How Should Drinking Water Technologies be Evaluated?

In a recent perspective feature in Nature Water, CEE Professor Amy Pickering, postdoctoral researcher Katya Cherukumilli, and Professor Isha Ray shed light on the hidden costs of drinking water technologies. 

 

Their research illustrates that a better understanding of the affordability and labor burden of safe drinking water can be achieved by focusing on the perspective of users. For instance, terms like "low cost" and "user friendly" are often used to describe the technology itself rather than the user experience, leading to discrepancies between advertised solutions and actual outcomes. 

 

For low-income households, water treatment methods that are marketed as affordable and easy to use, such as ceramic filters or chlorine tablets, may not necessarily be cost-effective or time-efficient. To read the full article, visit Berkeley Engineering's website.