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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

LifeStraw (1/11)

A woman takes a drink using a LifeStraw personal, a portable water purifier that kills bacteria and viruses responsible for waterborne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, diphtheria, and common diarrhea, which afflict millions of people each year.

This model, which can purify a minimum of 700 liters of water - enough water for between six months and a year - costs around 3.50 US dollars. The LifeStraw won an Index International Design Award in 2005, and was named "Invention of the Year" in 2005 by Time magazine. (Photo: Vestergaard Frandsen)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Q-Drum (2/11)

A child collects water using a Q-Drum portable container. Collecting water is a daily burden in rural Africa, with people often forced to carry limited amounts of water back home from the nearest water source - sometimes kilometers away.

The Q-Drum is made of durable polyethylene and designed to reduce the burden of fetching water. Even when filled up to its 50-liter capacity, the makers of the Q-Drum say that a child can easily pull the roller over flat terrain. (Photo: PJ Hendrikse)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Watercone (3/11)

A man empties freshwater from a Watercone into a bottle. The Watercone is a lightweight, portable solar still that uses the sun's heat and the condensation process to produce drinkable water out of salty or brackish water.

In the sun's heat, the salty water evaporates, condenses on the plastic, and drips down into the circular trough at the inner base of the cone. The Watercone could be especially useful for coastal communities, which may be located next to huge bodies of undrinkable water. Each device can desalinate up to 1.5 liters of water per day. (Photo: Stephan Augustin / www.watercone.com)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Fog Collectors (4/11)

This small fog collector is one of several energy- and water-saving features at the Chartwell School in Seaside, California, which was awarded a LEED Platinum certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council in December 2007.

When fog blows through the nylon mesh net, it condenses and water trickles down into a tank. Fog collectors have become a primary source of freshwater in some areas, such as the coastal Chilean village of Chungungo, where around 90 large fog collectors can supply between 15,000-100,000 liters per day. (Photo: Planet Relations / Chartwell School)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Clay Filter (5/11)

Clay pot filters purify water by passing it through the pores of a ceramic fired in an open fire. The filters are made of clay with a filling of organic materials often coffee, which makes them affordable even for poor communities in developing countries.

The concept has been developed by Australian scientist and potter, Tony Flynn. First test show that a high percentage of bacteria and protozoa are being filtered from treated water. The NGO abundantwater is currently running a series of tests in Laos, introducing traditional potters to the technology. (Photo: abundantwater.org)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

PeePoo (6/11)

Over 2.6 billion people do not have adequate toilets, sewers, or latrines. People living in Kibera, a slum in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, solved the problem by using plastic bags. But these “flying toilets” break easily and smell. They also pollute fresh- and groundwater.

According to its inventors, the Peepoo bag solves the problem. It is made of biodegradable material and can be used as fertilizer after use. The bags are odor free for at least 24 hours after use. The only water required is to wash the hands after use. (Photo: Camilla Wirseen/Peepoople)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

PlayPumps (7/11)

Children playing on a PlayPump Water System, a merry-go-round that pumps groundwater into an adjacent water storage tank. The 2,500-liter tank stands seven meters off the ground, using gravity to give the community easier access to water.

According to PlayPumps International, the NGO that produces the system, the device can pump up to 1,400 liters of water per hour. The systems cost 14,000 U.S. dollars to install and operate. Billboards on the water tanks can carry public health messages or advertising from local companies, which can help cover costs. (Photo: PlayPumps International / Frimmel Smith)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Rainwater Harvesting (8/11)

Iysha Zawde stands next to the 1,500-liter rainwater harvesting jar outside her home in Wakiso District, Uganda. The various methods of harvesting and storing rainwater are widely seen as effective, low-cost alternative sources of water for drinking, sanitation, and irrigation, particularly when there access to centralized water is either ineffective or simply non-existent. (Photo: WaterAid / Caroline Irby)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Purification (9/11)

Sewage is treated at Aqwise plant in Yavne, Israel. The recycling system uses millions of small, plastic rings to breed bacteria and break down organic waste. The system can be found in about 30 sewage plants worldwide. In a process called Attached Growth Airlift Reactor (AGAR), millions of such rings are propelled through the sewage, wearing away at the harmful waste. (Photo: Reuters)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Desalination (10/11)

Lime-storage silos at the Tuas desalination plant in Singapore, which produces 110 million liters of freshwater every day. Singapore is one of several countries hoping to meet some of its growing water needs through desalination, the energy-intensive process by which salt water is converted to freshwater.

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia both get around 70 percent of their drinking water from desalination plants. Spain, Britain, Australia, China, India, and the United States are among the other countries with plans to build more desalination facilities. (Photo: Reuters)

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11 Ways to Address Water Scarcity

Conservation (11/11)

During a drought, the Water Feature in front of the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia is shut down. Water conservation not only helps to ensure availability of water, but it also reduces the energy and environmental impact of extracting, treating, and delivering water.

Water-saving measures include changing to more efficient and low-flow toilets, showers, and faucet heads, recycling "greywater" in the garden, or taking shorter showers. Fixing leaky water pipes can also help save huge amounts of water in cities with aging infrastructure. (Photo: Reuters)

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Water Conflicts: Fight or Flight?

The specter of international water wars is often raised as a potential result of water scarcity. But how real is the threat?

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