A quarter of the population of the world have no access to safe drinking water. Estimates are that in the last decade of the millennium, 2.5 million people died of dysentery as a result of drinking contaminated water. The situation gets worse if you examine small children: one of every five children in the world that died before the age of 5 died of diarrhea.
Research indicates that 75% of the decline in infant mortality in Europe and the United States between 1900-1946 stemmed from a massive shift towards running drinking water through clean pipes. It’s almost impossible to connect the entire third world to plumbing, and in India such initiatives also encounter opposition from a surprising source, as upper caste members are unwilling to use the same plumbing system as lower caste members. Fortunately, there is a much easier and almost free way to save all these people – chlorine.
A few drops of chlorine completely neutralize the devastating effect of fecal contamination and make the water drinkable. When a group of researchers asked residents of Zambia to note something that makes the water drinkable, 98% of them mentioned chlorine. Likewise, the price of chlorine is so low that it shouldn’t be a problem to acquire a steady supply of chlorine even for residents of an impoverished country like Zambia. For the sake of comparison, a small bottle of chlorine sufficient for an entire family for a month costs 800 kwacha, while an average family in Zambia spends six times as much – meaning 4,800 kwacha – per week just for cooking oil.
Research indicates that 75% of the decline in infant mortality in Europe and the United States between 1900-1946 stemmed from a massive shift towards running drinking water through clean pipes. It’s almost impossible to connect the entire third world to plumbing, and in India such initiatives also encounter opposition from a surprising source, as upper caste members are unwilling to use the same plumbing system as lower caste members. Fortunately, there is a much easier and almost free way to save all these people – chlorine.
A few drops of chlorine completely neutralize the devastating effect of fecal contamination and make the water drinkable. When a group of researchers asked residents of Zambia to note something that makes the water drinkable, 98% of them mentioned chlorine. Likewise, the price of chlorine is so low that it shouldn’t be a problem to acquire a steady supply of chlorine even for residents of an impoverished country like Zambia. For the sake of comparison, a small bottle of chlorine sufficient for an entire family for a month costs 800 kwacha, while an average family in Zambia spends six times as much – meaning 4,800 kwacha – per week just for cooking oil.
Unfortunately, less than 10% of Zambia’s residents use chlorine to purify their drinking water. Even when the researchers subsidized the chlorine bottles to the point of them being practically free, a quarter of the people did not purchase the bottles.
Unfortunately, less than 10% of Zambia’s residents use chlorine to purify their drinking water. Even when the researchers subsidized the chlorine bottles to the point of them being practically free, a quarter of the people did not purchase the bottles. While the behavior of the Zambian residents did not indicate any serious concern for their health, when researchers asked locals whether they felt “significant anxiety or concern”, a quarter of them answered “yes”, which is a much higher rate than in the West. And when asked about the reason for their concern, in most cases the answer pertained to their own health or the health of those close to them.
In light of these challenges, a group of researchers led by Michael Kramer sought to explore the best way to encourage the use of chlorine after all. In the context of a field experiment they conducted, the researchers distributed 7 bottles of chlorine to nearly 2,000 households in West Kenya. A short time later, they randomly allocated the households to 18 different experiment conditions which, under supervision, checked the effect of prices alongside the effects of various behavioral incentives such as social proof, training locals as agents of persuasion, and different levels of advertising.
In light of these challenges, a group of researchers led by Michael Kramer sought to explore the best way to encourage the use of chlorine after all. In the context of a field experiment they conducted, the researchers distributed 7 bottles of chlorine to nearly 2,000 households in West Kenya. A short time later, they randomly allocated the households to 18 different experiment conditions which, under supervision, checked the effect of prices alongside the effects of various behavioral incentives such as social proof, training locals as agents of persuasion, and different levels of advertising.
The percentage of people who purify their water.
Though many used the chlorine bottles they received – 58% of the households had chlorine in their water, a dramatic increase relative to the 2% of residents who did not participate in the experiment. Only 10% of the households continued to purchase chlorine at their own initiative, beyond what was freely given to them. The tiebreaker turned out to be the use of persuasion agents – when local volunteers convinced the households to use chlorine, traces of the material was found in the drinking water of 40% of the households.
But the greatest success stemmed from the most public solution of them all – installing free chlorine tanks on the banks of the faucets in 88 regional wells from which the locals drew their drinking water. Thus, anyone who pumped water had to make a public choice whether to clean their urn using the tank hanging above or go home with contaminated water. This solution incorporated local volunteers and brought 61% of the households around to the use of chlorine.
But the greatest success stemmed from the most public solution of them all – installing free chlorine tanks on the banks of the faucets in 88 regional wells from which the locals drew their drinking water. Thus, anyone who pumped water had to make a public choice whether to clean their urn using the tank hanging above or go home with contaminated water. This solution incorporated local volunteers and brought 61% of the households around to the use of chlorine.
When we have to make a public decision, we tend to act as is expected of us. A slight mention of the possibility that we are being watched is enough to encourage a more correct or moral choice.
When we have to make a public decision, we tend to act as is expected of us. A slight mention of the possibility that we are being watched is enough to encourage a more correct or moral choice. Courts swear in witnesses in front of the courtroom, and insurance companies ask to repeat declarations aloud. Everything to make the decision process slightly more public. And the moment a certain percentage chose to drip chlorine into their drinking water, the cycle of feedback began with each additional person increasing the social proof that this was the correct norm. In order to kickstart the process, volunteers were needed to persuade the brave first adopters.
The success of the public chlorine tanks brought about a systemic adoption of the process and the installation of 27,000 tanks over the well faucets throughout Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, which altogether provide drinking water for 4 million people. A business plan is currently being composed to duplicate the format throughout all third-world countries.
The success of the public chlorine tanks brought about a systemic adoption of the process and the installation of 27,000 tanks over the well faucets throughout Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, which altogether provide drinking water for 4 million people. A business plan is currently being composed to duplicate the format throughout all third-world countries.