The Multi-Barrier Approach for Household Water Treatment Systems HWTS

Using the multi-barrier approach is the best way to reduce the risk of drinking unsafe water. Each step in the process, from source protection, to water treatment and safe storage, provides an incremental health risk reduction. The household water treatment process includes: sedimentation, filtration and disinfection.

More often than not, people focus on a particular technology that is directed towards one step rather than considering
the water treatment process as a whole. While individual technologies, like the biosand filter, can incrementally
improve drinking water quality, the entire process is essential in providing the best water quality possible.

                        ·         Sedimentation to remove larger particles and often > 50% of pathogens

·         Filtration to remove smaller particles and often > 90% of pathogens

·         Disinfection to remove, deactivate or kill any remaining pathogens

The household water treatment process is primarily focused on removing pathogens from drinking water – the biggest water quality issue around the world. While improving the microbiological quality, there are some
technologies that may also be able to remove certain chemicals as a secondary benefit, such as arsenic and iron.

Although all five components of the multi-barrier approach greatly help to improve the quality of drinking water, this manual focuses primarily on filtration, which should be used in combination with the other components to ensure healthy, uncontaminated water.