Sun power will bring safe water to Nepal
An innovative drinking water technology that harnesses the power of the sun is being installed in Nepalese communities that urgently need safe drinking water.
While much of Nepal has abundant water resources, 1 in 10 residents are without clean, safe water to drink. The most vulnerable communities are in remote, rural areas that cannot be reached with traditional infrastructure and have no source of water nearby.
Women and girls are disproportionately burdened with the task of carrying clean water long distances through the mountainous terrain. The time spent by Nepalese women carrying water comes at the cost of their education, employment and in many cases their health.
Interventions that directly reduce the time spent gathering water can be transformational for women and their economic well-being. Every dollar invested in clean drinking water infrastructure at the point of consumption drives better health, education, rural income and development opportunities for women and girls.
“Access to clean, safe water is not only a fundamental human right, it’s part of a broad set of solutions to fight poverty and contribute to strengthening vulnerable people’s capacity for climate resilience.”
To find a local, climate-resilient solution, global sustainable development charity Tearfund joined forces with US based company Source, who build hydropanels that use the sun to draw water vapour out of the air and transform it into clean, safe drinking water.
The system operates without an external source of electricity, requires no traditional water infrastructure, and can produce a large volume of clean, high-quality drinking water where it is needed.
Hydropanel arrays can scale from two-panel systems for single families to large water farms that serve entire communities, and the technology is now being used in more than 50 countries across multiple applications.
Tearfund and Source will collaborate with NGOs and governments to identify Nepalese communities in need and install and maintain Hydropanel arrays using local labour.
“Our technology has the power to make safe drinking water a renewable and hyper-local resource, but we can’t do it alone,” said Rob Bartrop of Source Global.
“Partnerships with organisations like Tearfund help raise awareness of the social and economic value that can be created by supporting the health, education and empowerment of women in vulnerable communities. We’re proud to work with them to bring our technology to communities living with the day-to-day burden of walking long distances to find clean drinking water.”