Although some readers might find it
hard to believe, the most basic element of our lives is not money! At
the very core of all life on earth is a much more fundamental factor,
which exists (almost) everywhere and affects (almost) all areas of life:
water.
Covering about 71 per cent of the Earth's
surface, and constituting 60 per cent of the human body, water is the
enabling factor of every life form of life, massively impacting
economies, industries, education, and more.
But despite its tremendous, well-known
importance, hundreds of millions of people are still lacking access to
clean water. If we really want to disrupt reality in Sub-Saharan Africa,
water access must be on the top section of the “to-do” list.
Fortunately, advanced technological developments now allow for actual
impact on the sector.
Affecting health, education, agriculture - and gender equality
More than 700 million people worldwide have
no access to clean, safe drinking water, and 300 million of them live in
Sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of access causes the local population to
rely exclusively on stagnant water which, in many cases, contains
infections and bacteria, and leads to difficulty in maintaining hygiene.
Over 80 per cent of diseases in developing countries are estimated to be caused by the lack of access to clean water.
According to a 2016 study, half of
hospitalized patients worldwide were hospitalized for water-related
illness, and 20 per cent of deaths under the age of 5 could have been
prevented by access to clean, safe water.
Although being severe, the lack of access
has more widespread implications than the healthcare system. The field
of agriculture, for example, is particularly affected, with only 5 per
cent of Africa's agricultural land being properly irrigated, while most
farmers rely on rainwater or stagnant water sources.
In the absence of regular irrigation, yield
efficiency is significantly reduced, and the amount of available food is
diminished accordingly.
If current effects are not enough, long-term
effects are found in various sectors. In the education sphere, 443
million school days are lost every year due to water-related illnesses.
In about two-thirds of homes with no access
to water, water supply is the sole responsibility of women and girls,
preventing the gender equality battle from being won. According to the
UN, over 40 billion hours are spent each year in sub-Saharan Africa
collecting and transporting water; just imagine all the great
accomplishments to be achieved in such a tremendous amount of time.
Creating water out of thin air
After thousands of years of relying on rain
and stagnant water sources, recent times brought unprecedented
technological advances, and water-tech has become one of the hottest
sectors. Technology companies are creating solutions and developments
that can revolutionize the lives of millions everywhere, and especially
in Sub-Saharan Africa. Generally speaking, the sector can be divided
into three main verticals.
Conveyance. One of the major challenges is
the transport of water from an existing source (lake or river, for
example) to other locations. Today, millions of women and girls are
required to walk for hours every day, carrying water with jars and
containers, while farmers use manual, non-scalable irrigation solutions.
Different companies (such as Ignite Power) provide advanced solar-based
solutions that allow the water to be pumped and transported to the
desired location, tens or even hundreds of meters away. In rural areas
with no available infrastructure, these systems can help millions.
Purifying. Water transport may alleviate the
difficulty of supplying water to homes and villages, but the health
hazards inherent in stagnant water remain. Therefore, many companies
offer various solutions for water purification, eliminating life
threatening hazards. This can be done by filtering or by adding
dedicated chemicals, ensuring safe and clean drinking water.
"Production". The third field is perhaps the
most surprising one. Unlike the first two that rely on available and
visible water sources, various companies are now providing advanced
technology that utilizes an invisible water source: humidity. This
technology turns the same moisture into clean, safe drinking water,
providing a solution for the most remote communities.
These technologies (and many more) are
already available today, and can create a huge impact on nations and
hundreds of millions of people. To make this happen, there is a
substantial need for cooperation between the private and public sectors.
Private companies, especially in the field of off-grid solar, must
utilize the infrastructure they have created over the years and work to
provide these new technologies to the most remote communities.
But that won’t be enough: governments can
support the field, and invest in national water programs. According to
the World Health Organization, every dollar spent on water and
sanitation in developing countries will result in economic growth of up
to $34.
Investing in available technology solutions
will not only have a huge impact on the lives of people, but will
accelerate economic development in coming years. It is our
responsibility to develop it today, and to lead the way to inclusiveness
and impact in the future.
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