Rapid Water Quality Testing

Globally, 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Many rely on water from rivers, lakes or shallow wells that can be contaminated with bacteria like E.Coli. This can cause illness and death especially in young children, with over 700 children under five dying every day from diarrhoea linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

UNICEF works with governments and communities to test household and community water sources for faecal contamination which is measured by testing for E.Coli bacteria in water samples in line with World Health Organization recommendations.

However, current testing approaches suitable for field use are time consuming, taking 18-24 hours to return a result. The equipment is bulky to carry to remote locations, highly complex to use and requires specialized professionals to perform the tests. In addition, in the remote settings where UNICEF works there is limited access to labs, electricity and cold chain transport.

This limits the ability to test drinking water on-site for behaviour change communication and during nationally representative household surveys, including for monitoring progress towards SDG 6 (access to clean water and sanitation).