Co-design of equitable technologies for off-grid wastewater treatment

Globally, there are increasing pressures on water supply and demand due to extreme weather events and population growth, as well as agricultural, industrial, and commercial expansion.  Unsustainable water use in the Middle East is emblematic of this global challenge and could lead to serious long-term consequences for local communities and for the region’s growth and stability.  Similarly, informal water systems in remote communities in the South Pacific are subject to disease-causing contamination and potential damage or even complete destruction following extreme weather events, such as tropical cyclones.  Our project partners in the Middle East and South Pacific have been investigating the role technology could play in improving both the quantity and quality of water in communities. 

A key barrier to the wider roll-out and acceptance of novel technologies is the repeated failure of technology design processes to reflect the complex social and political context in which technology is to be used.  Our YESI Fellows knowledge exchange project brings together complementary expertise from across the University of York (including Physics, Engineering & Technology, Biology, Environment & Geography and the Stockholm Environment Institute) with national and international stakeholders.  The aim is to share experiences of water quantity and quality issues and the way technology can respond to these issues to deliver long-term, equitable benefits to end-users through design processes that reflect to social, economic and institutional arrangements.