The SODIS Method

Clean drinking water is essential. Currently 80% of the world's illnesses, especially in developing countries, stem from unsanitary water, and inadequate access to safe drinking water. There is a clear correlation between access to safe drinking water and GDP per capita, and in this sense, water quality becomes a clear indicator of the ability of a nation to achieve sustainable development.

Diarrheal diseases are especially common from poor water quality. As such, we can look at simpler methods of water purification that can raise the standard of living, simply by disinfection.

One method is the Solar Disinfection (SODIS) Method, a water treatment method designed fur use at the household level. It utilizes the UV-A rays in sunlight to kill viruses, bacteria and parasites. Water is filled in clear PET bottles and placed in the sun for approximately six hours (the time will vary depending on the amount of sunlight). After this time period, the water is safe for use.

Though more effective in hotter climates, the method is becoming widespread as it is efficient, low in cost, environmentally sustainable, and quite effective. It has been tried and tested in countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For example, Zambia is home to approximately 12 million people, of which half are without access to improved water sources. The SODIS Method was commenced here in 2008 in a slum in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, extending outwards to more rural areas as well. Those who participated in utilizing the SODIS Method saw immediate results in terms of a decrease in mortality rates and diarrheal diseases which allowed children to go to school more regularly, and parents to work, thereby raising the overall standard of living within the community.

More information on the project in Zambia as well as other countries around the world is located here. In addition, to see videos of the results of the practice of the SODIS Method, check out this site.

Safira Lakhani
From November 8, 2010
Posted December 9, 2010


Sources
"The Importance of Water." La Leva di Archimede. http://www.laleva.cc/environment/water.html (accessed November 8, 2010)

"SODIS METHOD." http://www.sodis.ch/methode/ir (accessed November 8, 2010)

Life Straw Family and Life Straw

Point-of-use (POU) water intervention: the concept of treating the water right before consumption. This is the clearest way of reducing the risk of waterborne disease arising from recontamination during collection, transport, and use in the home.

Life Straw and Life Straw family are POU water intervention products which have been on the market since 2006. Life Straw Family is unit equipped with a small storage unit meant to be used by an entire household while Life Straw is a portable unit meant for an individual to use anywhere there is water.

These water intervention products are safe, efficient, and present those in need with a more inexpensive option for drinking clean water.

Not only can it be used as a long term source of clean water, but it is also ideal for communities that have been struck by disaster and face the potential of an epidemic of water-borne diseases such as cholera. For example, after the recent flooding in Pakistan about 100,000 Life Straw and Life Straw Family units have been sent to Pakistan to supply 300,000 people with 125 billion litres of clean water over the next three years.

For more information on Life Straw and Life Straw Family, visit the Life Straw Website.

Lia Tramontini

9 December 2010

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.

Using Water to Produce Energy

Coverting Water Wheel Mills to Electrical production

A Waterwheel is a system for extracting usable power from the water flowing in a river or stream. Along with windmills, waterwheels have been powering the milling of flour and other industry for hundreds of years.

Although waterwheels have now died out of use across most of the world, thanks to national grid electricity, they are still common use off-grid in places such as Nepal and India where hundreds of thousands of waterwheels are still used to this day. For many in the Himalayan regions a water wheels is the only source of power, together with dangerous kerosene lamps.

Now people are looking at ways in which waterwheels can be used to generate electricity , not just for these remote regions, but also in Europe and North America where enormous energy resources are untapped at the present

In developing countries where water wheel power is common, electricity can be generated fro those peropl ewho lieve where the electricity grid cannot reach, and combined with modern energy efficient LED and CFT lighting, can improve their standard of living enormously. It is not complicated or expensive to modify an existing waterwheel driven mill to operate as an electricity generator.

One example of how simply a wsater power can be used to generate electricity. If a small watermill turns at around 60rpm a belt to an alternator is made to turn at hundres of rpm, and so the voltage generated is perfect for recharging 12V batteries.

Car alternators can supply hundreds of watts of electrical power which can then be used to power lighting, radios, computers and so on. The typical cost of such a sytems is about $50, and has the advantage that the waterwheels used to generate power as been and continue to be maintained by the mill owner as it has been for centuries.

Andrew Cole

9 November 2010

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.

Water in the Context of the Urban Survival Kit

Water is an essential element in life, and has been a core part of Human civilization since antiquity. Communities developed around places of water, as they could be used both for consumption and transportation. Water was therefore the backbone of the economy, fuelling growth of the community. Water, as a central element of Life has also brought upon Death, as disease can be spread around a community. The design of water transport systems can minimize the risk of spreading disease, and maintain a healthy population. Since water is precious to life and civilizations, it must be cared for as to sustain the cycle of life. We must use water carefully, be efficient with it, and ensure that it can be used by future generations.

Safira Lakhani
9 November 2010

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/>.

Shelter: Part 1

Shelters within slums or disadvantaged communities are often poorly built and lacking utilities that now have become natural necessities within the modern home.

Septic Systems

In disadvantaged and poorly built communities, often the situation of how to deal with waste becomes a issue hazardous to the health of its residents. There is a way to construct a private septic system that are made up of simply to parts: The holding and digesting tanks, and the dispersal (or leeching) field. The system is shown with images on this website below but can be built in a fairly short and easy number of steps.

If sceptic tanks like these could be implemented within the communities, then the risk of disease and sickness that may spread during poor disposal of waste is now contained.

Roof
To make shelters also functional as well as protection from the elements, one could cheaply put in place a rain water collection system. This helps the lack of clean drinking water often found in areas that are considered to be slums.

The rainwater catchment system, (found on here) is based on the collection of rainwater and gravity flow pressure principles. The rainwater runs off the roof the water into rain gutters which channel the water into a standpipe. When the standpipe reaches its capacity, (in this condition 150 gal,) the overflow runs down a pipe into a large drum.

These systems are relatively inexpensive. and are very flexible in the sense that the barrels can vary in sizes. These systems are easily installed and can be placed wherever is convenient and makes water available where wells are unsafe to be drilled, or river water is unsafe.

To aid the help of roof water collection, there are other types of materials that roofing can be used. These materials can be mass produced and distributed among the communities. Here are some examples.

Patrick Verkley
9 November 2010