5 Tech Breakthroughs Bringing Clean Water to the Developing World

**Waqas** · October 26, 2011

The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles — it delivers smart mobility services. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.

In the West we take clean water for granted, but for 1.1 billion people across the developing world, the idea of easy access to treated water goes beyond a luxury concept.

Technology can help. There are various companies and charitable organizations working on easy-to-use, low cost solutions to benefit those across the globe for whom obtaining potable water is a daily struggle. And clean water doesn’t just mean less disease and death — it has economic and social implications, too.

Here we highlight five innovations that are bringing sanitary and safe drinking water to people in the developing world. Take a look through our video gallery and let us know which solutions you find impressive.

1. LifeStraw

Vestergaard Frandsen's chemical-free "LifeStraw" is a "personal mobile water purification tool" that removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria through a super-fine filtration process.

Crucial for use in remote or less developed areas, the device requires no electrical power, batteries or replacement parts.

One LifeStraw costs just $5 to manufacture and allows one person to make surface water safe to drink for up to one year.

Click here to view this gallery.

Series Supported by BMW i

The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles; it delivers smart mobility services within and beyond the car. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.

Are you an innovative entrepreneur? Submit your pitch to BMW i Ventures, a mobility and tech venture capital company.

More About: features, Global Innovation Series, mashable, Tech, water