Water is vital to life. Without access to water for a few days, the risk of death is very real. This is why there has been a lot of investment in improving water access around the world. That is what our website is all about.

Access to Safe Water

Water drop

While we often take water access for granted, for a lot of the planet, a lack of access to clean water is a very real problem.

It is estimated that around 70% of the world’s population has access to water in their homes, or at least in a place where it can be easily accessed. Around 90% of the world’s population will be able to reach a water source within a 30-minute round trip.

This isn’t clean water access, though. Around 2-billion people worldwide are drinking daily from contaminated water sources. These water sources are rife with disease. While it is impossible to come up with accurate numbers for the amount of people that die due to a lack of access to clean drinking water, it is believed that it is somewhere around 800,000 people per year. It is believed that at least 220-million people each year require treatment due to parasites contracted from drinking unsafe drinking water.

The problem is that even countries with normally sustainable water sources are starting to see water levels drop. For many countries, 2019 was the driest year on record, and many climate scientists believe that it is only going to get dryer from here on out. Couple a falling water supply with increasing populations, and you really will start to run into issues.

So, what are these issues? Well, in just 5-years, it is believed that over half of the world’s population will be living in an area that doesn’t have unhindered access to water.

Improvements to Technology for Clean Water

Due to the health issues associated with access to clean drinking water, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been working incredibly hard on devising technologies that may help to solve the problem.

One problem that many scientists are working on right now is the reuse of wastewater. In many countries worldwide, wastewater is used to irrigate land, which can free up water for human consumption. However, technology has evolved to allow people to drink wastewater. However, the technology is very limited here right now, partly because if wastewater is not converted to drinkable water properly, it could provide a huge health risk.

In an effort to combat the effects of climate change and less-predictable rain, technology has improved to the point where groundwater can be consumed. However, this is technology that will only work in areas that have access to groundwater in the first place. This means that many of the driest regions can be ruled out.

This is technology that will provide access to water, but there are some pieces of technology that have improved access to clean water, and many of these have been implemented around the world. This includes:

Solar Powered Water Filtration

One of the main issues for many communities is not so much access to water, but access to technology that can help in water treatment. A lot of this has been down due to an inconsistent electrical supply.

Water treatment: solar system

Many communities worldwide have now had solar powered water filters installed. This will allow the water to be filtered, without there being a need for an electrical hook-up. This is technology that could be feasibly be installed in homes eventually.

Fog Catchers

This is a piece of technology that only works in the foggiest of regions. Recent advancements in clean water technology, however, has allowed certain communities to set up giant nets that can capture the moisture from fog. This should be clean water, which means that it is going to be drinkable almost right away.

Desalination

Seawater is not drinkable. Thankfully, technology has improved to the point where we can remove the salt content from water and turn it into something drinkable. The problem is that this technology is very energy intensive, which means that it cannot be rolled out on a grand scale just yet. However, this is technology that, when it reaches its final form, could be used by many people globally. In fact, it could completely eliminate water issues in many countries.

LifeStraw

If you are an avid camper or hiker, then you may have heard of the LifeStraw. This small portable gadget will allow somebody to drink from contaminated water. The filter is built into the straw, and it can deal with litres and litres of water.

While it is best known for hikers and the like, the LifeStraw has been rolled out to a few countries that may not have access to clean water supplies.

Tips For Preserving Water

In this day and age, preserving water is important. It doesn’t matter where you live, your home may be impacted by water access in the very near future. These tips should help you to preserve water resources:

  • Take showers instead of baths, but try to keep your showers as short as possible. Five to ten minutes could save a lot of water.
  • Purchase a water-saving shower head. These will help to save water, while also allowing you to control the water.
  • Look for leaks in your home. Leaks can waste gallons of water.
  • When you use a dishwasher or washing machine, make sure that it is a full load. Small loads will still use the same amount of water, so it is really wasting water if you are not cleaning everything at once.
  • Keep water bottles in the fridge. This will provide easy access to water, and it will ensure that you always have access to cold water. There will be no need to constantly run the tap.
  • Don’t water the garden too much. Only water when it is vital, and give it a good soak when you do. This will help to cut back on how frequently it will need to be watered.