastructure, community-led behavioral changes, and more beyond water quality.

Water in The Philippines

Home to nearly 115 million people, the Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia. Surrounded by oceans and with stunning rivers running throughout, it is especially troubling that the Philippines struggle with water quality and pollution. In fact, the Philippines is the world’s leading plastic polluter of the ocean. Of the country’s major bodies of water, 56% are polluted, alongside 43% of rivers.

More than half of the country lives without access to clean drinking water. While some regions have access to safe water, this access is not widespread, and only 48% of the nation has safe drinking water at home. Easy access to safe, clean drinking water is important, as it can prevent many waterborne diseases. Between 2010 and 2019, almost 50,000 people were diagnosed with a waterborne disease each year, according to Energy Tracker Asia.

Efforts to Improve Water Quality in The Philippines

There have been many efforts to improve water quality in the Philippines in recent years. The Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGF) recognized that poor water quality in the Philippines is a result of pollution, poor sanitation and open defecation, and also significantly impacts socioeconomic development. According to the SDGF, more than 30% of rural communities in the Philippines practice open defecation, which disproportionately affects women and girls who utilize water for sanitation and hygiene.

SDGF aims to improve water access, sanitation, and hygiene in six provinces in the Philippines with significantly low water-access rates. Its program, Integrated Safe Water and Hygiene (iWaSH), approaches these issues at the local level. Since its launch in 2015, iWaSH has been a priority in water safety by local governments. In 2015, 46% of The Philippines had access to clean water. In 2017, 91% had access to basic water services.

WASH Master Plan

More recently, the Philippine government has made strides in addressing the inequities in water access throughout the country. In the Philippine Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Master Plan, the government aims to achieve WASH access universally by 2028. To do this, it has an integrated approach that is creating and improving pre-existent sanitation facilities to combat open defecation, promoting hygiene and sanitation, and creating safe water management.

The Philippine government has also made several efforts to infrastructure to improve both water quality and access throughout the Philippines. For example, it has introduced new standards that regulate the release of untreated waste from treatment facilities into rivers and other bodies of water, to preserve clean water and reduce pollution.

Rainwater Harvesting

The Philippines has up to more than 4,000 millimeters of rain each year. To collect safe, clean water (and prevent flooding,) local governments have turned to rainwater harvesting. There are different ways rainwater harvesting may occur. There are large tanks that may be placed by the government to collect rainwater, but it can also occur on a much smaller, but still effective, scale.

Gutters on a roof can direct rainwater into a storage system on the ground where rainwater will collect. Simple mesh filters may be placed in the storage containers to prevent contamination. Individuals gain access to this water through a tap on one of their storage containers, or in more complex setups, the water will flow directly into their home’s plumbing.

In many efforts, the Philippines has worked to improve water quality and access throughout the country by implementing new initiatives, integrated programs and new infrastructures. The WASH Master Plan and iWaSH have both effectively increased access to safe water across the Philippines. New infrastructure, such as new sanitation buildings and rain harvesting systems, have also played a positive role in combatting the water access inequities that plague the Philippines.

– Hannah Pacheco

Hannah is based in Boston, MA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

WaterStep Funds Clean Water Projects With Used Shoes

WaterStepIn a world where two billion people lack clean water, WaterStep delivers solutions. WaterStep is a nonprofit organization based in Louisville, KY. The organization brought clean water to 6.7 million people in 2022 and 2023. Funds for these clean water projects came, in part, from an unexpected source—pre-owned, donated shoes. The team collects tractor-trailer loads of shoes and sells them to an exporter, garnering an estimated $1 per pair of shoes. The organization focuses on safe water solutions to empower communities to improve their health, become educated and build livelihoods. WaterStep celebrates many successful clean water projects and is gaining momentum for projects to come.

WaterStep’s Growth

Mark Hogg, WaterStep’s Founder and CEO, explained in an interview with The Borgen Project that he started the organization in 1995 to use water as a “tool for health.” Hogg traveled to West Africa in 1983 to work on a dam and according to him, the trip was “life-changing,” providing valuable insights about the consequences of waterborne illness. 

WaterStep has worked in 70 countries and its impact has doubled in the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the growth by spreading awareness about hygiene issues and increasing demand for clean water. Growth also occurred when WaterStep began shipping equipment rather than hand-delivering it to project locations. UPS delivered 630 pieces of equipment to East Africa for WaterStep in 2021 without any cost. 

WaterStep team members, Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO, Zacharie Tossou, International Program and Development Director and Kellie Moore, Director of Strategic Initiatives, attended the invitation-only U.N. 2023 Water Conference, an experience that affirmed their strategy. 

WaterStep Technologies

WaterStep provides several clean water technologies to communities in need. Lyssa Castor, WaterStep’s Director of Marketing and Development, explained the types of technology to The Borgen Project. WaterBalls are plastic balls with attached handles that, when filled with water and pushed, make water transport significantly easier and more efficient. Without WaterBalls, women and children commonly carry five-gallon containers of water on their heads for long distances. “The heavyweight compresses the spine and causes significant health problems,” Castor said. 

WaterStep also offers BleachMakers that create bleach for cleaning and sanitation. Many communities use BleachMakers to bottle and sell bleach, thereby generating income. Additionally, the nonprofit organization offers an M-100 Chlorine Generator, which is designed to purify water using a car battery and salt. Another innovation is the WaterStep Water on Wheels (WOW) Cart, a moveable water treatment system designed to clean water during natural disasters and emergencies. 

The WaterStep team chooses technologies that address the specific needs and challenges of each community. After committing to help a community, WaterStep engages community members to contribute to the project. The community has “skin in the game,” Castor explained, which allows them to work together with WaterStep to bring about long-term, sustainable solutions. 

Successful Clean Water Projects

WaterStep has executed numerous clean water projects, providing people affected by poverty and disasters access to clean water. Here are just three:

  1. The Seneiya Special and Junior School, which educates nearly 200 special needs children in Samburu County, Kenya, faced challenges in accessing clean water and disinfectant. This resulted in negative effects on students’ health and attendance. Students in wheelchairs were unable to access toilets and the school lacked funding for enough diapers, causing ongoing sanitation difficulties.

    In 2023, WaterStep provided a BleachMaker, allowing the school to make bleach and improve sanitation and hygiene. The school has seen significant improvements in attendance and reduced disease. Additionally, students with mobility challenges can more fully participate in the community. 

  2. Students at Mayfield Christian School, located on top of a mountain on Mfangano Island, faced challenges due to a lack of access to clean water. This island is located in Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is highly contaminated and was the school’s singular water source. Consequently, children were unable to attend school until they reached about 8 years old, as they needed to be capable of carrying their daily water supply up the mountain to the school. The school’s director reached out to WaterStep via Facebook for help and in 2022, WaterStep sent five 2,000-gallon water tanks to collect rainwater and an M-100 Chlorine Generator to clean the water.

    A local plumber helped connect the rain catchment system and WaterStep team members trained representatives from the community on how to use the equipment. After installation, the school’s director reported increased attendance and healthier students. Students no longer transport water on their heads every day and younger children can attend school.

  3. Numerous prisons in Kenya lack safe water, causing devastating sickness. With 100% donor funding, WaterStep has successfully delivered clean water to 70 prisons in Kenya since 2021. Among the facilities is a children’s prison, housing individuals aged 7 to 17. Hogg said that clean water “transforms the place.”

    He has heard from a person on the ground in Kenya that the prisons are now the best-smelling and safest places in the communities. Additionally, the positive impact extends beyond the prison walls, as people now transport water from the prison to nearby sites, further amplifying the benefits of the initiative.

Contributors to WaterStep

There are many ways people contribute to WaterStep’s clean water projects. WaterStep accepts monetary donations at WaterStep.org. People donate shoes at drop-off sites around Louisville, KY and through shoe drives in nearby states. Through “Give Back Boxes,” people donate shoes via mail. A Give Back Box is any large cardboard box filled with shoes and mailed to WaterStep for a flat rate of $20. 

In addition to donations, dedicated volunteers work at WaterStep collecting and sorting shoes and manufacturing equipment like the M100 Chlorine Generators, BleachMakers and WOW carts. These efforts help WaterStep continue to improve more lives around the world with clean water.

– Kelly Carroll
Photo: Flickr

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Stanford’s New Powder Disinfects Contaminated Drinking Water

Stanford's New PowderWith more than 2 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water, the challenge of water scarcity looms large. According to UNICEF, nearly half of the global population could face water scarcity by 2025. To address this impending crisis, researchers at Stanford University are pioneering a novel approach: a powder that swiftly purifies contaminated water. Unlike conventional methods, this innovative solution utilizes sunlight to eliminate bacteria within a minute. The introduction of innovative solutions like Stanford’s powder presents a pathway toward achieving widespread and enduring access to clean drinking water.

The Study

On May 18, 2023, Stanford University published results from their study about a powder that disinfects contaminated drinking water. The technology is unique because it reacts with the sun’s UV rays and “high-energy visible light.” It then creates chemicals that attack bacteria’s cell membranes to kill them. Scientists found that the powder is so effective it can disinfect drinking water in just 60 seconds.

Stanford’s new powder is made from metallic “nano-sized flakes of copper, iron oxide, aluminum oxide and molybdenum sulfide” that are cost-effective and readily available. The product is sustainable because the metals are easy to make and reuse. A magnet collects the metallic “nanoflakes” from clean water, then places them in new contaminated water. The water is safe to drink immediately after decontamination due to the chemical byproducts breaking down into water and oxygen. In the study, one dose of recycled powder disinfected 30 water samples. Since water treatments are scarce, reusing the product allows people to have longer access to clean water.

This is great progress because current treatments add chemicals that leave behind toxic byproducts and utilize ultraviolet light, which requires electricity. And these constraints make it difficult to implement water treatments on a large scale. 

Water Scarcity

In areas where water is scarce, there are few opportunities to find a source of safe drinking water. Consuming contaminated water exposes people to preventable diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and cholera. Diarrhea causes an estimated 446,000 deaths per year among children younger than 5 years old, or 9% of all deaths for children in that age range. Adequate access to clean water allows for better hygiene and sanitation practices.

The scientists used E. coli in their study, which is a widespread contaminant that causes fecal-oral diseases. With 1.7 billion children younger than 5 years old suffering from diarrhea, this technology could provide relief from preventable waterborne illnesses. 

Looking Toward the Future

Stanford University’s groundbreaking powder has the potential to revolutionize clean drinking water access for the approximately 2 billion individuals worldwide who lack it. Furthermore, the wide distribution of this powder could enable those already using water treatments to embrace improved hygiene and sanitation practices. Notably, gaining access to a consistent and safe water source significantly enhances individuals’ health and overall quality of life.

Tong Wu, the co-lead author of the project, expressed, “We believe that our novel technology will facilitate revolutionary changes in water disinfection and inspire more innovations.” This recyclable and nontoxic powder represents a pioneering development. The powder’s scalability and distribution potential render it a viable and practical solution for individuals facing restricted access to safe water sources.

– Diana Grant
Photo: Flickr

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Combating the Worldwide Water Crisis

Worldwide Water CrisisCurrently, there is a worldwide water crisis, as 771 million people face a total lack of access to safe water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three people worldwide does not have access to safe drinking water. The global water crisis has far-reaching consequences for communities across the globe, such as contaminated water-borne diseases, health issues like dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as economic difficulties. Families may have to spend a significant amount of their income on buying bottled water or traveling lost distances to collect water, which can make it challenging for them to fulfill other basic needs, including food, shelter and education.

Affecting Women and Girls

In addition, water scarcity disproportionately affects women and girls because they often experience the burden of collecting water. Spending hours of their days walking to obtain water for their families often limits their opportunities for education, work and social activities. Unsafe sanitation also poses a threat to women and girls, as they face a higher risk of abuse and assault when having to use outdoor toilets or sharing facilities with men and boys.

In 2009, actor Matt Damon and engineer Gary White founded Water.org, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide access to safe water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Water.org combats the global water crisis across 11 countries through affordable market-based solutions.

Global Water Crisis in Numbers

The following five statistics put into perspective the pervasiveness and danger of the water crisis.

  1. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, and 3.4 billion do not have proper sanitation facilities, according to Water for People.
  2. According to reports, one in six health care facilities does not have handwashing stations or toilets, which puts millions of people seeking help for health issues at an even greater risk.
  3. Water for People reports that “3.4 million deaths occur each year from water-related diseases.”
  4. On average, women living in rural Africa walk 3.7 miles every day to collect water and carry 40 pounds of it back to their families.
  5. By 2025, half of the global population could live in regions confronted with water scarcity. Furthermore, by 2040, over a quarter of the world’s children will “live in areas of extremely high water stress.”

Water.org combats the global water crisis with urgency and innovation in an effort to reduce the grand scale of water scarcity worldwide.

Water.org’s Mission and Formula

Working in 11 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, Water.org combats the global water crisis through market-based solutions to empower communities and make access to safe water and sanitation sustainable. The organization offers two loan programs—WaterCredit and WaterEquity—that have distinct goals and serve different groups of borrowers.

WaterCredit provides small loans to families in developing countries, who lack access to traditional credit and cannot afford to pay upfront for water and sanitation solutions, such as wells, pumps, and toilets. Families repay these loans over time, with the expectation that the borrower will eventually become financially stable enough (now that they can devote their time to other efforts besides collecting water) to repay the loan in full.

The WaterEquity program is an impact investing project that provides funding for water and sanitation enterprises to scale solutions to reach more people. Investors offer small loans for water and sanitation that are repaid over time, potentially receiving a financial return.

WaterEquity helps to attract private capital to the water and sanitation sector, promoting innovation and expanding access to safe water and sanitation. According to Water.org, “The investor can potentially receive a financial return, or re-invest to further their social impact.” This initiative provides sustainable solutions to the global water crisis and offers an “attractive risk-return profile to investors.”

Impact and Achievements

As of 2023, Water.org has provided access to safe water and sanitation to over 55 million people in 11 countries, according to its website. Water.org’s primary initiative, WaterCredit, has helped to mobilize over $4.4 billion in capital for water and sanitation projects. Water.org has enabled communities around the globe to take control of their own solutions and break the cycle of poverty caused by a lack of access to safe water and sanitation.

India’s water crisis is particularly severe. Nearly 600 million people face high to extreme water stress, and “nearly 200,000 people in India die each year due to inadequate access to safe water.” In addition, by 2030, the water demand in India could be “twice the available supply.”

On the bright side, Water.org’s efforts against the global water crisis include 31 local partners in India. Water.org has helped more than 21 million people gain access to safe water and sanitation.

The organization combats the global water crisis through innovative solutions that generate long-lasting and life-changing effects for families worldwide. Overall, the continued efforts of organizations like Water.org present hope for a future where safe water and sanitation are accessible to all.

– Skye Connors
Photo: Flickr

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Addressing Worldwide Freshwater Crisis

Freshwater CrisisThe freshwater crisis is one that calls for attention, as water is an essential resource to all living organisms and ecosystems because it provides support to biological functions through the transportation of nutrients, regulation of body temperature and optimal digestion. It sustains life through biodiversity, productivity and adaptability to environmental changes to foster ecological processes.

According to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, approximately 3% of the Earth contains fresh water while the other 97% is saltwater. However, over 68% of the freshwater is in glaciers and polar ice caps, with another 30% in the soil, thereby rendering extraction difficult and expensive. The limited accessibility hampers fulfilling the expanding demand for freshwater resources and exacerbates the current worldwide freshwater crisis.

Earth’s Freshwater Poverty

Water scarcity intensifies as demand for freshwater rises as a result of population development, urbanization and industrialization, all of which diminish the availability of freshwater resources. Other causes that contribute to freshwater depletion include and over-extraction of groundwater.

Freshwater resources are not fairly distributed throughout the world, resulting in discrepancies in access and availability. Some areas, notably dry and semi-arid ones, suffer from chronic water scarcity, whereas others have copious freshwater supplies. This disparity could exacerbate socioeconomic inequities and lead to conflicts over the accessibility of water.

Consequences of Limited Access to Freshwater

Limited access to freshwater impacts human health. Waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid flourish in contaminated and poor water sources. A lack of sufficient hygiene and sanitation facilities, particularly in developing countries, further exacerbates these health problems.

According to the World Bank, 70% of freshwater finds its use in agriculture, and this represents the largest consumption of freshwater globally. Water scarcity could have a negative impact on crop production, food security and livestock, affecting overall agricultural efficiency and productivity. The limited access to water for irrigation could force farmers to rely on unsustainable practices, such as inefficient water distribution, limiting crop yields from diversifying and exacerbating the cycle of water scarcity and food insecurity.

The freshwater crisis affects many sectors in the water-intensive sectors, leading to economic consequences. Marginalized communities, particularly women and children, face the brunt of water scarcity because of the need to frequently transport water across great distances. This has a limiting effect on educational and economic empowerment. Moreover, limited access to water contributes to poverty and socio-economic inequalities due to the lack of job opportunities and overall economic productivity.

Overcoming Challenges

An Engineering study reveals an innovative way of capturing water from naturally occurring sources, notably fog and dew. Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi found a novel water-collecting technique using the spontaneous condensation of water vapor onto the surface of an organic crystal undergoing sublimation.

The researchers discovered that as the crystal’s surface sublimated, microscopic channels with varied widths formed, allowing condensed water to travel over the crystal’s surface. This process was responsible for the autonomous flow of dust and metallic nanoparticles along the channels. The researchers discovered a new approach to promote water flow over solid surfaces by exploiting the phenomenon of water condensation and the changing dimensions of the channels.

Efforts to achieve autonomous water flow have traditionally put an emphasis on surface chemical modifications or built microchannels. However, this work takes a completely new approach which was inspired by the natural flow of water over solid surfaces. The authors emphasize the significance of this phenomenon because natural creatures have evolved to efficiently move water for various life-supporting activities, even defying gravity in the case of plants.

This study has far-reaching ramifications, however, the research is still ongoing. These discoveries have the potential to inspire the development of novel methods that maximize the effectiveness of collecting water from atmospheric humidity, providing a new option for solving the global freshwater crisis.

Looking Ahead

The freshwater crisis remains an issue that requires proactive measures in order to secure a future of sustainable water supply. And while the discovery of humidity-capturing crystals presents a promising solution, reports suggest that further research is necessary to optimize the development of the project.

– Cherine Jang
Photo: Flickr