Towards safe water for all
Universal access to safe and affordable drinking water is still a challenge
Over 40% of the world’s population face water scarcity and many are also affected by contaminants like E. coli, fluoride, and arsenic.
Currently, water quality monitoring in developing countries is mainly done by collecting a limited number of water samples and transporting them to laboratories. This leads to high costs per test and questionable data quality across the board.
We’re on a mission to change that.
"Across the world, many people depend on water taken directly from rivers and wells. The quality of water we drink is as much under threat as access to water itself."
Erik Solheim
UN Environment Executive Director and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations
Water quality in Sierra Leone
Click on the image to explore the full interactive dashboard of water quality in Sierra Leone.
To move closer to safe water for all, we need
Design
Gain clarity on the context and problem you are trying to solve, the priority parameters you need to test and the roles of the people involved.
Capture
Choose from 29 parameters and a variety of testing methods to capture water quality data at scale using a smartphone connected to proven hardware.
Understand
Visualise the data immediately on an online dashboard, map or interactive chart and compare the results to water quality standards.
Act
Share your findings with the people that need to see them, and drive decision making to reach impact.
Browse related resources
-
One ferry and ten hours in a car brought my colleague Banzoumana and I from Bamako to Kayes, a region in the western part of Mali. With rain only a few months per year and an average temperature of 37 degrees you can understand the challenges around securing sufficient and safe drinking water here. Since […]
Testing the waters in Mali -
In 2012, Akvo Foundation started making its initial footprint in South Asia. The following year, with a small representative team in India, we initiated a partnership with FXB India Suraksha (FXBIS) focused on improving access to good quality water and sanitation services in the region. FXBIS is a non-profit organisation supporting marginalised children, families and communities in rural […]
Partnering with FXB India Suraksha for a water security programme in India -
SNV is a Dutch NGO with a long history of alleviating poverty by focusing on increasing people’s income and employment opportunities and improving their access to basic services. Akvo is closely collaborating with SNV globally to realise a number of programmes aimed at enhancing the equity, sustainability and effectiveness of WASH services and agricultural practices […]
SNV, Zambia – improves rural water supplies with mapping and monitoring
A wake up call
World Bank's overview of the state of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in Nigeria. The report is based on data collected #withAkvo.
Data-driven development
World Bank's report aiming to assist developing countries in unlocking the value of data for better decision making.
WPDx platform
The Water Point Data Exchange (WPDx) is the global platform for sharing water point data. Data is collected #withAkvo.
Explore stories of change
-
In collaboration with national governments and international NGOs, Akvo has mapped water points across West Africa and contributed to the creation of open data portals where this information is openly shared.
Designing a water quality monitoring system in Sierra Leone with UNICEF -
The 9 country programme is part of the current regional programme with the UNICEF Western and Central Africa Regional Office. The programme aims to accelerate national and subnational WASH monitoring for the improved management and delivery of water and sanitation services in nine West and Central African countries.
Accelerating sanitation and water for all in West and Central Africa with UNICEF, IRC and national governments -
The World Bank has contributed to the water and sanitation sector in India since 1991. It has also partnered with the government in order to ensure better delivery of water, sanitation and health (WASH) services to citizens.
Water quality monitoring in India with the World Bank and the government of Punjab
40+
partners testing water quality
20+
countries tested for water quality
2000+
water quality tests conducted
Working on a water quality testing programme?
Starter partnership
€15,000 - €25,000
Local support with your project implementation
Design - Kick-off meeting. Water quality testing system and hardware set up.
Capture - Training and support in data collection and water quality testing.
Understand - Data visualisation support.
Water quality tests: 100 - 1,500
People trained: 1 - 10
Data journey partnership
€25,000 - €100,000
Continuous support throughout your data journey
Design - Programme design workshop. Water quality testing system and hardware set up. Support in selecting parameters and survey design.
Capture - Training and support in water quality testing and data collection and monitoring.
Understand - Data analysis workshop. Support in data visualisation and analysis.
Act - Support in translating insights into reports and websites.
Water quality tests: 1,500 - 20,000
People trained: 10 - 49
Strategic partnership
€100,000+
Strategic collaboration at multi-organisation or multi-country level
Design - Full programme design collaboration. Water quality testing system and hardware set up. Support in survey design, sample design and parameter selection.
Capture - Support in collecting and monitoring water quality data at scale.
Understand - Training and support in cleaning, combining, transforming, visualising and analysing data.
Act - Support in translating insights into decisions that drive impact. Support with internal and external communications.
Water quality tests: 20,000+
People trained: 50 - 100 people
Interested in our approach to WASH monitoring?
Get in touch
Embark on a data journey with Akvo
With our unique approach to development, we help our partners design their projects so that they can capture and understand reliable data which they can act upon.
Sign up to the data journey newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter
We apply the principles of open source software, open content and open data to all of our work.
Find out why and how.