Institute for Water, Environment and Health

(UNU-INWEH)

An interactive knowledgebase of safe water provisioning for rural, remote and otherwise marginalized communities around the world

There is a major gap in the ability of rural, remote and otherwise marginalized communities to address drinking water challenges.  These communities often do not have sufficient expertise or resources to determine which technologies or options are available, or how to effectively mobilize resources for their deployment.  The result is lack of adequate safe water provisioning in these communities, usually leading to serious health consequences.  While the problem is particularly severe in developing countries, it occurs in developed countries as well.

It is important to note that many solutions - technological, policy-based and behavioural - exist and have been demonstrated to work.  However, without coordinated access and a mechanism to rate the quality of the information provided, the resulting information deficit is preventing local action, even in developed countries.  The purpose of this project is to develop an interactive global knowledgebase of water treatment provisioning solutions for rural, remote and otherwise marginalized communities that will provide simple, yet comprehensive technical information situated within the economic, social, political and cultural contexts within which such knowledge has been proven and can be successfully applied.  In order to achieve this, the knowledgebase will include both water provisioning alternatives as well as real world lessons learned.

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