Africa Water Purification

[paulj]

The SODIS site does discuss the issue of chemicals being leached from PET bottles.

Double check on the glass bottle idea - glass may absorb UV more than PET. Automobile glass tends to block UV, as evidenced by the slower response of my photogray glasses in the car.

Choice of materials on something like this should consider what is readily available, both for the initial installation, and for long term replacement. For example, what if someone uses a bottle from the SODIS array, and does not replace it? I know, from experience in Ecuador years ago, that glass bottles were collected and reused. Recycling of glass on a cottage industry scale was practiced long before developed cities mandated it.

 

[jayshapiro]

The other WWW

Hi There,

Great thread, and a great cause.

While I do believe that the 'bottles on a roof' method may actually work in some cases I have 5 concerns with it:

1 - There is no immediate way of telling if it has sufficiently worked on each individual bottle, without testing each individual bottle. This puts the kids at risk beacause some individual bottle wasn't in the sun long enough, it was a cloudy day, the plastic blocked some of the UV, etc.

2 - I don't know how many bottles it would take to reliably provide the water needs of 100 kids every day. I'm guessing quite a lot of roof space/load.

3 - The water will undoubtably be quite hot after it comes off the roof, requiring probably another 12/24hrs to cool down before it's pleasantly usable. This at least doubles your bottle requirements.

4 - Small detail, but there is probably some physical risk to the kids climbing up on the (not extremely stable?) roof to change 300+ hot bottles of water every day.

5 - This system does nothing for the sediment or other non-bio (ie. fertilizer)contaminants.

I don't have the perfect answer and I don't even know if there is one, but on the EcoRoamer we've decided to go with the 4 stage filter system produced by Water Security (www.watseco.com -) - you may have read about their system. It was created for NASA and is powering the Water Reclamation System on the International Space Station.

They have worked on several developing community water filtration projects that you can read about here.

To do this, we are working with a FANTASTIC company based out of New Zealand called World Wide Water (www.worldwidewater.biz) - They take the Water Security system and offer it commercially to support communities and special projects.

All the system essentially requires is 4 filter cannisters and a pump to push the water through. The system includes a sediment filter, 1 micron carbon pre-filter, MCV® & Iodosorb® cartridges for disinfection and a .5 micron cyst/polishing filter. The real nifty trick is in the "MCV & Iodosorb" cartridges which slowly release Iodine (MCV) into the water for treatment over a long period of time, and then removes it all (Iodosorb) so that there is no remaining trace of the Iodine in the resulting filtered water.

WWW have a bicycle powered version that can put out 8L per minute, but a solar version or kid's play pump versions could probably also be done. Other than the pump there is no moving parts.

The version we're using on the EcoRoamer puts out 2L per minute using a 24V DC pump, and has a life expectancy of about 10,000 Litres before the filter elements need to be replaced (less than US$100)

We've designed the EcoRoamer to have an external tap that will be able to provide free filtration services to whatever communities we're visiting.

It's a long way from Kenya to New Zealand, but I'd strongly recommend contacting Russell Kelly at WWW to look at your project. I have found him to be a passionate and informed expert in this field.

Cheers,
Jay.

 

[DiploStrat]

These are cool, low volume systems, but the filters, etc., are way too high tech, maintenance/labor intensive, and expensive for a real third world nation.

 

[DaktariEd]

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but I have to agree with DiploStrat.
Any water system in Kenya, and other developing areas, HAS to be bare bones, basic, low tech.
Africa is littered with well meaning but abandoned water systems that never considered the technological and financial abilities of the locals.
To put it in perspective, the per capita income of Mexico compared to the U.S. is 1/10th. The per capita income of the Kenya is 1/10th of Mexico's. The average Kenyan makes the equivalent of US$300 a year. That's it. Roughly a dollar a day.
The water bottles in the sun is by far (from what I have read in this thread) the best bet to meet a need with low tech solution.
As I see it, you cannot, purify everything the kids ingest. They're going to still be exposed to contaminants on the ground, in the food, on their hands, etc.
The best bet at this point would be to reduce water-borne contaminants rather that seek to eliminate them.
If you set your sights too high you and the locals will all be disappointed (you, more than them), and the system will not be utilized for the long term.
Glass may seem better, but you have to consider what happens when that glass bottle breaks. What do you do (you're not there all the time) when a kid lacerates a hand or foot on the fragments? Healthcare for injuries is not readily available and infections can lead to serious consequences.
The ideas in this thread are great. They might be readily utilizable in some areas, but I don't think rural Kenya is one of them.
Don't let my perspective kill the brainstorming.
Think outside the box. Put yourself in the Kenyans' shoes and press on!

 

[DiploStrat]

For the record, Kenya is WAY too developed to be considered real Third World. The Central African Republic's per capita income is only a fraction of Kenya's - someone earning US$1.00 per day would be quite wealthy. Male life expectancy in Somalia is longer than the CAR. (And yes, I have been to Kenya and not just the Serena.)

WARNING: Soapbox follows. The great danger in wanting to "give back" is that you may end up doing what you want/think is right, rather than what is wanted/needed. Are you simply trying to feel good about your self or are you really helping someone get what they really need? The question gets even harder when people want things that you don't like or agree with - like driving animals or neighboring populations off their land.

Just for fun, consider this: Malaria kills millions of children under the age of five in Africa and elsewhere. Mosquito nets can reduce those numbers, so there are many programs to distribute nets. But, most Africans, over the age of five, have considerable immunity to Malaria, and immunity that lasts for a lifetime, as long as they are constantly reinfected. (A few years overseas studying and they lose that immunity.) What would be the implication of raising a large population on non-immunes past age five? Given the way epidemics work, we could see massive outbreaks of Malaria with adult death rates that might dwarf that of HIV/AIDS. So does that mean that the Gates Foundation should stop distributing nets? Hard questions; no easy answers.

 

[Martyn]

I think that what Ed and Diplostrat are saying is use the KISS system and the project will work.

Putting plastic bottles of water out in the sun for two days before drinking is simple. Having replaceable filters is not.

Having water available on the roof of your house is simple, central distribution is not.

A short story to illustrate differences in cultural understanding of technology.

When I worked in Libya Tripoli was supplied with fresh water from a desalination facility. There were two desalination plants one producing fresh water, the other under maintenance. Once the plant had been fully maintained it went online and the other plant shut for maintenance.

Some good industrial ideas here.

After the company installed the plants they trained the locals to run them and then left.

Things went as planned for a year, and then it was decided that if the two plants desalinated water at the same time twice the amount of water would be produced. Worked wonderfully....... until both plants failed due to lack of maintenance.

I'm not saying that the Libyans were uneducated, or lacked training, they just saw the benefit of having twice the amount of water.

 

[preacherman]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys. I am still looking, thinking, and praying about what would be best.

Right now I am planning a return trip with 20 or so volunteers to work with several of the orphanages in July. Our hope is that each trip we take (this will be my 2nd this year) will help us understand the issues better. As a guy with a minor in Missions my desire is to stay away from overly complex "western" solutions that do not fit the culture of the locals. IMHO way to much damage has been done over the years by well meaning mission efforts of western people trying to apply western ideas to east African problems.

FYI I can post some pictures of the orphanages if anyone would like to see them. It's really neat stuff.

 

[DaktariEd]

FYI I can post some pictures of the orphanages if anyone would like to see them. It's really neat stuff.

Please do!
I'd love to see them...

 

[DiploStrat]

Consider the need.

Rather than concentrating on a well developed, rich country like Kenya, which is awash with assistance money and aid workers, consider working in a poor country like the CAR where such issues really are a matter of life and death.

A thought.

 

[preacherman]

Pics as promised

Here are some pics of the orphanages.

The one is Sondu, Kenya

The rainwater collection system

A small school room on site

Some of the kids

 

[preacherman]

more

A posho mill (a corn or sugar cane grinder) used to grind corn for the orphanage and surrounding community.

The boys dorm

The sewing room used to teach sewing classes and sew clothes for the children.

One of my fav pics of a child.

The dairy cows

The water well

 

[preacherman]

some misc ones

Another orphanage

The boys dorm

The girls dorm

Some more wonderful kids

Well that should give everyone an idea of what I am talking about.

 

[preacherman]

I am still working on this and I have been contacting many of the companies you guys gave me info for. We recently visited several of the orphanages again and feel that this water issue is a big one I still need help with. We have 2 deep water wells but the other 7 are area it is hard to get trucks to so they pump out of local streams or rivers.

Someone recently brought up chlorine. I used it for many years in the backcountry to purify water but never thought of it on a larger scale. Is there a way to safely use large scale chlorine as a purification method? I am aware that the amount of chlorine used depends on the concentrations of chlorine which fluctuates with each bottle and that we would have to use a system to “test” each batch of chlorine. Would it just be as simple as say 60 gal containers filled with water and the appropriate amounts of safe chlorine?

 

[DiploStrat]

Chlorine is easy ...

It is what you use for city water systems. The problem in the bush is cost. If the village is rich enough to buy chlorine, they would still be better off with a deep well as the well is close to a one time charge. In any case, chlorine is chlorine. (Pool chlorine usually has stabilizers - not needed for drinking water.)

Playpumps is active in Kenya. Have you talked to them? Just don't drill in a non-replenishing aquifer. Kenya is full of them. Better the people move now than get caught in the next really bad drought.

Sigh, Kenyans are sooooo rich. Makes one weep.

 

[jham]

Rather than concentrating on a well developed, rich country like Kenya, which is awash with assistance money and aid workers, consider working in a poor country like the CAR where such issues really are a matter of life and death.

A thought.

You and I need to talk:sombrero:

I'm currently doing the groundwork for an organization that does just this. I'm going to PM you right now!

Disclaimer: work in "more developed" countries is NO LESS IMPORTANT than work anywhere else. Everyone has their niche.