Low cost technologies for safe drinking water in developing regions. tecnología de bajo costo para aguas potables en regiones en vía de desarrollo

At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated and thus likely to lead to diarrheal illness: nearly 1,000 children die each day due to water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases. safe drinking-water is required for all usual domestic purposes, including drinking, food preparation and personal hygiene. diseases related to the contaminated drinking-water place a major burden on human health. in 2015 663 million people still lacked access to improved drinking water source, and these are mostly poor and marginalized. almost a quarter of those people rely on water surface which is untreated and over 90% live in rural areas. many people are forced to rely on sources that are microbiologically unsafe, leading to a higher risk of contracting waterborne diseases,including typhoid, hepatitis a and e, polio and cholera. this proposal aims to develop and assess low cost technologies for safe drinking water which can help address the significant socioeconomic impact of water borne diseases in developing regions. we will establish a center which will involve a range of different expertise collaborating with universities in brazil and colombia and two not-for-profit organizations from colombia and mexico. the objectives are to develop low-cost technologies to provide clean water to the poor people in rural brazil, colombia and mexico, and to develop devices which can be used to assess drinking water quality in remote regions without access to high tech laboratories. these water technologies will be tested under real conditions with the cooperation of the rural communities.we shall also assess any health benefits in the communities following the use of the technologies to give safe water.

I. undertake a transdisciplinary analysis involving all stakeholders leading to the formation of the common research objectives which should deliver safe drinking water to the poor in developing regions. ii. build capability at ulster and grow capacity with our collaborators in brazil, colombia and mexico (extending that relationship to other ngos and local government). iii. develop prototypes systems for household/community based water treatment and prototype devices for water quality assessment for use in the field. iv. undertake field trials of the enhanced technologies in oda countries to assess the efficacy of the technologies and determine the health impact at a community level. v. disseminate research by publishing in high impact journals, presentation at conferences, publishing and presenting to non-scientific audiences, end-user engagement by local workshops (in oda countries); vi. inform policy by publishing reports concerning cost-benefit analysis of low cost technologies for drinking water.

The project will generate significant new knowledge benefiting the large community of researchers and academics with interests in drinking water treatment and water quality assessment devices. our research into the understanding of social interactions with technology, and the use of behavioural analysis for end user engagement and adoption, will lead to the development of a range of protocols and recommendations which could be translated into hygiene, nutrition and medical training. co-operative research in the creation of pro-poor technology development and business strategy can again be translated into other areas of overseas development work - providing additional opportunities for economic benefit. the use of non-laboratory based pathogen indicators will have application in many areas of healthcare. the results will be widely disseminated through publications, general media, website and presentation at conferences e.g. the international water association organises a range of conferences and workshops globally. ulster is a partner in several eu research programmes, including marie sklodowska-curie projects (e.g. alice), cost actions (e.g. nereus) and is a founding member of the eu aop school. the project will also be linked to global water sanitation and hygiene cluster (a partnership grouping 32 partners aiming to improve the coordination and the humanitarian response in the wash sector), the eu h2020 funded waterspoutt project and unesco safe drinking water and sanitation programme.