We are Elrha, a force for change in the humanitarian community. The research and innovation we support equips the humanitarian community with the knowledge of what works, so people affected by crises get the right help when they need it most.
Our purpose is clear: to empower the humanitarian community to improve humanitarian response. We make this happen by supporting and championing the outcomes of robust research and proven innovations.
We empower the humanitarian community. Find out how we can support you...
Our Safe Water work
Providing safe water to drink is essential for public health in emergencies. Without safe water, infectious diseases including hepatitis E, cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases can quickly spread causing suffering and loss of life.
the lack of an evidence base for the effectiveness of commonly used treatment technologies such as household water filters in humanitarian settings;
the lack of low tech, simple solutions which are acceptable, maintainable and sustainable by the local population;
and the limited evidence and guidance on safe water provision, especially when it comes to water chlorination and other disinfection protocols.
We have also produced a Challenge Candidate List, which provides a summary of the key challenges presented in the Problem Exploration Report on Water Treatment.
We have prioritised innovations looking to address these particular safe water challenges.
We have prioritised innovations looking to:
Build evidence of the effectiveness of existing household water filters in a humanitarian setting;
Develop innovative emergency household and community water treatment technologies or adapt existing technologies;
Develop rapid and effective tools and methods to monitor and test water quality in emergencies;
Develop research and guidance for safe water provision.
WASH in Emergencies Problem Exploration Report: Water Treatment
Despite the advances that have been made in coordination and professionalisation of water treatment in emergencies, there remain considerable knowledge gaps in field practice. These gaps range from operational concerns, to the lack of evidence-base for commonly applied interventions, to technological limitations. The present report puts forward three key areas which would benefit from innovations and research to improve the provision of safe water in emergency contexts.
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