How cheap water treatment rescues poor communities

Nyabisase residents in Kisii County ferry water from the river on April 17, 2023. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

Nearly 40 per cent of Kenyans do not have access to clean water with studies showing 9.9 million people drink directly from contaminated surface water sources.

At the same time, less than a third of Kenyans have access to improved sanitation. In urban areas, the situation is exacerbated by a burgeoning population put a strain on limited infrastructure.

Unsafe drinking water, coupled with poor sanitation especially in low-income areas of Nairobi where approximately 56 per cent of city residents live, have been blamed for rise in waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Water treatment methods like boiling are out of reach for the majority of slum dwellers due to the prohibitive cost of fuel. Other purification methods like chlorination are treated with scepticism due to their high cost and are viewed as a preserve of big companies.

Low-cost water solutions are however reversing the sorry state of affairs by offering communities year-round free water treatment, and hope. One example that has become particularly popular in low-income areas is SODIS ("Solar Water Disinfection").

It was first developed and tested by Swiss researchers in the 1980s. It is a simple and inexpensive method of water disinfection based on use of the sun's ultraviolet rays and high temperatures.

Affordable solutions

PET bottles are placed on rooftops, or somewhere directly facing the sun for at least six hours to kill germs and disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites.

This has been touted as a silver bullet for avoidable water borne diseases among underserved and low-income communities. Tests have shown that SODIS technology produces clean drinking water that meets the World Health Organisation guidelines.

A field study in Kibera between 2005 and 2006, and whose findings were presented at an European Union conference, indicated that 84 per cent of households that used SODIS technology reported no incidences of diarrhoea. Since its development, the technology has been used to improve drinking water quality. In Kenya, it was first introduced by the Kenya Water and Health Organisation (KWAHO), a local NGO focusing on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions. To date it has won the hearts of households and schools.

Everyone can do it which has made its impact and adoption faster. With SODIS, households do not have to rely on traditional and high intensity energy sources like firewood or gas which reduces deforestation and protects the environment.

Children have become the ambassadors of the initiative, spreading the gospel to their family members after learning about it in schools further expanding its reach.

As Kenya grapples with water shortage and its attendant challenges including poor sanitation and waterborne diseases, low-cost innovations like SODIS are offering sustainable solutions, a sun ray and a water drop at a time.

The writer is a communication expert