Abstract
Abstract Given the need for treating polluted drinking water, our NGO Easy Water for Everyone has produced pure water in remote villages without power and achieved health benefits. With the goal of reaching more needy populations we report our experience and successful implementation in Ghana. In 20 villages polluted water is pumped every few days to an elevated water tank connected to a filtration device leading to a faucet. Repurposed hemodialyzers with polysulfone membranes, having a filter pore size of 0.003 micrometres, prevent passage of pathogens. Gravity from a 3 m height pushes water through the membrane whenever the faucet is open. Backflushing of the hemodialyzer membrane three times daily removes built-up organic material and maintains flow rates of 250 L/hour for at least two years. Filtered water has been culture-negative. Management of problems and optimization are reported. The five-year cost per village of <1,500 population averaged <2 US$ per day.
Highlights
Surface water is often polluted with parasites, bacteria and/or viruses that can cause serious health issues (Piper et al )
Having recently documented initial significant public health benefits in Ghana using our novel filtration system based on use of reprocessed once-used polysulfone hemodialyzers (Raimann et al ), we report here further experience with this relatively simple technique for the preparation of drinking water from polluted river water in villages, where electrical power is lacking
The Ghana Standards Authority certified that the filtration system derived filtered water fulfilled the requirements of the Ghana Standard Water Quality – Specifications for Drinking Water
Summary
Surface water is often polluted with parasites, bacteria and/or viruses that can cause serious health issues (Piper et al ). Diarrhea is a common result of drinking water polluted with pathogens and is associated with markedly elevated mortality risk, in children (Levine et al ). Pollution of drinking water is magnified near slow-flowing rivers and stagnant waters in villages where sanitation facilities are unavailable and when farm animals are nearby. Purification of water from such contamination is feasible and highly effective when electricity or solar power is available (Peter-Varbanets et al ). Electricity is often not available in remote villages of developing countries, where a substantial proportion of their populations lives. In the absence of power, alternative approaches currently used worldwide include biosands providing some decontamination, and the addition of antiseptic agents such as chlorine to kill remaining pathogens (Clasen et al ). The monitoring of levels of toxic antiseptic agents may identify low levels indicating unsafe drinking water, while high levels may make the water unpalatable and lead individuals to choose unsafe water
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