In a prior article on infectious disease, we mentioned PATH, a local non-profit known for developing practical healthcare solutions for the third world. Turns out that the organization is taking on a new challenge. As reported in the Seattle Times, PATH has taken on a new challenge; clean water. Anyone who has visited a third world country knows better than to drink tap or any other form of non-bottled water. In areas prone to floods or heavy rains, the problem only gets magnified. According to UNICEF, diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water kill more than 4000 children under five every day. Providing quality drinking water is a critical need for the people in these countries, and currently available filtration and purification methods are usually out of the reach of the pockets of the most needy.

PATH has received a five year multi-million dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to try and tackle the problem of third world water quality. What caught my eye was not just the desire to provide potable water to people in poor countries, but the model that PATH has chosen. According to the article PATH's goal is to help companies "develop a range of low-cost filters, gadgets and other water-treatment products suited to different environments and the preferences of people in those areas". In fact a chunk of the aid will go towards a marketing effort to try and develop a self-sustaining market. One would hope that in addition to marketing dollars, emphasis is paid to product cost, product utility and product distribution. A good marketing campaign, combined with those factors has a chance to be quite successful. One of the products mentioned by Glenn Austin, leader of product development at PATH, costs 8 cents for every 3 gallons of water that it can purify. Not too expensive, but in many countries 8 cents is a lot of money, so hopefully costs can be dropped further by achieving good economies of scale and efficient distribution networks.

For many reasons, notably the proximity of rural and urban populations, India will be the initial test ground, but the program will eventually expand to other parts of the world, notably Africa.


Further Reading:
WHO: Drinking water quality
Seattle PI
PATH press release
Populations without access to safe drinking water