Water on Wheels - WoW

In African slum dwellings, water is hard to come by. Clean water is even harder. Water on Wheels aims at distributing clean water fetched from municipal water tanks to slum dwellers using tri-cycles while at the same time providing them with health tips through a free SMSs.

The photo above is that of a water vendor in a Nairobi slum, it is a common scene in all the Kenyan slums. Where are they fetching the water from? Is the water clean? When was the last time the water containers were cleaned? These are the questions on every Kenyan slum dweller's mind but they do not have a choice.Most of the water vendors in Kenyan slums sell water from questionable sources hence putting the health of an entire population at risk. As a result, most of the people don't trust them and will prefer to walk up to even a mile and wait in long queues to fetch water from trusted sources. 

Water on Wheels aims at distributing clean/treated water fetched from municipal tanks using clean storage containers to slum dwellers thus minimizing the risk of outbreaks of water related illnesses. We also plan to enroll our clients to a free SMS subscription service that helps educate them on good hygiene and water conservation practices so as to foster good health practices within the slum.

Slum dwellers across the world from India to South America face the same problems of inadequate clean water and poor hygiene due to the high poverty levels in these areas. This model can be replicated across and help improve hygiene of slum dwellers around the world.

Access to clean water in urban slum dwellings is one of the major problems facing governments all over the world especially in developing countries . Whereas the local governments might have done their best in providing piped water to some of the locations within these dwellings, distribution is a problem. Even in situations where piped water has been brought closer, you will find pipes have been vandalized because people want the water for free. Such cases among other reasons such as lack of space sometimes discourage governments from building distribution infrastructure deep into the slums.

Using carts in slum dwellings is the primary mode of water distribution given the lack of proper infrastructure. This model already exists, Water on Wheels only serves to make sure that clean water from trusted sources are distributed as fast as possible using tri-cycles as opposed to manually operated carts where the person pulling needs to rest after covering a few meters.

Lack of water mostly affects women and children.This is because they are the ones who fetch water, clean & cook. By ensuring that clean water is distributed closer to them fast and affordably, we help empower them.

Our goal is to provide clean water on time, help women and children avoid having to trek far and wait on queues to fetch water, and reduce hygiene related illnesses through dissemination of health tips through free SMS.

Registrations during initial purchase for free SMS services - Serve 5000 households

Monitor from health center visits of our registered users - Reduce hygiene and water related illnesses

Provide lower rates by up to 20% - Reduce household spend on water

Tri-cycles have can penetrate deeper into the slums compared to push-carts or even vehicles. This means that the clean water distribution model will reach more people and faster compared to the existing models. Piped water is a very expensive option since it will need trenching yet at slums we do not have space for such infrastructure, plus there is a risk of vandalism.

My solution aims at optimizing water distribution in the slums and at the same time provide the community with healthcare information that will help reduce hygiene related illnesses leading to a better life for all.

The technology in use is already existing but in a crude state. We purpose to optimize this model and use it to distribute clean water for the slum dwellers.

There is no learning curve as people are already using SMSs for their daily communication.

This technologies combined will serve the needs of the people which is availability of clean water and healthcare information on demand.

The water is distributed to them using tri-cycles right to their doorsteps or where not possible we will have roadside stations where people can collect the water. The information model is available through free SMS subscription.

We aim to make small profit margins from the distribution and sell of water to the residents of urban slum dwellings. After the pilot especially, we will be interested in grants and partnership with organizations that deal with improving human welfare in urban dwellings as well as corporates and the government. We will also have monthly subscriptions on our site where well-wishers can contribute towards a buying of a new tricycle to enable us to expand into new territories.

For our solution to scale quickly, we will need many tri-cycles (approx.50) to enable us reach most parts where our interested users live in. This will need a huge startup capital since 1 tri-cycle cost approximately 2000 USD.

We will also need support from NGOs already working in the slums and that of the communities since most of the water distribution in slums is controlled by cartels who reap a lot of profits hence will not allow an entrant that provides lower rates into the market.

To get mentorship and funding to help provide sustainable solutions for the world.

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Local water vendors