As we gather for the most important event on global water issues: World Water Week 2024, it is important to recognize that the water crisis should be a major concern for countries all around the world, as it accentuates social inequality. The World Health Organization estimated that around 2 billion people don’t have access to safe water. However, a recent study* revealed that the problem could be twice as big, since it was estimated that 4 billion people lack access to clean water, which means that this basic human right is not being met for half of the global population. This problem is specially accentuated in hard-to-reach regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where it was found that more than 600 million people don’t have access to drinking water. 

Why previous statistics are far from reality is that traditional data collection methods take a long time to be executed and can easily overlook a big part of the population around the world. Now, the geospatial data derived from cutting-edge technology helps fill in the gaps that the standard statistical methods have left. 

This new data highlights the urgent need to address this problem through diverse approaches. It has become clear that the standard infrastructure is not enough to meet the needs of the vulnerable communities. Therefore, household water treatment solutions, such as combined portable water treatment and water heating system-kits, are essential to provide access to clean water also in remote regions. 

At Solvatten we stick to our mission to provide people living in vulnerable populations with safe and hot water. The findings in this study inspire us to expand our impact. Also true is that the global water crisis can only be addressed by the cooperation between the private and public sectors. Thus, we call on governments, NGOs, and the private sector to join us in the conversation during the exhibition we will share with UNHCR at Stockholm´s World Water Week during the following week 25-29 August 2024. Don’t miss the opportunity to change lives!

Citations

E. Greenwood et al. Mapping safe drinking water use in low- and middle-income countries. Science. Published online August 15, 2024. doi: 10.1126/science.adh9578