Challenge
The challenge is to write an article of maximum 2,000 words, that describes a solution to address the use case outlined below. The best three articles (technical report, methodology, etc), will be submitted to the Blockchain in Healthcare Today Platform Approaches Journal for review and
publication - at no cost.
Use Case
ONW aims to build water taps in the desert, turning seawater into drinking water. Or by using solar energy to pump sweet water from boreholes. Or by converting night-time dew to drink.
The technology is there. The largest version of a desalination machine, for example, is
a 20-foot container with filters (membranes) for reverse osmosis, and solar panels to power it. The machine costs $200,000 to purchase and install. It produces 100,000 liters of clean water per day, using nothing but free and plentiful seawater and sunshine. The water will be sold commercially to parties such as brewers and beverage companies at a premium price, to make SeaBeer, SeaDrink, or SeaJuice. Water will be given away for free to poor populations in the direct vicinity of the
tap.
They will use their mobile phones to open the tap. It will then release two to five liters of water. This can be repeated as often as required and prevents misuse.
Any water produced but not sold will go into fishponds, to be run by the local community. In return, they will provide physical security, e.g. against theft or vandalism, and do simple maintenance work such as
cleaning the pipes and filters. The ponds themselves are simple, mere holes in the ground of approximately one cubic meter, lined with plastic sheets, and home to 10-15 fish (e.g. catfish, or tilapia).
We want to finance this! Not through donations or one-off kindness, but via sustainable financial instruments such as an interest-bearing bond, the DeFi Hunger & Poverty Water Bond.
Final submission date is March 15, 2025. The future is now.
Upload your submission here.
Location
The first tap will be installed in Namibia. This is an arid country in Southern Africa, with plenty of coastline and sunshine. It faces extreme inequality, poverty, and drought. It is the second most unequal country in the world. More than 43% of the population live in poverty, which affects women in particular. They do like fish, but the sea is almost empty, and rivers are far
and few between along the coast. Also good to know is that most people do not have smart phones.
