For Millions Without Clean Water, Small-Scale Solutions Are Bringing Immediate Relief

“This World Water Day, we have to look beyond broad statistics and distant pledges. To truly make a difference for underserved families …, we need an approach that underpins long-term water security, while also directly improving the lives of those who still don’t have access to clean water today,” writes Zain Jaffer.

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By Zain Jaffer

Every morning, Elma and her children set out with empty containers and take a thirty-minute trek to the nearest water source. For a few years, Elma bore the burden alone, but carrying water for a family of seven across a half-hour journey was too heavy for one woman. So, her kids began waking at dawn, before school, to help her fetch the water they needed to get through the day.

Thankfully, through a small water loan, Elma’s family secured a tap at home that gave them direct access to water. But for many families in water-insecure regions, variations of the same daily struggle continues.

The world has promised to end this crisis. SDG 6 touts: clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. How far along are we? Current projections show that 1.6 billion people will still lack safely managed drinking water by the deadline. At the current pace, achieving universal access is decades away. 

This World Water Day, we have to look beyond broad statistics and distant pledges. To truly make a difference for underserved families like Elma’s, we need an approach that underpins long-term water security, while also directly improving the lives of those who still don’t have access to clean water today.

The Complications of Water Scarcity

Water scarcity is, at its core, an environmental problem. But it is also a humanitarian crisis that ripples through people’s health, education, and economic opportunity.

4.4 billion people lack access to potable water, the majority living in low-income countries. Within that statistic, young ones suffer a larger danger. Waterborne diseases kill more children each year than malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS combined.

The burden is also deeply gendered. In seven out of 10 households without running water, women and girls are charged with fetching water. They spend hours each day trudging heavy containers instead of attending school or earning a living.

The numbers make it rather stark: water scarcity is not merely a matter of thirst or inconvenience. It entrenches poverty and inequality, and often compels families to take impossible decisions on survival versus opportunity. And for the most deprived, being cut off from clean water puts them dangerously closer to disease and death, with children under the age of five particularly vulnerable.

Smaller Scale Solutions Need More Recognition

The world does not lack the resources to bring immediate relief to those struggling with water scarcity. What we lack is urgency.

Governments fixate on large-scale water infrastructure such as dams, pipelines, and desalination plants which take years, even decades, to complete. Though these projects are essential for long-term water security, they do little to address the crisis faced by the billions still without safe water.

All the while, what goes unrecognized is the potential of low-cost, high-impact interventions to quickly reach those most at risk and bring direct positive benefits.

Impacts of a Direct-to-Community Approach

In the Philippines, patchwork infrastructure and extreme weather leave many rural communities struggling with water access. When pipes run dry, families are forced to buy bottled water or drink from unsafe sources. The Philippine arm of Waves for Water, a global non-profit, has stepped in by deploying over 24,000 portable filtration systems, improving clean water access for 2 million people across 82 provinces. In the southern region of Samar, a recent deployment provided 350 households with filters, allowing residents to drink safely from spring-fed community taps without spending money on bottled water.

A single water filter costs just $35, does not require electricity, and serves multiple households for up to ten years. With a budget of a thousand dollars, an entire community of 300 people can already gain access to safe drinking water. 

Similarly, the Tanzanian non-profit WIPHAS has helped undo the struggle of far-flung areas like Mwarusembe, Temeke, and Bagamoyo by installing more than 800 community wells. Each costs around $1,500, and is enough to sustain up to 400 residents.

These solutions work. They are also affordable – a fraction of the cost of huge plans with hefty price tags, and can be deployed immediately.

This is proof that small, community-driven efforts can make a difference right now. Large-scale infrastructure is necessary, yes, but it cannot be the only priority.

More on the topic: Exploring the Most Efficient Solutions to Water Scarcity

A Fundamental Human Right

Water scarcity is an emergency demanding solutions on multiple fronts. While grassroots projects are proven respites, they have to be part of a larger commitment to lasting water security. Governments and international agencies must act faster to address systemic inefficiencies whilst meeting urgent needs.

This means repairing aging infrastructure, equitizing water distribution, and incorporating climate resilience into water planning. It also means directing more resources toward solutions that can fill gaps in clean water access, particularly in underserved areas where waiting for multi-year constructions is not an option.

Those in the same predicament as Elma’s should not have to take out a loan for something as basic as clean water. Parents should not have to be forced to spend their wages on bottled water or gamble with their children’s health by drinking from dirty sources. Water, after all, is not a luxury, it is a fundamental human right. The challenge ahead lies in ensuring that right is no longer dictated by geography, wealth, or circumstance.

Featured image: Tayaba (supplied)

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About the author: Zain Jaffer is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist committed to supporting initiatives that spark real impact. As CEO of Zain Ventures, he invests in technology, real estate, and mission-driven projects. Through the Zain Jaffer Foundation, he champions efforts that empower underrepresented voices in global challenges, including climate action.