There is no question that, for many populations in developing countries, the need for safe water is great. The ultimate solution for the problem is to provide systems of piped, disinfected water, but this approach is expensive, time-consuming, and will take decades to realize. To address immediate needs, other approaches are required while progress is made in improving infrastructure.

In our experience, alternate locally available approaches are few in number and often impractical. Boiling water is expensive, time-consuming, and, in areas where wood is needed for fuel, harmful to the environment. The use of commercial bleach to disinfect water is not always practical or acceptable because the price can be high, the concentration variable, and the product is often marketed for unappealing activities not related to consumption, such as washing clothes or cleaning toilets. A variety of alternative technologies have been developed, but most are unavailable in developing countries, and many are expensive or have not been adequately field-tested.

In 1992, in response to the Latin American cholera epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) developed a household-based intervention to meet the immediate need for improved water quality, which is called the Safe Water System1. The Safe Water System is inexpensive, easily disseminated, and has the potential for recovering some of the costs of implementation. The Safe Water System has been extensively field-tested and several non-governmental organizations are implementing large-scale projects. We feel that the Safe Water System adds a useful, practical, flexible approach to interventions for water quality and hygiene.

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Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection