Q Drum

I found information on the Q Drum. It eases the transportation of water in 3rd world countries.

Q Drum is a invention to ease the burden of transporting clean drinking water in developing countries. The invention is a polyethylene donut shaped cylindrical vessel attached to a rope. The Q Drum can hold up to 50 litres of water and allows people to pull it across all terrains.
"The design ensures the ease of use- even a child can pull 50 litres of water without undue strain" (Q Drum website).

One of the Q Drum's main goal is to shift the burden of getting clean water away from adult women. Due to the simplicity of the invention the only repairs that would be needed is the rope which can easily be fixed or replaced using local materials. The only problem that Q Drum has is it`s price; at $30 per drum it is a small fortune for the people who really need it. This is why the company is heavily based from donations.

"The people that need them need can't afford them and must rely on people who can afford them but don't need them." - Dzuwa Trading-co founder.

Joel Piecowye

9 December 2010

"Q Drum ltd." Accessed 9 December 2010. www.qdrum.co.za/home.

Septic System

The diagrams illustrate the idea of ground water being drawn up for use, and then deposited back in the ground via a septic system.

Patrick Verkley
8 December 2010

Environmental Enhancements Inc. "Septic Systems." Accessed December 8, 2010. http://environmentalenhancements.com/systems.html.

Infiltrator Systems. "Onsite Septic Systems." Accessed December 9, 2010. http://www.infiltratorsystems.com/onsite/onsite.asp.

Clean Water Production and Delivery

This essay begins in an interesting way it starts stating obvious facts, like we need water to live and that there was a time that "the human population did not have water easily available to them that would not potentially kill them." Apparently it became a common practice to us alcohol to disinfect the water - which resulted in the people being semi-drunk. It also discusses better ways developed for cleaning the water such as application of chlorine compounds, use of electrical power which produces ultraviolet light that causes breakdown of bacteria and viruses at the molecular level, and use of nuclear fissure and exposing the water to its radiation to accomplish the same task as the ultraviolet rays.

"One of the greatest advantages to using long-lived gamma emitters is that once it is in place, it will require very little maintenance. As a result, only a few people are needed to maintain this system in order to provide plenty of clean water to a very large population for many years without replacement. This will be important when the economic system has collapsed and every individual's time becomes much more precious to maintaining production."

This system then becomes appropriate as something we can introduce.

Lia Tramontini
9 November 2010

Community for Tomorrow. "Clean Water Production and Delivery." Accessed November 9th, 2010. http://www.communityfortomorrow.org/CleanWater.htm.

Transportation and Shelter

This webpage describes how shelter was shaped by transportation.

The reason that our shelter is what it is today, is due mainly to the development of transportation. However, it elaborates that the transportation system is dependant on financial stability and when either this crashes, or when we run out of affordable resources to fund our transportation, we will no longer have the means to build/repair the houses that we've built dependant on this transportation.

"[U]p to this point transportation has determined the nature, structure, and location of our shelters. If we are to survive, we must reverse the situation. Our transportation must be changed so that it will fit in with our next generation shelters."

With this new generation of shelter, it is suggested thats transportation must integrate the technology of travelling "highspeed overhead" (e.g. like a suspended train?). Then, for transportation in a broader sense of importation and exportation, long-range transportation will be composed of turbines with airframe construction.

Transportation and shelter must be integrated together, to allow for efficient and useable cities.

Lia Tramontini

9 November 2010

Community for Tomorrow. "Shelter and Transportation." Accessed November 9, 2010. http://www.communityfortomorrow.org/Shelter.htm.

Water Distribution using SQFlex systems

The SQFlex project helps to provide both water and the power needed to fuel the pump system. This green technology collaborates with nature to create power for the water supply system. By using solar powered systems and wind powered systems, water gets distributed efficiently.

The SQFlex pump motor unit is powered by solar panels. By simply changing to a higher output voltage, it ensures optimum efficiency and can increase 20% of flow in small systems per day. The panels are mounted to support structures without the use of any special tools and create for a highly efficient and easy to maintain system. The water pumps are installed in existing wells and boreholes and the energy from the solar panels pump the water to their homes.

In Uganda, Africa, the process of fetching water from Lake Victoria is cumbersome for those who live far from the shoreline. Boiling it for purification also takes additional time. After the installation of the solar panels, the Lake Victoria Childrens Home are able to have water pumped directly to their residential area. Because Uganda is situated on the equator, there are numerous sunny days. But since installing the system, they are able to receive fresh clean water directly out of the pipes.

The SQFlex Wind system is suitable for open fields, valleys and landscapes where the wind blows constantly. The small but high-quality wind turbine consists of only a few simple components, making it easy to install and maintain compared to conventional windmills. The Wind system essentially works the same as the solar panels and generates power to pump water to specified locations.

The two systems are advantageous because with an abundance of sunshine or wind, the SQflex can deliver an ample supply of groundwater.

Jacqueline Chow
19 November 2010

Grudfos Renewables. "Application and systems for remote water for remote water transportations."

Grudfos Management A/S. Accessed Novemeber 19, 2010.http://net.grundfos.com/doc/webnet/renewables/index.html.

"Grundfos SQFlex Renewable Energy Pumps." Grundfos SQFlex Pump Systems, Solar and Wind Powered Water Pumps. Grand Canyon Pump, 2006. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gcpsolar.com/>.