The world community has pledged to reduce by half the proportion of the global population without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015 (UN Millennium Development Goal 7) and Solvatten projects are contributing to this. UN Habitat is starting a solar water pasteurization project to provide safe drinking water and warm water to households in low-income peri-urban areas in Bamako, Mali.

UN-HABITAT has received funding for the project from the Demo Environment Programme being administered by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket). The selected locations are densely populated and lack modern infrastructure for water and sanitation. Water resources are under pressure because of rapid population growth and deforestation is accelerating because of increasing demand for wood-based fuels. The project is carried out in partnership with the international organisation CREPA and the Solvatten units will directly benefit around 1500 people.