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Safe drinking water & sanitation

A woman fills drinking water from a tube well in the flood affected Barsimolua village in Nalbari district, in India's Assam state on June 24, 2022

All people, regardless of income level, need access to safe, sufficient and affordable water and sanitation facilities so that they can meet their drinking, sanitation and hygiene needs. IHE Delft works to expand access to water and sanitation so that people can live healthier and more productive lives. We develop and apply innovative and effective approaches and technologies that have potential to contribute to high-impact, sustainable solutions.

According to UN data, in 2020, although 74% of the global population had access to safely managed drinking water, up from 70% in 2015, it is estimated that over 785 million people still lack basic services, and 144 million people still drink untreated surface water. Over the same period, the population practicing open defecation decreased by a third, from 739 million people to 494 million - the world is on track to eliminate open defecation by 2030.

Still, the world faces many challenges in providing access to safe and reliable water and sanitation services. These include explosive population growth, rapid urbanization and migration from rural to urban areas, pollution of freshwater resources and prolonged periods of drought in many parts of the world. The consequences of climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic and energy crisis further add to the challenges.

To address the global situation and to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG6 on universal access to water and sanitation, IHE Delft research on safe drinking water and sanitation addresses acute issues in low- and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on the urban poor. Our research on water and sanitation is trans-disciplinary, holistic and applied, and is positioned mainly within an urban and peri-urban context. It includes centralized and decentralized approaches, advanced and low-cost technologies, as well as engineered and natural systems.

Because technical solutions alone do not guarantee sustainable provision of safe drinking water and sanitation services, IHE Delft addresses societal, economic and institutional aspects in addition to technical, and engineering aspects

We use the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach, which includes all parts of cities – not just the parts that are connected to a piped sewer system – and emphasises the need to deliver public services in an equitable, well-planned, properly managed, safe, sustainable, responsible, accountable and inclusive manner.  

IHE Delft’s international and multidisciplinary water supply and sanitation staff provide education for modern, all-round, water supply, sanitation and environmental professionals and scientists. They also conduct research that is cutting-edge, curiosity- and demand-driven, applied and highly relevant in a developing context. In addition, they provide integrated, holistic, innovative and tailor-made advice and practical solutions to partners worldwide.

Featured story

Diploma course: Strengthening skills in the humanitarian WASH

Providing access to toilets and water in emergencies and other fragile contexts is a huge challenge. Professionals in the Humanitarian Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector must be able to collaborate with many partners, coordinate complex efforts in remote areas, communicate well with diverse communities and solve a myriad of unexpected problems. Without those abilities, even the most innovative latrine or the best faecal sludge management system will have little effect, said Maria Jose Pinzon, a seasoned WASH professional with experience from countries including Greece, Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali.
WASH

Related education

These highlighted programmes are just a snapshot of what IHE Delft is offering in this field, visit our education section for more educational offerings related to the Safe drinking water and sanitation theme.

Research

IHE Delft’s research on safe drinking water and sanitation is relevant to the entire urban and peri-urban water supply and sanitation chain. It often includes experimental work at laboratory, pilot and field scales, as well as the use of mathematical models and decision-support systems in both conventional and emergency applications. An emphasis is placed on social, financial, cultural, and gender aspects. In the area of water supply, our research focusses on the collection, treatment and distribution of drinking water in centralized/decentralized systems in three interrelated areas of research.

  • Drinking water quality, health & development

    Research focusses on the development of low-cost, sustainable and innovative approaches and technologies to remove pathogens and chemical pollutants (arsenic, fluoride, heavy metals) from ground and surface water in centralized and decentralized and emergency settings in developing countries. Research in this area also addresses the nexus between water services management and governance, water quality and water treatment technologies. Several technologies and approaches have been developed and improved by IHE Delft (e.g the IHE Family Filter; IHE-ADART, SODIS) and are applied in developing countries (Bangladesh, Ghana, Jordan) to treat contaminated ground water and surface water.

  • Water scarcity & desalination

    Research focusses on desalination of seawater, brackish groundwater and wastewater as well as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) for arid regions of the world where non-conventional (saline/polluted) water resources are the only option for drinking water. The research involves the development of water quality methods and models to reduce energy and chemical use and the environmental impact of brine that is returned to the environment after desalination. Read more on our desalination topic page.  

  • Water transport and distribution

    Urban water in developing countries is frequently supplied intermittently, especially in water-stressed regions, causing atypical hydraulic loads, increased wear and tear and therefore leakages in pipe networks. Research focusses on the design, operation and management of water transport and distribution networks to minimize non-revenue water and maximize water availability and water quality. Since there are no numerical tools specifically designed to describe intermittent water supply systems, the development of methods and decision support tools for intermittent water supply and non-revenue water management is a key focus of IHE Delft’s research.

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