How the world’s poor could have safe drinking water for free
More than a billion people get sick each year from drinking dirty or contaminated water. Most of the millions who die unnecessarily from waterborne diseases each year come from underdeveloped countries that lack the means to build expensive, high-volume water treatment systems in their rural areas.
What we take for granted in most developed cities and societies, drinking water, is a staggering health and socioeconomic problem that has reached a very critical level for the world’s poor: from Latin America and Africa to Asia. Due to their severe unavailability, mainly due to ignorance, countless lives are broken or rendered powerless and entire regions of humanity face a bleak future.
Unbeknownst to many, the inland towns and coastal areas of these countries (where 70% of the people live and work) have a distinct advantage over congested and polluted cities because, with simple technological savvy, people in rural areas they could build natural, proven, chemical-free filtration systems that could provide clean, safe drinking water for themselves and their neighbors. And the cost is virtually free!
I have taught rural people in Luzon and Romblon, Philippines how to do it. The results are almost immediate as the villagers drink the clean water that comes out of their taps. There is nothing like the refreshing taste of good quality mineral water.
I have outlined below, the easy and simple steps to build such a system.
Step No. 1: Find a Good Water Source
The best sources of water are surface overflows and natural springs from mountain aquifers. In relatively flat areas, or places far from springs, aquifer water must be pumped to the user.
Shallow overflow and springs are the easiest to filter because you don’t need to invest in a water pump or artesian well to pull water trapped underground. The law of gravity is your friend. But whether the source is surface or underground, contamination is a high probability from chemicals such as detergents and pesticides, decaying matter, and animal and human feces reaching the water source, especially at depths of less than 100 meters. feet.
Step No. 2: Materials to Use
In the beginning, if your family or village is fortunately under a mountain/hill overflow or spring source, fence the source to minimize its contamination. Next, build a sturdy deck a convenient distance from your house, made of bamboo or coconut wood, high enough to protect it from animals and heavy monsoon rains (about 3 to 4 feet). A holding tank (50 gallon capacity) could also be placed on top of the platform to ensure adequate supply, especially during the dry season.
For other materials you will need the following: 2 second-hand 55-gallon (plastic) drums that companies donate or throw away and that will serve as filter containers. Metal drums are not recommended because they will quickly accumulate rust.
Cut off the tops of both drums and drill holes (approximately 4 inches in diameter for the first drum and 1.0 inch for the second) in the middle of their bottoms. Next, place a large plastic plate (about 8 to 10 inches in diameter) 12 inches below the top of the first drum. The plate could be suspended by simply drilling 6 small holes along its perimeter and tying it with stainless wire or fishing line along the side of the drum. Make sure the plate is upside down so that any water hitting it will easily cascade into the second drum below.
The idea is to produce properly aerated water from the fountain as it splashes onto the suspended plate. By aerating the water, more oxygen in the air will adhere to and dissolve into the water molecules as they fall into the second drum. Aeration will also reduce the carbon dioxide content of the water and remove methane, radon, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide, and other volatile organic compounds responsible for bitter taste, color, and odor. It is also an effective method of bacteria control. In short, aeration results in better drinking water.
Make sure the water source, flowing from a hose, is at least 2 feet higher and directly above the suspended plate, to produce the aeration effect. You must install a valve or faucet at the mouth of the hose to control the flow of water.
For filters, get enough fine sand (the finer the better) from a stream, river, or seashore to fill at least half the bottom drum. The second filter will consist of homemade granulated activated carbon (GAC) made from the remains of burnt coconut shells (called “uling” in the Philippines), pounded with wooden poles into small granules. Put these charcoal powders on top, on top of the sand. The ideal mixture is 40% GAC and 60% sand. All of these are abundantly available, free of charge. If you buy factory-processed GAC, it could cost anywhere from $50 to $120 per bag, depending on the brand. Although charcoal could also be used as a GAC, I find burnt coconut shells to be much better filters.
Leave enough space between the 2 drums (about 2-3 inches) so that it is easy to replace/clean the sand and activated carbon granules regularly. Install a faucet at the bottom of the second drum where the clean and processed water will come from.
To prevent sand from seeping into the faucet, place a very fine mesh (such as nylon stockings) at the bottom of the drum.
It is essential to build a protective shed over your deck with open sides for better visibility and to allow the sun’s ultraviolet rays to kill microbes in the cascading water. A nylon netting over the entire deck also ensures protection from birds, snakes, bugs, and debris.
Step No. 3: Operating Mode
Now we are almost ready. First properly connect the platform and the water source with a rubber or nylon hose. Gravity will do the rest.
In flat areas and places that rely on underground sources, the principle is the same, except that a pump ($60-$150) would be needed to suck up water from depths ranging from 40 feet or less. The deeper the better, to minimize contamination problems. In that case, a holding tank (equivalent to 2 drums) that can hold at least 100 gallons (at the highest point of the deck) should also be installed to avoid overworking the pump, and to always have an adequate capacity. supply.
To have economies of scale, households could pool their resources and share a larger system. With minor design modifications, an entire town could install a drinking water system for the benefit of all its residents. In the case of flat land, villagers too poor to buy a pump could ask their village captain or chief for help. If the captain’s official funds are not sufficient, he could make representation with provincial leaders who have development funds available to him.
I have yet to find any villagers who got sick using my method. Even without the added protection of chlorination (with its toxic side effects and costs) and boiling the water. Laboratory tests have repeatedly confirmed the safety and high quality of the drinking water used by my system. In fact, before recommending it to the public, I installed one on my mother-in-law’s farm in Romblon, Philippines, as an experiment 8 years ago. When I last visited my pilot project last year, it was still in operation and adequately meeting the farm’s drinking water needs.