Microbial quality of improved drinking water sources: evidence from western Kenya and southern Vietnam.

In recent decades, more than 2 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources thanks to extensive effort from governments, and public and private sector entities. Despite this progress, many water sector development interventions do not provide access to safe water or fail to be sustained for long-term use. The authors examined drinking water quality of previously implemented water improvement projects in three communities in western Kenya and three communities in southern Vietnam.

'Hom': a simple point of use water treatment device.

This study sought to explore a locally assembled 'Hom' point of use water treatment device by assessing aspects of its performance and possible effects of using it on compliant households and communities. The conceptual framework highlights poverty and environmental degradation as causes and consequences of one another, with ill-health caused by water-borne diseases reinforcing both to form a cycle. Whether or not the device would play a role in interrupting this cycle depends on its capabilities and acceptance, among other factors.