GEF

Unit 5  |  Toward Sustainable Water Systems 134 Access to water is an ongoing struggle in Jordan, one of the driest countries on Earth. One example of this approach is the development of a small water sampling device called the Water Canary that tests water for a range of contaminants and immediately displays if it is safe to drink or not. Entrepreneurs, such as water treatment expert Michael Pritchard, have developed other devices such as handheld water filters that are capable of purifying even the most highly contaminated water. Pritchard’s Lifesaver® Bottle is a water bottle containing a filter that easily removes disease agents down to the size of the smallest viruses. The widespread distribution of these testers, filters, and similar devices could dramatically improve the quality of life for water-vulnerable communities. Even cell phones are being used in the fight to provide safe water. In rural Africa, most water infrastructure depends on small hand pumps located in each village. At any given time, a large portion of these pumps are broken, forcing residents to gather water from distant and usually unsafe surface sources. Villages in Kenya are experimenting with a novel system in which sen- sors inside smart pumps send a text message to the cell phones of residents and a central water office when pumps are broken. With this system, crucial water infrastructure receives needed maintenance much quicker than it would otherwise.