Lotus Water Project
20x20 | Developing innovative clean water solutions
The Lotus Water project, an innovative initiative from Stanford's Program on Water, Health & Development (WHD), represents a significant step toward addressing water scarcity and quality issues in urban areas of developing countries. At the heart of this groundbreaking approach is the TuriTap, an in-line chlorination device that combines engineering ingenuity with public health expertise to provide affordable, sustainable access to clean water. The approach could meet the water treatment needs of approximately 2 billion people worldwide, according to Lotus Water team estimates.
The TuriTap offers several key advantages that make it particularly effective in resource-constrained environments. It requires minimal change in water collection practices and much less change in water treatment effort compared to in-home chlorine dosing. Operating without electricity, the TuriTap can function effectively with intermittent water supplies common in low- and middle-income countries. The device utilizes widely available liquid chlorine to disinfect water at the source of collection.
The TuriTap has proven versatile. Stanford researchers have implemented it with a range of water systems, including piped networks and gravity-fed tanks.
Woods Institute support has helped the project progress from initial concept to field-tested prototypes, involving extensive collaboration with local communities and organizations. A 2015 Realizing Environmental Innovation Program grant was key to catalyzing field work by WHD-affiliated students and faculty, who tested the device in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and - later - in Kisumu, Kenya. Over several years, the researchers worked with local communities, adjusting chlorine levels to ensure safe water that also tasted acceptable.
A WHD study in Dhaka, showed a 23% decrease in child diarrhea prevalence when using in-line chlorination at community water points, and a study in Kisumu revealed a willingness among private water kiosk operators to pay for the TuriTap.
To date, the Lotus Water Project has reached over 20,000 people. In Dhaka, landlords have incorporated a small additional monthly operational cost into rent prices, demonstrating the sustainability of the model. In Kisumu, kiosk owners have reported 66% of customers purchasing TuriTap-treated water, according to WHD research.
Lotus Water is in negotiations to distribute the TuriTap across Africa, and plans are underway to create a start-up organization based on the technology. If successful, it will represent a paradigm shift in water treatment for low-income urban areas. By combining innovative technology with a deep understanding of local needs and preferences, the initiative could help realize a future in which safe, clean water is accessible to all, regardless of location or economic status.
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