
Advocacy, research and public engagement is key to climate leadership at Bondh E Shams
The OASIS Boxes are a critical part of our advocacy work for climate action and sustainability. Lets have a closer look at the statistics surrounding the global water crisis:
- According to the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Report, 1.8 billion people drink water that is contaminated with feces; putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio.
- Around 26% of the world population (2 billion people) lacks access to safely managed drinking water services , and an estimated 46% (3.6 billion) lacks access to safely managed sanitation services.(The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023)
- Over 2 billion people are living in water-stressed countries, and the pressure on water resources in these countries is expected to exacerbate in the coming years.(UN 2019)
- In 2020, only 64% of the total population in Sub-Saharan Africa could avail basic drinking water services, compared with over 90% of the population from the other six regions.(World Bank)
- In 2022, around 5.8 billion people utilized safely managed services*, however, 2.2 billion people still lacked access to safely managed water services
- Over 700 children under-5 die everyday from diarrhea linked to unsafe water, sanitation and poor hygiene. (UNICEF)
OUR WORLD AT A GLANCE
Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams) is currently active across five countries ….
(*Drinking water from an improved source that is accessible on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination UNICEF)- Approximately 79 million people in Bangladesh still do not have clean drinking water sources near their homes . (Water Aid)
- Almost 8.5% of the total deaths in Bangladesh result due to water, sanitation and hygiene-related issues (UN-Water, 2013).
- Every one in two people, in urban cities of Bangladesh, consume pathologically contaminated water. (JMP estimate for 2020)
- Approximately 59% of the population uses safely managed drinking water services.(World Bank, 2020)
- Atleast 30% of households in every division consumed faecally contaminated drinking water. The three divisions with highest levels of consumption of contaminated drinking water were Sylhet (61.9%), Dhaka (50.9%) and Chittagong (48.1%) (UNICEF, 2018). Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams) has multiple active projects in Cox’s Bazaar.
- In Pakistan, it is estimated that 30% of all diseases, and 40% of all deaths occuring are due to extremely poor water quality. (Global Water Partnership - South Asia)
- According to (UNICEF), around 53,000 Pakistani children under the age of five die annually from diarrhea resulting from consumption of contaminated water, and poor sanitation.
- A study conducted by (UNDP) suggests that Pakistan falls in the category of top 10 countries with the greatest number of people living without access to safe water.
- Waterborne diseases are common across Pakistan, with three million people suffering annually. (UNDP)
- Barely 20% of the total population is able to access clean drinking water, while the other 80% is satisfied with the consumption of contaminated water. (Mazhar et al. 2019)
- A report by (PIDE) reveals that Pakistan ranks 14 out of 17 “extremely high water risk” countries in the world, as the country wastes one-third of water available.
- Approximately 28% of the total population in Afghanistan uses safely managed drinking water services.(World Bank)
- Only 42% of people in Afghanistan have access to safe drinking water, and only 27% of the rural population has access to sanitation facilities; resulting in diarrheal outbreaks that claim the lives of an estimated 85,000 children under the age of five annually. (USAID)
- Access to basic drinking water in urban areas is much higher (94.3%) than in rural areas where only 68.2 % have access. (SDGs-UN)
- The risks associated with diarrhoeal infections have increased over the years in Afghanistan, where approximately 1.2 million children are malnourished, and 41% of children are stunted. (UNICEF)
- According to UNICEF , around 8 out of every 10 people in Afghanistan use contaminated water, and 93% of the children (15.6 million) live in areas with high-water vulnerability.
- According to a report titled “Afghanistan: WASH on the Brink” nearly 40% of schools do not have basic drinking water services, and the remaining 60% are exposed to bacteriologically contaminated water.
- A UN report suggests that in 2021, almost 5.9 million people in the country lacked, or had inadequate access to clean drinking water.
- Every year diarrhea claims the lives of approximately 77% children under the age of 5. (Borgen Project).
- Almost 6,000 deaths were attributed to unsafe water sources across the country.(Our World in Data, 2019)
- The 2020 World Bank data suggests that only 41% of the population has access to safely managed drinking water services.
- Under 5 children make up more than a quarter of the nearly 1 million suspected cases of acute watery diarrhea and cholera. In addition, over 385,000 children are struggling for their lives due to severe acute malnutrition. (UNICEF, 2017)
- Around 61% of the population used at least basic drinking water services.(World Bank, 2020)
- Around 9.4 million people urgently require WASH services. Without access to these services, they face a higher risk of contracting water-borne illnesses, malnutrition, and other life-threatening conditions.(UNICEF)
- Approximately 17.8 million people in Yemen do not have access to safe drinking water, and sufficient sanitation services.(OCHA, 2019)
- In October 2016, Yemen witnessed its worst cholera outbreak, with 2.5 million suspected cases, including more than 4,000 deaths. (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2022)
Our Advocacy Campaign
Women Empowerment refers to the process by which women gain power and control over their lives and acquire the ability to make strategic choices. Health is a crucial factor in empowering women and lack of access to clean drinking water in many underdeveloped communities leads to poor health outcomes and lower life expectancy which derails the process of women empowerment.
We are on a mission to ensure provision of clean drinking water to generate a ripple effect of positive change towards women empowerment across all communities. Over 200 million hours are collectively spent everyday by women collecting water from the nearest water source. Also, carrying heavy vessels for water collection can be fatal for pregnant women. Furthermore, consuming unsafe water can fatally affect the health of women and their babies. Provision of clean water can empower women to pursue education, utilize growth opportunities, achieve financial independence, and look after their families.
The Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams) aims to empower women by presenting them with an opportunity to live a healthy life, simply by providing access to safe drinking water. Our OASIS box technology mitigates the risk of contracting water borne diseases by eliminating microbial pathogens at the source, turning any contaminated source of water to a drinkable one. This not only improves quality of life and raises life expectancy, but also boosts mental and physical capabilities which puts women in a better position to pursue their education and career, and take part in key decision making processes.
Your donations can help us serve clean drinking water to women and children in underserved communities, and enable them to live a healthy prosperous life.
The goal of climate preservation is to protect our environment from harmful practices, and restore the climate to a stable state. Fossil fuels have played a major role in global climate change, responsible for around 75% of GHG emissions and more than 90% of all carbon emissions. Microsoft founder Bill Gates in his book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” suggests that almost 51 billion tons of GHGs are emitted every year.
Not only has climate change led to a rise in sea levels by 3.2 millimeters per year, but it has also resulted in loss of biodiversity, higher frequency of natural disasters, and shortages of clean drinking water.
The alarming situation calls for rethinking climate preservation and adopting innovative approaches to shield earth from climate abnormalities. The amount of carbon and GHG emissions must be cut down to half by 2030, and reach net-zero by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. One way is by shifting the consumption of energy from fossil fuels to clean and renewable substitutes such as solar energy.
The Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams) uses solar energy solutions to resolve global issues like lack of available clean drinking water. With a service life of 20+ years, our solar-powered OASIS box is a pioneering technology that utilizes photovoltaic cells to power the nanofiltration process that filters out pathogens at source. Our organization is also in line with the SDG Goal 7 that advocates the use of clean and affordable renewable energy sources.
Our Children’s health is essential for their physical growth, cognitive development, and academic performance. Over 85,700 children under the age of 15 die every year from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water, and lack of sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Children are particularly vulnerable to harm from contaminated water because they not only drink more water per pound of body weight than adults, but also swim and play in dirty water, which exposes them to higher amounts of contaminants than adults.
A child’s health also directly impacts their ability to receive education and expand their cognitive abilities. Over 64 million primary school-aged children worldwide are not enrolled in schools due to various reasons, including poor health. Moreover, almost 443 million school days are missed by children every year due to waterborne diseases.
Our Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams) promotes the holistic development of children by providing them access to a nurturing, safe, and healthy environment that helps them excel academically. By ensuring access to clean drinking water, we strive to empower children who will grow up to lead their communities to new heights.
At the Solar Water Project (Bondh E Shams), we firmly believe that investment in children's health and education is essential for the future of our world.
Innovation, Research And Financial Sustainability
Bondh E Shams stands out from traditional water charities by emphasizing research to facilitate idea generation and design thinking that caters to the specific needs of remote communities. Our research team aims to develop customized technologies that are fit for purpose and capable of addressing the practical challenges encountered in the field.
Water Filtration Techniques
- Pressure-driven membrane separation
- ion-exchange electro dialysis
- low-pressure reverse osmosis
Data Connectivity
- Remote monitoring technologies
- Donor transparency via web-based live reporting, AI and ML pattern recognition
Financial Innovation
- Financial sustainability via climate finance
- E-commerce and discounted last-mile water deliveries
