A New Water Treatment Product for the Urban Poor in the Developing World

The provision of safe drinking water is a pressing need in Africa, Asia, and Central America. The UN recently estimated that 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water supplies. The failure to address this need is an injustice that has strengthened the grip of poverty, resulting in suffering and death every day. "We shall not defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any other infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care." (Kofi Annan, 2008) A part of the failure is inadequate application of technology. A number of water treatment methods are time-tested and well-documented in their effectiveness, but the question remains, can these proven technologies be packaged to meet the needs of the poor in the developing world? It is common to think of village water needs when discussing the drinking water needs of the developing world, and those are many, but safe drinking water for the urban poor is a major and growing challenge. "The locus of global poverty is moving to cities, a process now recognized as the urbanization of poverty. Without concentrated action on the part of the municipal authorities, national governments, civil society actors and the international community, the number of slum-dwellers is likely to increase in most developing countries." (Kofi Annan, 2003) What are the particular drinking water needs of the urban poor in the developing world? What are their options for safe drinking water? This paper attempts to answer these questions by a focus on the poor of Kampala, Uganda, because of the author's experience living in this city and conducting field trials in that location. The author, on leave from CH2M HILL, volunteered for 10 months to assist with designing and implementing water improvements in East Africa through the non-profit organization, Engineering Ministries International. The author conducted informal field trials of a new household water treatment invention with Kampala residents during this period. The following topics are covered: 1 Safe drinking water challenges faced by the urban poor 2 Commonly used household treatment methods and their costs 3 Application of a new invention—description, acceptance, effectiveness, and cost 4 Future directions for meeting the water needs of the urban poor in the developing world The particular water treatment invention that is the subject of this paper may become one of the products to fill the technology gap for the urban poor. The patented product is currently without a name and is referred to as UV007 in this paper. It is a reliable and robust product, one that appears to be cost-effective compared to alternative methods. It is designed for household or kiosk-level use. It uses ultraviolet light in the germicidal wavelength to disinfect water on a batch basis. The unit is human-powered, by a hand-crank or by a bicycle, making it attractive for the significant percentage of people without electricity. It has been shown in laboratory tests to achieve EPA standards for inactivation of MS-2 coliphage. Informal field trials using second-generation prototypes were conducted in Kampala during 2009 and 2010. The feedback from the participants will guide the development of this product. Assembly can be implemented in-country providing economic benefits as well as safe drinking water. It can be paired with micro-credit programs to yield jobs in the very developing world applications where UV007 will be used. The unit is especially applicable in urban settings, such as Kampala, where the municipal system provides water low in particulates but delivery obstacles render distributed water unsafe. It is appropriate and necessary to provide point-of-use treatment and indeed, most Ugandans residing in Kampala perceive this need. Collaborators to date include Chris Smith, President of Intellegration LLC (Richland, WA), Professor Jeff Nason, Chemical & Environmental Engineering Department, Oregon State University, and John Coombe (formerly) and Stephen Hall of the Western TechSet program through the University of Denver.