Don't Carry Your Water - Push It

If you are fortunate enough to have the time and ability to read articles like this one on a computer, you probably don't think twice most of the time about your access to clean water. It comes out of your tap, through a $10 filter, or from a jug at the grocery store.

But for as many as 1 billion people in developing countries around the world, particularly those in Africa and Southwest Asia, obtaining clean water is a chore. In fact, women in these regions will spend on average 25 percent of their day retrieving water for their families. Clean and reliable water sources are sometimes miles from villages, and the standard method of transport (buckets) usually necessitates multiple trips. These situations are dangerous and unnecessarily inefficient.

In engineering, there is always a push to make things safer and more effective. In this spirit, a social venture called Wello has developed a prototype technology that aims to make the water transport process smarter and easier. They call it the WaterWheel.

The WaterWheel was designed on the principle: if you need to carry water, why not push it instead.

The WaterWheel is a wheel-shaped plastic container designed roll along the ground. It attaches to a metal bar that allows it to be pushed or pulled much like you would a lawnmower. Measuring 470 mm (18.5 in) in height and 460 mm (18.11 in) in diameter, the WaterWheel has a capacity of 50 L and can be refilled through a hole 55 mm (2.16 in) on its top. The size and ease of use of the WaterWheel means less trips to the water source made in less time. Pretty neat.

The Wello Wheel

The Wello team spent 15 months in India talking with the WaterWheel's intended users and carrying many loads of water. The result is, in Wello's eyes, a solution to the issues of water carrying for many families. Wello's design is very similar to an earlier project called the Hippo roller, which for many years has been in use throughout Africa. Wello hopes to keep costs low via local manufacturing (in Ahmedabad, India) and CSR (corporate social responsibility) partnerships.

Years ago, I remember being witness to a number of my college classmates experiencing what is was like to carry 30 pounds of water on their heads on a walk through campus. It was part of an social awareness movement by Nuru International called Be Hope To Her (BH2O). Thinking back on it makes me realize just how big of an impact technology can have; how even something as simple as a pushable water container can make a huge difference for so many.

Sources:

Gizmag - WaterWheel