Globally, an estimated 1.9 billion people rely on water supplies that are contaminated with faeces. This requires many to use household water treatment (HWT) technologies to help prevent disease and make water safe for drinking.
The global market for HWT products has now become flooded with products. From chlorination to filtration systems and solar disinfection, the options for purifying water are endless. Manufacturers claim their products make water safe for drinking, but in low-income countries, where many of these devices are essential, labs lack the capacity to verify these claims.
But, times are changing.
“The primary benefit from household water treatment is protecting health,” says WHO’s Dr Batsi Majuru.
Now, the health benefits of HWT are increasingly recognized and the need for independent and rigorous evaluation is essential, adds Dr Majuru.
It is estimated that when used correctly and consistently, HWT and safe storage of water can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by as much as 45%, and save thousands of young children every year.
The International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies was established in 2014 to independently and consistently assess the performance of HWT products against WHO health-based criteria – an evaluation system similar to how pharmaceuticals and insecticide-treated bed nets are pre-qualified.
WHO International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies
Under the Scheme, a product can be evaluated if it is low-cost, appropriate for low-income settings, free standing and able to treat enough water to serve a limited number of individuals for a day. Products that meet these requirements are tested to see how well they remove microbiological contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa, from drinking water. Product performance is classified based a 3 tiered system and those that achieve the highest removal of pathogens are given a 3-star rating.
Recently, WHO released the first round of results on 10 HWT technologies ranging from ultrafiltration to chemical disinfection and found 8 met performance targets. These products reach an estimated 60 countries and millions of users. Every year, WHO plans to test new technologies and release results to help countries like Ethiopia that are working to scale-up HWTselect the technologies that meet WHO performance criteria.
–WHO
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