Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
22
WaterHealth International: Decentralized
Systems P
rovide Sustainable Drinking Water
Mahendra K. Misra and Sanjay Bhatnagar
WaterHealth International Inc., Irvine, California, USA
CONTENTS
22.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 433
22.2 WaterHealth Solution ........................................................................................................ 435
22.2.1 WaterHealth Centers ............................................................................................. 435
22.2.2 Services Offered by WaterHealth ........................................................................ 437
22.2.2.1 Financing .................................................................................................. 437
22.2.2.2 Increase in Accessibility ......................................................................... 438
22.2.2.3 Quality ...................................................................................................... 439
22.2.2.4 Education .................................................................................................. 439
22.2.2.5 Employment ............................................................................................. 440
22.2.2.6 Challenges ................................................................................................ 440
22.2.3 Partnership ............................................................................................................. 440
22.2.4 Technology .............................................................................................................. 441
22.2.4.1 UV Waterworks™: WaterHealth's UV Disinfection Technology ..... 443
22.2.4.2 Centralized Monitoring and Control ................................................... 446
22.3 Need for Low-Cost Technologies .................................................................................... 446
22.4 Other Challenges ............................................................................................................... 448
22.4.1 Temperature, Humidity, and Dirt ....................................................................... 448
22.4.2 Accessibility ............................................................................................................ 448
22.4.3 Power Availability ................................................................................................. 449
22.5 Application of Nanotechnology ...................................................................................... 449
22.1 Introduction
A World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund report estimates
that more than 800 million people in the world lack access to clean drinking water. Almost
all of these people reside in developing countries. Nonavailability and inaccessibility
to clean water is affecting populations in the developing world, particularly those who
are very vulnerable to consuming contaminated water such as the elderly and children.
Nearly 2 million children die of waterborne diseases each year—that is roughly one child
every 15 s. A less vulnerable population of working adults living in regions with poor
access to clean water is also affected by consuming unsafe water. This population group
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