A global surge of cholera cases is putting one billion people in 43 countries at risk, the World Health Organization has warned. Prevention is key, and governments need to act quickly noting that nearly half of the world lacks access to safely managed sanitation. Contaminated water is a leading cause of cholera. Malawi is experiencing a major cholera outbreak, with thousands of cases and associated deaths reported. This deadly outbreak is separating families, affecting economic growth and increasing the dependency of country with potential to flourish.

The Relationship between cholera and water scarcity

Cholera is caused by the bacteria Vibrio Cholerae. These bacteria release a toxin that causes an increased amount of water to be released from cells that line the intestines. This increase in water produces severe diarrhea.bCholera is even more severe among populations who are immunologically naive.

Prevention of cholera is dependent on access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and basic hygiene needs.

What are the symptoms of cholera?

  • profuse watery diarrhea, sometimes described as “rice-water stools”
  • vomiting.
  • thirst.
  • leg cramps.
  • restlessness or irritability.

Unfortunately, Malawi has been battling with the effects of climate change while trying to manage limited resources, an overburdened health system, and health workers stretched to their limits.

Emergency Water Supply for Rural Communities

Remote communities have to use a diversified range due to the lack of a stable water supply system in the villages. Rural water supplies are, for the most part, unregulated. Domestic water systems is public infrastructure that is meant to serve people all year-round, but this is not true for all communities.

Designing emergency solutions for small rural communities in remote locations requires an experienced project partner and technology provider. Due to the complexity of serving rural communities, it is always recommended to go with an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) company to provide a turnkey solution. The risks involved in developing an emergency water supply solution in underprivileged and underdeveloped regions is are manifold. Using outdated infrastructure to solve an acute problem, will in the long term, make things worse.

There are many water treatment solutions on the market, but not all solutions are created equal. MEB only partners with the most innovative pioneers that design robust and advanced water treatment solutions – whether you want to be completely off the grid, with renewable power to run the system or want to repurpose the solution when it has serviced its emergency purpose – our experts are here to guide you on your journey.