Household filters can purify water. But they’re not a solution to the world water crisis, a far more complicated problem than unclean water. Here’s what household filters don’t do:

Household filters don’t end the walk for water, which is about time and gender equity; they don’t carry water for women and children. Women and girls in poor countries walk up to 5 hours a day carrying home heavy containers of water for their families. This prevents them from taking part in economic and development opportunities that move their communities forward, such as starting a small business. It also prevents millions of girls from going to school, thus perpetuating a cycle of illiteracy among women. Access to education impacts the population and economy of a country as a whole: countries with the least educated people are the poorest.

Household filters don’t make water convenient, accessible, or available at sufficient quantities. Why is water quantity so important? Unlike your average person in the U.S., who is using too much water, our beneficiaries need to use more water. Water is the foundation of good hygiene. If the goal is to prevent the spread of disease, then frequent hand washing, bathing, and the washing of dishes and clothes is as important, if not more important, than clean drinking water. Household filters only purify the water you have. When people don’t have enough water to practice good hygiene, household treatment devices such as filters are woefully inadequate.

Water1st projects address all pathways to disease: food preparation, working with animals, sanitation, and drinking. Having an accessible water supply and toilet nearby addresses every potential pathway.

Household filters typically cost a lot, especially when you take replacement costs into consideration, and not all people in a community can afford them. Households have a difficult time knowing when to replace a filter, and even if they do know when to replace, the high cost often results in families postponing the expense until it’s too late. It’s actually more economical and sustainable to support a Water1st community-level project that addresses water, sanitation, and hygiene, than it is to manage a household filter over time.

Filters don’t develop a community’s organizational capacity and help communities solve their own problems, beyond water. They are a quick fix, which really isn’t addressing the primary public health problem.

In the regions where we work, we have never heard a woman say that she misses carrying water for 5 hours a day. They only give thanks that they have safe, clean water nearby. A common response we hear is, “I thought I’d never see the day of having water at my house.” We once made the mistake of asking a woman in Honduras if she would walk with us to the water source she used before the water project. She politely but firmly refused. She said she never wants to walk to that water source again. The truth is that the social interactions at a water source are often very unpleasant. Women vie for the best locations to fill containers. Women who come from greater distances are considered intruders and often endure verbal and even physical abuse. When those women get access to a water source, they are elated. When they are actually part owners of the system, the part of their day that used to bring them shame becomes a source of pride.

It is true that there are cultural differences around the world. We can’t assume someone living in a far-off place wants the same things that we do. But having clean, easily accessible water is a fundamental human need. It transforms lives and lifts communities out of poverty. It ends terrible suffering.

We do work with local partners to insure cultural differences are respected and understood. This helps our projects succeed and last for the long haul.

We don’t live next to our water sources and that’s a good thing; densely populated areas near water sources lead to contamination. Our beneficiaries have been living on their land for years—their land is their livelihood. They have legal title or a long-term agreement with the government to farm on certain land, so they stay where they are for good reason.

Lack of access to water is often caused by two variables:

1. As population grows, people begin to inhabit the land on the outer edge of the current community or city. This typically means they have to travel a little farther to get their water. Because of the weight of water, it doesn’t take long for the distance to the water source to become a barrier to good health. Each person needs about 10 gallons of water per day for drinking and personal hygiene. Very few communities on the planet have settlement patterns that allow every household to successfully collect 50 gallons of water a day without the assistance of a community water system.


2. Some water sources have disappeared as a result of overuse, contamination, or a change in climate.

A corollary to this question is often, ”Why don’t people move to urban areas where there are water supply systems and sewer systems?” Many people are already doing this. For the first time in human history, the number of urban dwellers exceeds the number of people living in rural areas. Unfortunately, the pattern of migration to urban areas is already overwhelming the urban life-support systems. Few cities are able to meet the current demand for water and sewers, let alone effectively manage other health issues like trash collection and surface water runoff. Poor urban squatters typically have no legal way to connect to public water systems and sewers, exacerbating the water and sanitation crisis in dense urban areas. We believe it is better to help people create a better life for themselves where they are.