Page 31 - GHES-2-1

Global Health Econ Sustain Global South: Healthier lives with UVC

locations (Close et al., 2006; Lui et al., 2014, 2016). safe water encourages agricultural development, as clean
While improvements in UVC technology demonstrate water is essential for irrigation and livestock management.
that technical implementation is feasible and affordable, Agricultural growth, in turn, can enhance food security
currently, researchers are exploring ways to further scale up and create opportunities for income generation through
production and reduce costs for remote and low-resource agriculture and other related businesses that rely on clean
regions (Close et al., 2006; Lui et al., 2016). Point-of-use water and a healthy population.
water disinfection through UVC LED technology can also As noted in this paper, UVC LED is an effective method
improve WASH conditions, reducing the transmission of of inactivating waterborne pathogens responsible for a
waterborne pathogens and decreasing the overall health- high global burden of disease and disability, which alone
care expenditures related to the currently rampant diarrheal accounts for an improvement in physical health and has
diseases, dehydration, and other associated health concerns. significant impacts on the costs associated with healthcare.
3.4.2. Social implications: Enhanced quality of life and However, decreasing school and work absenteeism due to
community empowerment disease or long water journeys also positively affects the
overall quality of life for those in the Global South. Local
The review of the burden of waterborne disease in the access and point-of-use disinfection can also increase
Global South highlighted the poor outcomes linked to social cohesion and empowerment, as capacity-building
inadequate quality of life and an overall loss of community efforts can create local jobs associated with the operation
empowerment and cohesion. Systematic water disinfection of these systems and community ownership over improved
in the Global South can have significant social implications conditions. In fact, community involvement was one of the
by fostering an enhanced quality of life and improving most enabling factors for service availability, sustainability,
social cohesion, mental health, educational attainment, and and overall behavior change related to WASH interventions
community empowerment. By implementing effective water in LMICs (Nelson et al., 2021).
disinfection strategies, several of these indicated positive
outcomes can be achieved, thus contributing to the well- 3.5. Case studies and success stories
being and development of communities in these regions. 3.5.1. Successful implementation of UVC LED
First, improved access to clean and safe drinking water technology in the Global South
through water disinfection can significantly reduce the Case study reviews of successful implementations of UVC
incidence of waterborne diseases, which are a prevalent LED water treatment in the Global South are valuable for
health concern in the Global South. By preventing these assessing this emerging technology as a potential solution
diseases, communities can experience better health for public health disparities attributed to poor WASH
outcomes, reduced health-care costs, and increased conditions. Several point-of-use UVC LED drinking water
productivity. Second, access to clean water will enhance purification systems have been effectively implemented
overall living conditions and quality of life. Clean water and evaluated in the United States (Hull et al., 2019; Wu
is essential for cooking, hygiene, and sanitation practices, et al., 2021), such as a 1-year implementation of a UV-LED
promoting better personal and environmental health. disinfection system alongside an existing chlorination
Communities with access to safe water sources are system at a small water treatment plant where the UVC-LED
better equipped to maintain proper sanitation facilities, reactor demonstrated viral and bacterial disinfection efficacy
reduce environmental contamination, and improve living and resilience equivalent to that of the chlorination system
conditions (Hutton & Chase, 2017). (Hull et al., 2019). Despite the successful implementations
Furthermore, water disinfection initiatives such as the in the US, considerably less is known about their practical
Maji Safi (Swahili for clean water) UV program in Kenya applicability and effectiveness in the Global South.
can empower communities in the Global South (Maji In India, a few studies have evaluated the effectiveness
Safi UV Organization, 2023). By involving residents in of point-of-use UVC LED water treatment technology.
implementing and managing water treatment systems, Pramanik et al. (2020) implemented a multi-pass geometry
they gain knowledge, skills, and ownership over these reactor with UVC LED technology to purify contaminated
critical resources. This empowerment through citizen water from various sites. This pilot implementation was
science can foster a sense of community pride, cooperation, found to be effective at eliminating test-selected E. coli
and self-reliance, leading to greater social cohesion from each water source. Because the UVC LED water
and collective action for sustainable development. In reactor was stable, portable, scalable (i.e., additional LEDs
addition, improved water quality can lead to economic could be added for faster purification time), and required
benefits for communities in the Global South. Access to low-energy resources, this method was considered highly

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 11 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1984