Water and sanitation

More than one billion people worldwide can’t get the safe, clean water they need. Lack of access to adequate water supplies means people’s lives are at risk. Drinking, washing, cooking, growing crops and rearing livestock all require water.

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. Practical Action continues to show how water resources can be managed even in the face of drought and other extreme weather conditions.

Competing demands for water mean an integrated approach is required if the needs of poor communities are to be met. For projects to work in the long term, local women and men must be involved every step of the way. Ultimately, it’s their skills and resources that are needed to plan, implement and maintain facilities.

Poor disposal of human and household waste encourages vermin and insects to thrive, and water and food become contaminated. Water-related diseases cause the death of 3.4 million people every year, and many children die before the age of five from diseases caused by drinking dirty water and living in unsanitary conditions.

Our work on water has always been an integral part of our projects. This means our shelter projects include rooftop water harvesting techniques, and our energy projects include water-lifting and microhydro. Disaster mitigation projects address drought and flood security issues, while transport projects include the movement of water by animal traction and handcarts.

Examples of our project work in water and sanitation include:

Shallow wells save lives Safe, clean water could stop more innocent victims getting caught in the crossfire, when conflict over water spills into bloodshed in north-west Kenya. Improved toilets In the slums of Zimbabwe, Sudan and Nepal, Practical Action is working with some of the world’s poorest people to install effective sanitation. Watch video Bringing life to the land Using simple technology, such as foot-driven treadle pumps, Practical Action has helped "low caste" families in Nepal move from malnutrition to self-sufficiency. Using sand and gravel to filter polluted water We are using Sudan’s sand to alleviate drought. Simple sand and gravel filters can protect traditional reservoirs from contamination and silting.

Playpumps Working with a poor community in Kenya, Practical Action introduced a water pump with an ingenious power supply – the energy of children at play. Using the landscape to get water Constructed with local materials, the Multiple-Use Water System uses gravity to provide families in Nepal with enough water to drink and feed their crops. Video Toilets without water Bio-latrines are "dry" toilets that require no water to work. In areas where water is scarce, such as Kitale in Kenya, they have helped to keep schools open. Improved sanitation in Kenyan slums Find out how TV stars Ant & Dec got on when they visited a Practical Action water and sanitation project in Kibera, Kenya. Watch video

Read more about Practical Action's water and sanitation expertise and project work