Those of us with access to an abundance of water – from designer beverages to health spas to back yard pools – likely don’t relate to or even think much about the idea of clean water availability. That luxury is not the case for many people throughout the world.

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Water scarcity is a global crisis. Bishop Ascendant is completely focused on addressing this urgent issue.

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The lack of access to clean water causes a multitude of problems:

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• Serious health issues

• Food insecurity

• Disruption in social and political stability

• Loss of productivity in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors

• Negative impacts on economic development

• Strained ecology and ecosystems

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The World Bank estimates that throughout the world, 2.8 billion people live in areas of high water scarcity. While many live in remote and/or underdeveloped regions that lack suitable infrastructure for providing clean water for local populations, lack of water access is further affected by the growing number of environmental crises and natural disasters the world is experiencing.

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The World Health Organization reports that globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. Contaminated water can transmit diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and more. Close to a million people die each year from diarrhea resulting from unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene. The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis makes this worse, with millions lacking water to even wash their hands, the most recommended preventive measure.

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Globally, women and children are disproportionately affected by water scarcity. Sadly, 166 children under the age of 5 die every day from water-related illnesses. And, children in under-developed regions spend between 6 and 8 hours per day walking to get water – time that would be better spent in school.

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Also, women in those regions are forced to walk an average of 3.75 miles per day to fetch water, preventing them from taking jobs or otherwise caring for their families and households.

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Spark will raise the standard of living for anyone who lacks access to clean water, reducing the cost of water to between .002¢ and .01¢ per 4 liters. Deployable within 24 hours, a Spark is capable of operating 24/7, so those dependent on the unit never run out of water.

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But the clean water challenge does not stand on its own. Energy is integral to the problem. The World Bank also reports that 90% of global power generation is water-intensive, and that by 2035 global energy consumption will increase by 50%, increasing water consumption by 85%. These are enormous numbers.

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Conversely, it takes energy to run water pumping, sanitation and distribution. Thus deployment of the two systems is interdependent. We cannot address one problem without addressing both.

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