Drinkwell

The problem

41 per cent of all improved water sources in Bangladesh are contaminated with E. coli bacteria, which suggests a high prevalence of faecal contamination. About 13 per cent of the country’s water sources also contain arsenic levels above Bangladesh’s legal limit.

The company

Drinkwell, a US-based company with subsidiaries in India and Bangladesh, has developed a sensor-based water treatment solution for purifying water and distributing it through water ATMs.

Project description

In October 2017, the GSMA Digital Utilities Innovation Fund awarded a grant to Drinkwell, in partnership with Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (DWASA) and mobile operator Robi Axiata, to operate water ATMs in Dhaka tted with remote monitoring technology to ensure a safe and reliable water supply.

Impact

96 per cent of Drinkwell customers at six water ATMs found their current water supply extremely or mostly safe and clean. As of December 2018, Drinkwell has installed over 80 M2M-enabled water treatment and distribution points. It has so far delivered over one million litres of water to over 200 systems across India, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal, giving over 250,000 people safe water by partnering with organisations including WaterAid, USAID, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, GIZ, DWASA, India’s Department of Science & Technology and Tata Trusts.

Scaling Journey