More than one billion people worldwide lack the clean and safe water they need. Limited water supplies means people’s lives are at risk. Drinking, washing, cooking, growing crops and rearing livestock all require water and the world’s water resources are under increasing pressure due to intensive farming, increasing population, and political tensions. This situation is exacerbated by climate change and environmental degradation. Competing demands for water mean an integrated approach is required if the needs of poor communities are to be met.

Engineers Without Borders UK work to date:

Placements:

• DevTech: Chris Cleaver's blog documenting his water project in Sierra Leone in 2009
• RCSC: John Heelham's blog documenting his water project placement in Cameroon in 2009-2010
• PRODECI: Daniel Gallagher's blog documenting his water placement in Ecuador in 2009
• REDES: A volunteer's casestudy documenting his investigating into housing and sanitation in rural communities placement in El Salvador in 2009
• LIRE: A volunteer's casestudy documenting his rural energy and water placement in Laos in 2008
• PRODECI: A volunteer's blog documenting his design and construction of built infrastructure placement in Ecuador in 2007
• PRODECI: A volunteer's casestudy documenting his design and construction of built infrastructure placement in Ecuador in 2007

Research:

• Effective impact increase strategy through successful INGO and NGO partnerships in the field of water and sanitation: A Nepal Casestudy - Thalia Konaris (presentation)
• An affordable water test - Robert Bain
• Rain water harvesting for Pabal, India - Kieran Cooke
• A feasibility study into the use of constructed wastelands for wastewater treatment in Bolivia - Ruth Manning
• A decision-making framework for sludge management in developing countries - Yoke Pean Thye
• Development of a point of use water filter for the developing world - Andrew Kriss
• Innovative water scheme for a remote Nepalese community: Rapali village, clean water high lift hand pump installation - Aidan Marchand
• Evaluation of neem and luffa cylindrical extracts as potential low-cost natural disinfectants in developing countries - M Templeton, R Matthews, A Shaheed, S Tripathi and K Bhattari
• A decision making tool for water supply improvements in low-income natural disinfectants in developing countries - S Tripathi, M Templeton, W Yiu and N Tapley
• Pit latrine emptying: technologies, challenges and solutions - Y Thye, M Templeton and M Ali

Bursaries:

• Community water systems in Ecuador - a blog by Hayley Sharp

Current opportunities with Engineers Without Borders UK:

Placements:

• CRT: Design, develop and test a hydraulic ram pump - Nepal
• PiD: Sustaining rope and washer pumps - South Africa
• UWCM: Rural water and sanitation pilot project - Uganda
• RCSC: Kurume water project initiative - Cameroon
• PRODECI: Clean water supply projects in rural communities - Ecuador
• AIDECO: Construction, renovation and expansion of local immigration and agriculture infrastructure - Morocco
• REDES: Investigation into housing and sanitation in rural communities - El Salvador
• RUCHI: Shyamaghat model rainwater village - India
• LIRE: Research into rural energy and water - Laos

Research:

Available projects 2009:

1. Assessing the Suitability of Well Sites
2. Ceramic Water Filter Design
3. Human Waste Disposal
4. Microbial Inactivation in Water Filtration
5. Rain Water Harvesting
6. Sewerage and Sanitation
7. Water Testing
8. Water Treatment
9. Affordable Sanitation Solutions
10. Enabling Safe Water Supply
11. Slow Sand Filtration

Other interesting links:

• Successful organisations in the developing world
• Wateraid
• WASTE
• Lifewater - pump resources
• Rainwater harvesting

(If there are other things that you would like to see on this page then contact us)