Global Case Study

Demand on Global Resources
With the global population currently estimated at 7,2 billion people and projected to increase to 9,6 billion people in 2050, we need progressive technology that makes the most of the Earth's resources. Water is the most critical of our natural resources. The amount of fresh water available to us will never change; although, our demand on it escalates continuously. In the last 100 years, global water consumption increased fourfold. At the same time, water quality decreased.

Fresh water reserves are distributed as unequally as the global population. The majority of the population currently lives in underdeveloped nations, where more than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Populatin growth, paired with the industrialization of underdeveoped countries, will place more and more strain on our finite water resources. And one thing is for sure: any shortage of drinking water will have devastating consequences for the people who depend on it.

Global Urbanization
Around the world, people are leaving the countryside in fafour of the city. The rapid growth of urban centres has strained city systems, which were planned to accommodate far fewer people. As a result of overpopulation, city sewage is discharged unfiltered into groundwater. Consequently sewage treatment plants are overloaded and cannot succeed in providing consistent water quality. Unfortunately, the result is tap water, contaminated with germs.

A Mobile Population

People inhabitating developed nations are accustomed to high quality tap water. As the barriers to travel have decreased and the people of these countries travel the world, they inadvertently contract microbial deseases from contact with contaminated drinking water. In popular Asian and South American destinations, tourists must rely on bottled water - and contribute to a growing problem of waste plastics - or risk microbial infection.

Solution: UV Light fro disinfection
UV light offers a solution to the problems posed by contaminated water. Home UV systems - integrated into the plumbing - and portable UV filters - for on the go - allow people to live where they want and travel where they wish, always ensuring access to clean, safe water.

Previous cases

2003: Jamika, Indonesia
Only one house in Jamika has running water. All other residents fetch theirwater daily from wells or from the river. Much of this water is contaminated, as the river also serves as a public washhouse.

2008: Delhi, India
Delhi was planned for 1.4 million inhabitants, but is presently home to 14 million people. Though officials want to provide consistently clean water to all residents and visitors, Delhi struggles to manage its wastewater volume. Overwhelmed sewage treatment plants are unable to ensure purified drinking water.

2009: Kalemie, Congo
Africa has a great need for water, as well as many great lakes to help satisfy demand. There is more than enough water in the great lakes in Africa, such as Kalemie on the banks of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo; however, purifying this water and distributing it to outlying areas is a challenge.

2014: Beijing, China
Approximately 60 percent of the groundwater in China is too polluted to drink. During recent measurements, the water quality in 203 cities received "very poor" or "very bad" ratings, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

2014: Uzice, Serbia
For more than three weeks, residents of Uzice, Serbia lacked drinkable water. Toxic bacteria infected the lake that the town relied on for fresh water. Residents queued up each day in front of tankers and cisterns to receive their rations. Sadly, such occurrences are expected to continue, as many of Serbia’s bodies of fresh water harbour similar bacteria.

2015: Mexico City; Mexico
In Mexico’s metropolis, Mexico City, approximately 1.25 million people live without running water, while another million has irregular access. Since it rains up to eight months per year, rainwater is an obvious solution, which the less fortunate currently catch and use without any further purification; although this method provides much needed water, it leaves a large population vulnerable to microbial infection.