Simple Solution To Lack Of Drinking Water

With what we have recklessly been doing to the planet now hitting home, one of the greatest threats we face is the lack of drinking water which for us humans, is pretty important.
It is estimated that 98% of the Earth’s water is too salty for drinking and one in 10 of the world’s population don’t have access to safe drinking water and almost two million people die from drinking unsafe water every year.
Of the 2% of water that is fresh water, two thirds is locked away in ice caps and glaciers while most of the rest is trapped in soil or underground aquifers which leaves a fraction available for us to use.
The answer so far has been desalination which is turning sea water into fresh water but the process is high energy intensive and very expensive and i have often wondered why the technology hasn't yet caught up with one of the greatest threats of our time and finally, news that it may have and it sounds so simple that i wonder how it has been missed, a sieve.
Scientists at the University of Manchester explains that water molecules are smaller than sodium chloride molecules and they have invented an ultra-fine sieve that allows water to pass but not the salt.
They say their sieve gets rid of 97% of the sodium chloride so part of me thinks brilliant, let's get these things made up and sent around the world while another part of me thinks hang up boffins, take another look because that sounds far too simple.