Global Access to Safe Water: Accounting for Water Quality and the Resulting Impact on MDG Progress

Onda, Kyle; LoBuglio, Joe; Bartram, Jamie

doi:10.3390/ijerph9030880

Cited by 324 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Yet, as shown by this survey, the fact that the drinking water is taken directly from an improved source does not necessarily ensure that the water is safe. This finding is consistent with many examples in the literature [65][66][67].…”

Section: Coverage Versus Accesssupporting

confidence: 93%

Water versus Wireless Coverage in Rural Mali: Links and Paradoxes

Martínez‐Santos

Cerván

Cano

et al. 2017

Water

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Water and wireless coverage were evaluated in a rural commune of southern Mali. All improved water sources in the area were checked for operability, accessibility, and water quality, while wireless coverage was tested by means of smartphones, phone calls, and instant messaging applications. Theoretical water coverage exceeded 82% of the total village surface area, thus beating the national and sub-Saharan African averages, but dropped to just 39% when considering only serviceable and contamination-free sources. In contrast, wireless coverage exceeded 90%. These outcomes highlight a triple paradox: (1) water from theoretically safe (i.e., improved) water sources is often unsafe to drink; (2) wireless access is better than water access even though water is essential for human survival and telecommunications are not; and (3) excellent Internet coverage does not help a large number of people, who lack the skills, devices, or need to access it. While telecommunications seem to be making inroads towards universal access faster than the water sector, a survey of water committees uncovered a hidden nexus between both resources, revealing that increased wireless access is actually contributing to underpin water coverage in a variety of ways.

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Section: Coverage Versus Accesssupporting

confidence: 93%

Water versus Wireless Coverage in Rural Mali: Links and Paradoxes

Martínez‐Santos

Cerván

Cano

et al. 2017

Water

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“…There are multiple stressors on this valuable resource (Heathwaite, 2010), including those on both water quantity (Vorosmarty et al, 2000) and quality (Onda et al, 2012;Seitzinger et al, 2010). In the future, these pressures will continue to increase, with larger populations making greater demands for food production, and, consequently, more intensive farming practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing climate and nutrient transfers: Evidence from high temporal resolution concentration-flow dynamics in headwater catchments

Ockenden

Deasy

Benskin

et al. 2016

Science of The Total Environment

121

104

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“…1 To alleviate this problem, desalinating seawater or brackish water appears to be an effective approach to provide alternative source of fresh water. However, the high energy consumption associated with desalination processes makes desalinated water prohibitively expensive.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical Model of Dynamic Behavior of Microbial Desalination Cells for Simultaneous Wastewater Treatment and Water Desalination

Ping

Zhang

Chen

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) are an emerging concept for simultaneous wastewater treatment and water desalination. This work presents a mathematical model to simulate dynamic behavior of MDCs for the first time through evaluating multiple factors such as organic supply, salt loading, and current generation. Ordinary differential equations were applied to describe the substrate as well as bacterial concentrations in the anode compartment. Local sensitivity analysis was employed to select model parameters that needed to be re-estimated from the previous studies. This model was validated by experimental data from both a bench-and a large-scale MDC system. It could fit current generation fairly well and simulate the change of salt concentration. It was able to predict the response of the MDC with time under various conditions, and also provide information for analyzing the effects of different operating conditions. Furthermore, optimal operating conditions for the MDC used in this study were estimated to have an acetate flow rate of 0.8 mL· min −1 , influent salt concentration of 15 g·L −1 and salt solution flow rate of 0.04 mL·min −1 , and to be operated with an external resistor less than 30 Ω. The MDC model will be helpful with determining operational parameters to achieve optimal desalination in MDCs. ■ INTRODUCTIONWater shortage is a global issue that influences a large population, especially in the developing nations. 1 To alleviate this problem, desalinating seawater or brackish water appears to be an effective approach to provide alternative source of fresh water. However, the high energy consumption associated with desalination processes makes desalinated water prohibitively expensive. For example, reverse osmosis (RO), which is the most widely applied desalination technology, requires 3−7 kWh of energy to produce 1 m 3 of freshwater. 2 Recent development of the microbial desalination cell (MDC) provides a potentially energy-efficient desalination method. 3,4 MDCs use electricity generated from low-grade substrates such as wastewater to drive the desalination process, so that it requires little external energy input (e.g., to drive pumping systems). Therefore, it holds great promise to significantly reduce energy consumption in desalination processes. MDC research is still in an early stage, and studies have been carried out to improve the understanding of MDCs by investigating the key factors, such as the anode organic loading rates, 5 salt loading rates, 6,7 external resistance, 8,9 hydraulic retention time, 9 new functions, 10,11 membrane fouling, 12,13 intermembrane distance, 14 and system configuration. 15 Given complex desalination processes and strong interactions between biological, electrochemical, and engineering factors in MDCs, a proper mathematic model will be essential for the optimization and the scaling up of MDCs. MDCs derive from microbial fuel cells (MFCs) by adding a third compartment between the anode and the cathode, separated by anion or cation exchange membranes for ...

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Global Access to Safe Water: Accounting for Water Quality and the Resulting Impact on MDG Progress

Cited by 324 publications

References 7 publications

Water versus Wireless Coverage in Rural Mali: Links and Paradoxes

Water versus Wireless Coverage in Rural Mali: Links and Paradoxes

Changing climate and nutrient transfers: Evidence from high temporal resolution concentration-flow dynamics in headwater catchments

Mathematical Model of Dynamic Behavior of Microbial Desalination Cells for Simultaneous Wastewater Treatment and Water Desalination

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