Water is life. We hear this often but in America, having access to clean water is something we take for granted. Around the world, about one-third of the population lacks access to safely managed sources of water.
I have seen firsthand how scarce clean water is in the developing world as my family and I spent several summers volunteering with an orphanage and school in Lusaka, Zambia. In August, when I was appointed and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to head the Overseas Private Investment Corp., I recognized that this longstanding global problem could benefit from OPIC's innovative approach to investment in development.
OPIC is the U.S. government's development finance institution, an agency that supports development around the world through investment rather than aid. It's a self-sustaining business model, which means we operate at no cost to the American taxpayers. By partnering with private investors, OPIC has helped build a major desalination facility in Algeria, a pipeline that transports clean water to Amman, Jordan, and water wells in Ghana and Kenya.
Now we're supporting projects to help more people access safe water and sanitation in ways that are both affordable and convenient. This week OPIC committed a loan to support WaterHealth India, a business that is expanding access to safe water for millions of Indians. WaterHealth builds small plants that purify water on site and sell it for a fraction of the price of bottled water. These kiosks are being installed in railway stations, shopping malls and other highly trafficked places, addressing a vast demand with a user-friendly service.
Last year when I visited India, I saw crowds of people flock to these water distribution stations, fill up reusable bottles, and then go about their lives. Collecting water had become just a single task in the course of a day, not an all-consuming chore. With the support of OPIC financing, WaterHealth will expand its operation to reach millions more people.
This model of bringing water to the people who consume it helps solve one of the biggest challenges: the high cost, in time and money, of accessing clean water. In developing countries it's not uncommon for a woman to walk a full day to collect water for her family, an activity that can make employment outside of the home impossible. Governments working to expand access to clean water face a daunting challenge building infrastructure and major purification systems at a cost that often exceeds their limited resources.
By making clean water more widely available, WaterHealth will improve the health and quality of life in a country where an estimated 163 million people lack access to safe water and where unsafe water is a major cause of diarrheal illnesses that result in the death of 500 children under the age of 5 each day.
Like so many of the best solutions, WaterHealth takes a new, business-minded approach to an old problem and offers a scalable model that might be applied to other water-stressed areas of the world. Its decentralized method of water distribution avoids the need to construct major infrastructure, and its on-site purification serves as a sort of seal of approval that the water purchased is safe to drink.
Importantly, WaterHealth also understands the value of partnering with private investors and corporations to build a sustainable solution. Investors in WaterHealth include DowDupont Co., Coca-Cola Co. and the Acumen Fund.
If water is life, then a convenient supply of clean water is the key to a better quality of life. The world's water crisis is staggering in scope, particularly at a time when resources are scarce. To make a difference, we must continue to seek sustainable solutions that are creative, nimble and scalable.
Ray W. Washburne is the chief executive of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and a Dallas real estate and restaurant investor. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.
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