Point of use water treatment in emergency response

More recently, point-of-use water treatment (PoUWT) options that have been verified in the development context -- such as chlorination, flocculant/disinfectant powders, solar disinfection, ceramic filtration, and sand filtration -- have been recommended for use in emergencies. However, it is unknown at this time whether these interventions will be more, less, or as effective in the emergency context as in the development context. The objectives in writing this report are to: (1) document the recent experience in PoUWT use in response to emergencies; and (2) identify the lessons learned from that experience, develop a set of recommendations to guide operational research on PoUWT in emergencies, and identify where deployment can be most effective. To complete these objectives, we: (1) completed a literature review on emergencies, health, and water and sanitation (watsan) interventions and present a framework describing the potential role for water interventions, including PoUWT, in emergencies (Section 2); (2) describe the PoUWT options commonly used in development and emergency situations (Section 3); (3) summarize the available literature on PoUWT in emergencies (Section 4); (4) present results from a survey of implementers who have completed PoUWT projects in emergencies (Section 5); and (5) summarize the lessons learned and future research indicated based on the investigations documented in this report (Section 6). (Author abstract, modified)