Globally, 780 million people – 11% of the world’s population – use unsafe drinking water or have no water source at all, and it has become increasingly apparent that more traditional models of water delivery are not always the most viable solution.
For example, it is estimated that 40% of the water pumps built in Africa are broken at any given point, and each pump can take up to a month to be repaired. Many people resort to using wood-burning stoves to boil water and render it safe for drinking, which is a strong driver for deforestation and also releases damaging CO2 emissions.
Stone Family Foundation established the £100,000 Stone Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Water. Dispensers for Safe Water (DSW) , who is the prize winner, awarded for its innovative Chlorine Dispenser System. The dispenser is filled with dilute chlorine and placed near a communal water source, allowing individuals to treat their water free of cost with the correct dose of chlorine.This simple, low-cost solution has already reached approximately 424,000 people across 800 villages in Kenya. 30 months after dispenser installation, 55-60% of household drinking water samples in these communities tested positive for chlorine. At scale, the chlorine dispensers would cost less than US$0.50 per person per year, including both hardware costs and recurring costs of chlorine refills, dispenser management and maintenance. Meanwhile, it reduced the need to boil water as well as the use of burning wood, and in return, less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Source of information: Ashden
Image: Ashden
