“The rainfall contribution is more than adequate to meet the needs of the current [African] population several times over. For example, Kenya would not be classified as a ‘water-stressed country’ if rainwater harvesting is considered.”
Here's an overview of projects undertaken by LivingWaters in recent months
Our Pilot in Rajasthan:
“The women of Kushalgarh we interviewed were faced with two options; a single solitary handpump inconveniently located several miles away from their homes and laced with dangerously high levels of fluoride or the water tankers, who charged them 700-1000 INR, or 10-13 US dollars twice a month to supply them with water.”
Over the course of several weeks, two of our LivingWaters team members traveled to Rajasthan India to conduct trial testing of our technology and run extensive consumer surveys in informal settlements across the state. In Rajasthan over 17,000 villages are faced with severe groundwater depletion or contamination. Our findings on the ground during the course of our pilot in Rajasthan, India corroborated several of our assumptions. Based on extensive engagements with over 200 people spread across 7 villages, we were able to conclude that:
Water is a scarce commodified resource in the region we surveyed. Existing sources of water are either unable to meet the needs of the people or too contaminated to warrant prolonged use. As a result, there was a clear demand within the local community for an alternative that would cut down the time, effort and/or health risks associated with accessing water through pre-existing sources. Given the frequency and intensity of rainfall the region received, rainwater harvesting was viewed as a viable option to achieving water self-sufficiency. Therefore, we were able to establish a clear demand for our product among the water-stressed communities of our pilot.
To test the financial viability of our product among our target population, we presented them with the prospect of buying our rainwater harvesting unit and asked them to indicate whether they would deem paying 30 USD (or approximately, 2000 INR) for a system that lasts them 2 years, to be justified or beyond their means. 98% of our respondents said that not only was the price point justified, but that such a system would greatly improve the quality of their lives.