Water Access & Quality
Implications of not having a reliable water source extends well-beyond the following:
COVID-19 - With a global pandemic, an inability to wash hands and maintain a clean environment due to limited water, makes combating the spread of the Corona Virus fiendish difficult.
Women & Girls - Lack of access to reliable water disproportionally impacts women and girls as they are made responsible for hulling water. This takes them away from pursuing other productive matters like an education or economic-livelihood.
Nutrition - Without reliable water, communities are unable to grow sufficient nourishment to sustain themselves. Which leads to hunger, malnourishment, and stunting (an underdevelopment of body and brain).
Public Health - More than 1 million people die every year due to water, sanitation or hygiene-disease, this does no include those being impacted by COVID. For children, the third leading cause of death is water/sanitation related diarrhea.
By investing in water infrastructure, education, and partnerships, we aim to alleviate hardship and suffering due to lack of water.
We do this through advisory, investing, and bringing in experts in the developmental, scientific, and financial sectors. Our teams work on the ground with local communities and local NGOs to bring water access to resource limited regions throughout Indo-Pacific, with the aim to expand globally.
Using both infrastructure and science, our strategy is to get people access to reliable water in their home, and in other villages we work to provide potable water through reverse osmosis and UV light to address heavy metals and pathogen contamination, respectively.
““Yesterday I had to go find water, today water come find me.” ”
Creating Decentralized Water Districts
Water network providing water for the first time to local home in Sillu Village, Timor. Before, women and children were traveling down the ravine to collect water nearly 4 kilometers away.
Through our development team, we have built and installed water networks in 10 villages in West Timor, serving more than 12,000 people.
First, we hire a group of community selected water stewards who are paid and trained in how to install water networks. We use innovated patented ram pumps created by Wadah Air Timor, that allows us to get water to a central reservoir and then by using gravity we channel water through piping to peoples homes. Meters account for family water use, and our water stewards collect tariffs monthly.
We have created more than 60 sustainable jobs thus far.
Addressing Water Contamination
Below, E. coli colonies prior to water treatment in red from public drinking water. Above, photo shows water after treatment, coliforms in image are safe and not E. coli.
Founder Megan Nicholas-Harper traveled to more than 50 villages across 7 islands in Nusa Tengarra Timor to assess water quality. The area with the worst contamination was selected for a water treatment facility Appian raised capital for. With partnership with Friends of East Indonesia and Lualemba Aqua the project was implemented in 2014.
Appian devised this strategy as it was the most effective way to address the high rates of calcium, selenium, saline and E. coli found in the Nembrella region of Rote Island.
Now this facility sells water at an affordable rate, covering all costs and turning a small profit while serving nearly 10,000.
What we’re working to change
Appian is working to eliminate the hardship placed on women and children who are responsible for the collection and hulling of heavy water long distances.
We believe all children should have access to reliable water, and shouldn’t be taken away from school in order to obtain the vital resource.