Currently 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water and 2.6 billion lack access to adequate sanitation.  As a result, more than 2 million people, mostly children, die from easily preventable diarrheal diseases every year; in addition, aquatic ecosystems are in sharp decline due to the heavy pollution burden.  Access to safe water and sanitation is a key component to poverty alleviation, and is articulated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which include reducing the numbers of those without access by one-half by the year 2015.  We believe that universities need to play a larger role in developing and evaluating solutions to the safe water and sanitation crisis, and that UC Berkeley is uniquely situated to be a leader in this effort. 

We draw upon myriad resources and existing projects on campus to build this RTA.  For example, faculty expertise on campus includes: development and testing of innovative treatment technologies; randomized impact evaluation on cost-effectiveness and health impact of educational, management, and technology options; the epidemiology of waterborne illnesses; and water and sanitation impacts on gender and community dynamics.  Student organizations such as Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Cal Undergraduate Public Health Coalitionprovide opportunities for students to participate in international water and sanitation projects.  Berkeley faculty and students have experience working on water and sanitation projects on all five continents, and have extensive contacts with community groups, non-governmental organizations, and donor agencies.