Alleviating Poverty Through a Safe Water Product Development Alliance

Most residents of developing-country cities have access to piped water, yet roughly one billion receive water that does not meet international safety standards. We will develop, test, and evaluate the health and economic impacts of a novel approach for treating water at the point of collection—the shared taps and handpumps used disproportionately by low-income households. This project will also serve as the inaugural collaboration for a new Product Development Alliance created by Stanford, the for-profit company MSR Global, and the non-profit organization PATH. In addition to developing and implementing a cost-effective water treatment strategy for urban Kenya, the project will create opportunities for Stanford researchers and students to benefit from the product development experience of our Alliance partners.