Additionally, this pack will keep water cleaner. The pack has a protected spout that keeps the water pure for drinking and hand-washing. The lining of the bag can easily be removed and washed.
This product was designed and tested in Haiti in response to the 2010 earthquake. Greif used local NGO's that consulted local women to develop the PackH2O. The initiative's goal is: Deliver a PackH2O water backpack to every person who needs one.
Besides the pros of this product that are glorified in its website and in the article written by Darren Quick, there are several drawbacks to this product.
First, the cost of the PackH2O is $10 and can only be used by one person- if you have one mother and one child carrying water, the family's expenditure is $20. Plastic buckets cost much less.
Second, reducing the amount of physical strain is a noble goal, but is the small relief provided worth the $10? Women and children are still making the physical trek with effort.
Third, sustainability is untested. This product is new and has only been in the market for several years. While the bag may be "puncture-proof," I couldn't find any section that described how the bag's straps or lining were tested with repeated use, or if the bags remained popular.
Fourth, this solution is for short-term. To make any sort of measurable impact, every single person who needs to transport would need a backpack in a 1:1 ratio. As the PackH2O website mentions, the pack was designed after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, when clean water was available but distant. In that instant, the people needed an emergency solution, but for a more long-term improvement I think the company should focus on installing pumps or another technology that decreases walking time, not just walking pain.
Overall, this product is well-intentioned but impractical as a long-term solution. If I had $10,000 to spend on addressing water issues in developing countries, I would not apply it towards the PackH2O.
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