Two billion people obtain drinking water from unsafe sources, which exposes them to waterborne pathogens, such as faecal bacteria and viruses. Contaminated water transmits diseases such diarrhoea, which kills 502,000 people each year. The health costs associated to waterborne diseases represent more than one third of the income of a poor household.
WATERSPOUTT set out to provide safer drinking water to vulnerable communities that rely on unsafe water sources. It developed three Solar Disinfection (SODIS)-based technologies, which could produce between 20 and 200 L/day drinking water: i) a Harvested Water Reactor (HWR), which was tested in two primary schools in Uganda, a farm and an informal settlement in South Africa; ii) a Transparent Jerrycan (TJC), which was tested in 400 households in Ethiopia; iii) a SODIS Bucket, which was tested in 835 households in Malawi.
The project concluded that rainwater harvesting in combination with the HWRs is suitable alternative drinking water source in vulnerable communities. The HWRs are safe when used according to SODIS procedures and are effective against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. SODIS can be enhanced by triggering the photo-Fenton process, especially in presence of antagonistic compounds. The outcomes the TJC and the SODIS Bucket studies were encouraging but have not achieved sufficient sensitivity to conclusively establish whether they perform better than 2L SODIS bottle.
Our social scientists analyzed the socio-political, cultural, and economic aspects of water management within the field sites. Women and children were primarily responsible for gathering water, however it was almost always men who held the power enact substantive changes.
Communities in Uganda were positive about the HWRs. They reported the reduction of rates of diarrhoea amongst children and there was a fair understanding of the core principles about operation. The HWRs use was highly seasonal. Questions regarding the HWRs longevity were raised, especially concerning maintenance beyond the scope of WATERSPOUTT.
in Ethiopia, the majority of participants were positive about the TJC, and the less labor required compared to boiling. Participants reported either a steady, or improved rate of illness amongst their children. Participants were concerned about costs, which would make adoption of the technology difficult. Other participants indicated they would buy the products if they saw their neighbours using it
Respondents in Malawi were positive about their experience with the SODIS Bucket. A key element was the significant reduction in cases of diarrhea reported by both participants and health workers. There was also no difficulty reported actually using the buckets, though unlike in Ethiopia there was no decrease in workload reported from moving to SODIS water treatment systems.
Educational programs were developed to increase household use and uptake of the solar based technologies. Educational materials developed included user manuals, facilitator manuals, visual prompts, flipbooks. An educational video was produced. Overall, the educational programs have been successful in raising awareness about solar based technologies and their potential for providing clean drinking water for communities
