SURGWater: Safer Water for the World's Most Vulnerable Communities

The climate crisis makes reliable access to water unpredictable in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where the most vulnerable populations life. More than 17 million women per year give birth in healthcare facilities without adequate water, putting their lives and those of their babies at risk. These healthcare facilities are often the only place where rural communities can access health services, but without water, life-saving surgeries cannot be carried out. The patients face emergency referral, and delays resulting in death.

We want to work on a sustainable low-energy solution. The SURGWater transdisciplinary team proposes to use solar water disinfection batch reactors to treat harvested rainwater, providing a back-up supply. We will develop a prototype adapted to the needs of district healthcare facilities in Malawi, where the team has a background of experience and research. We will evaluate feasibility, effectiveness and adoption of the solar water disinfection technology in clinical settings with a view to informing national scale-up.