Household Water Treatment

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kills at least 1.6 million children under the age of five (WHO/UNICEF, 2006). Globally diarrhoea related diseases account for 4.3% of the total global disease burden (62.5 million Daily Affected Life Years). It is estimated that 88% of this is due to unsafe drinking water.

Clearly the panacea would be a tap supplying clean water in every household but just as clearly that solution is a long way off. Indeed the World Health Organisation and UNICEF acknowledge that they are unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals target and as a result are seeking alternative interventions at lower cost.

Alternative strategies exist, the most cost-effective strategy evaluated being Household Water Treatment - the disinfection of unsafe water at the point of use using interventions such as Oasis Water Purification Tablets. This simple low cost technology can achieve substantial health benefits.

Household water treatment is recommended for the disinfection of unsafe water at the point of use and even communities with improved supplies should also be targeted by such interventions due to the risk of post-collection water contamination. Combined with safe storage and education programs household water treatment could potentially double the number of households storing water safely.

Oasis Water Purification tablets are available in two sizes under special Oasis Home branding, both of which provide the CDC recommended dosage of 2ppm.