Household Water Treatment and Storage
Resources on household water treatment and storage at the point of use.
Household Water Treatment and Storage -
Simple, low-cost interventions at the household level can significantly improve the microbial quality of stored water and reduce the risks of diarrheal disease and death from water-borne diseases. Studies have found that household level water treatment and safe storage can reduce diarrheal disease morbidity by 25 to 50 percent or more. Research shows that water can become contaminated during transportation to the household, during storage in the home for those households without indoor connections, and that water can also become contaminated in piped distribution systems. Treating water and storing it safely in the household at the point-of-use is a way to prevent consumption of pathogens that may be in the drinking water from any of these sources of contamination. Several methods and technologies are available for treating water in the home including: chlorination, solar disinfection, boiling, filtration, and combined coagulation/flocculation and disinfection.
CDC-USAID POU Fact Sheets -
Prepared by CDC in conjunction with the USAID Point-of-Use Partners Working Group, these fact sheets highlight household water treatment and storage options including boiling, solar disinfection, chlorination, ceramic filtration, and flocculent/disinfection.
- Online Resources
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Below are resources on household water treatment and storage at the point of use.
Best Practices in Social Marketing Safe Water Solution for Household Water Treatment-
Lessons learned from Population Services International field programs. POUZN, March 2007.
- Centers for Disease Control Safe Water System
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Information on the CDC’s three-step water quality intervention and related publications, conferences, and resources. Materials available in Arabic, French, and Spanish.
- Clearinghouse for Household Water Treatment Technologies
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A comparison overview on a broad range of appropriate point-of-use technologies.
- Combating Waterborne Disease at the Household Level
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International Network to Promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage. WHO. 2007.
- Environmental Health at USAID Bibliography on Point-of-Use Water Disinfection
- Household Water Treatment and Storage E-Conference Summary
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Summary of the USAID Hygiene Improvement Project’s May 2006 E-conference on Household Water Treatment and Storage.
- The International Network to Promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
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An overview of the activities and research of this World Health Organization-established network.
- Interventions to Improve Water Quality for Preventing Diarrhoea: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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Thomas Clasen, Wolf-Peter Schmidt, Tamer Rabie, Ian Roberts, and Sandy Cairncross. BMJ, 12 Mar 2007.
- IRC Household Water Treatment FAQs
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The focus of this FAQ is on options, suitable for developing countries, for treatment of microbiological contamination and chemical contamination.
- Safe Drinking Water Resources from P&G Health Sciences Institute
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The results of Procter & Gamble testing and development of its in-home water purification product, PUR Purifier of Water.
- Safe Household Water: Prevents Disease, Saves Lives
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Fact sheet on household water quality from the International Council of Nurses includes a simple table on the advantages and disadvantages of various treatment options.
- Solar disinfection (SODIS): How it works
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A pictorial description of how to harness the sun to disinfect water. Includes an explanation of key factors affecting SODIS and the limitations of this method. French and Portuguese versions are available.
- UNICEF Water, Environment and Sanitation
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UNICEF’s work in schools and communities to promote safe hygiene practices and respond to nations threatened by disrupted water supplies and disease.
- USAID Safe Water Partnership
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An overview of USAID’s partnership models to promote POU chlorination and a list of the Agency’s current water activities.
- USAID Point-of-Use Water Quality
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Recent evidence suggests that point-of-use water quality improvements alone result in a one-third or greater reduction in diarrheal disease morbidity.
- WELL Fact Sheet on Houseshold Water Treatment
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This fact sheet summarizes the available evidence and some of the leading approaches to household water treatment.