A novel private sector initiative for the poor.

How does one get cheap clean water into a Philippine coastal town? Easy with a debit card that you carry in your pocket. It is beginning to work fairly well and cheaply for the poorest people in Ronda Cebu the Philippines. According to entrepreneur Quentin Kelly it may be the wave of the future for poverty stricken rural and urban areas that do not have electric power. Mr. Kelly sees the system as ideal approach for "slum upgrading projects in the worlds most derelict urban neighbourhoods." His New Jersey-based World Water is installing a complete water system for the town of Ronda from a deep solar-powered well that needs neither diesel fuel nor any connection to an electricity grid. The water is fed through channelling pipes to standpipes and taps. The project goes well out on a limb from his core business of solar-powered water pumps. (excerpt)