The future of 1001 fontaines : the new economy of drinking water

Twenty to fifty litres is necessary to cover one person’s daily drinking water needs (for drinking, cooking and hygiene). This entails substantial costs for small, isolated villages. Nine hundred million people throughout the world lack drinking water. In 2004, three people created a structure in Cambodia which allows isolated populations to satisfy their own drinking water needs (1.5 to 2 litres per day per person) in return for an investment of less than ten Euros per beneficiary. The solution relies on an operation which is easy to implement‚ with the distribution of water by small private operators who earn $80 per month by selling water at one centime a litre‚ and funding given by NGOs for future development. The project has been shown to work in sixty villages and has received support from Veolia‚ Danone and Accenture. It is now gaining ground. One hundred million people benefit from it, and the impact of the distribution of clean drinking water on the health of children and the inhabitants of villages is clear to see. It is also a great way to learn how to create a sustainable economy of water.