Though 70% of the Earth is covered in water, only about 2.5% is fresh. Even worse, just 1% of the fresh water is readily accessible, the rest being trapped in glaciers or deep underground. It is therefore not surprising to hear that over 780 million people worldwide currently do not have easy access to clean water. The problems are only expected to get worse with climate change and the burgeoning world population. While desalinating sea water is the most logical solution, current techniques are too expensive and cumbersome to deploy on a large scale.