Clean Water, Clean World
Lack of access to safe, sufficient, sanitation and hygiene facilities has a devastating effect on the health, dignity and prosperity of billions of people [1], with unsafe water sources resulting in a total of 1.2 million deaths each year [2]. This issue - which primarily affects low and middle income countries - must be resolved. Contaminated water can transmit diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and polio, and is estimated to cause 485,000 diarrhoeal deaths each year [3]. By 2025, it is predicted that half of the world's population will be living in water-stressed areas if serious action is not taken by then [3].
To address this problem, I am trying to find a sustainable and cost-effective way to purify the water in low-income countries [4]. The inspiration for my project came from reading the news and learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goals. At school, my class and I were watching a documentary about life in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is low water supply. With a population of 50 million, 32% of Kenyans rely on poor quality water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells and rivers. The route is not always safe due to certain wild animals such as lions and elephants. After watching this documentary, I felt really upset and knew that something had to be done about this. In my research, I then learned that it is mainly women who have to walk to collect water [5], and the nearest water supply can be 6 kilometres away or more [6].
Currently, there are solutions to this issue. Water taps have been installed in streets, however, the issue is that low and middle income countries have less money to spend on hygiene and general safety of residents. While many people, especially in high income countries, have water supplied straight to their home, thousands of people use just one tap in Nairobi - imagine how many people have to share it! The starting point of this issue is with the amount of money countries have available to spend on infrastructure and development.
Creating a Solution to Dirty Water
Figure 1 - Water filter. Filter consists of a plastic bottle containing several layers of different materials, with clean water which has been passed through these layers in the bottom of the bottle.
Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation calls for availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. For my project to help achieve SDG 6, I created a water filter (Fig. 1), which uses different materials to filter out different contaminants in the water. I experimented to find the most effective combination of materials that filter the water, and used materials that are cheap and easy to source, ensuring the water filter is low-cost.
To create the water filter, I used coal, sand, cotton wool, gravel, and some dirty, muddy water. The water is purified by passing it through several layers, and I experimented with many filtration products, learning new methods along the way. Through creating my filter, I learned about the different sediments present in dirty water. Typically, there may be grass, mud and other tiny sediments in unhygienic water. Parts of the grass and mud can be removed easily as they are large sediments. I needed small granules to remove the smaller particles, therefore, I used sand. The sand is the first substance that the water passes through, this is only to remove microscopic dirt from the water. Next, the water will go through the coal (specifically, activated carbon). At this stage, chlorine particles get filtered out as well. When chlorine comes into contact with activated carbon, both molecules react to form chloride ions, effectively removing chlorine from water. The gravel filters out bacteria. Finally, the cotton wool removes any remaining sediments leaving clean water which, to be safe to drink, should be boiled before drinking. To test the water, I used a water home test kit - I found this was the easiest method and it gave me results that were useful in making a conclusion.
Project Success, Challenges and Implementation
During my project, the main problem I encountered was in certain testing processes when the water was visibly clear, but the microscopic sediments were not removed. I spotted this issue by using water test strips [7]. To resolve this problem I realised there had to be one layer which would be able to remove the microscopic sediments in order to have a successful outcome of water which was safe to drink. This water filter also had some limitations since it is a relatively slow process and not fully effective because the water still has to be boiled before it can be drunk. However, my filter was a cheap solution to improving water quality, as it cost around £2 to make.
This project was created on a small scale, but there would be barriers to creating it on an industrial scale, as it would be difficult to source such a large quantity of these materials and the materials are not very sustainable either. I therefore believe that this kind of water filter is best for individual use and at a smaller scale such as filtering your own water to drink to save money, and to have some fun with a cool DIY project.
This project is especially important to help people who do not have access to clean drinking water. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people (785 million) still lack basic services, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water [8]. Everyone should have access to a water supply which is easily accessible and hygienic [9]. Clean water is a right not a privilege!
The next step for my project is to create a leaflet about how to create your own water filter at home and how to test the water that you drink. This way, people will gain knowledge about how important clean water is and will be able to eventually make a difference at a large scale compared to just making a small working model at home!
Conclusion
Overall, this project helps address the issue by being an easily available and creative method to clean water. I found doing this project very insightful and I enjoyed testing out the different methods. I also learnt many new skills such as improvising (adjusting a few items as per the availability), and the knowledge I gained will help me in the future if I have a career in this field! The main learning I would take away from this project would be to never waste water!
Finally, the advice I would give to other young people to do something similar would be to focus on issues faced on a daily basis or even global issues to which you can find small solutions to. Be innovative and don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
References
[1] Anon, “Water, Sanitation and Hygiene,” United Nations, n.d. [Online]. Available: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene/. [Accessed 16 June 2021].
[2] H. Ritchie and M. Roser, “Clean Water,” Our World in Data, September, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/water-access. [Accessed 16 June 2021].
[3] Anon, “Clean Water,” World Vision, n.d. [Online]. Available: https://www.worldvision.org/our-work/clean-water. [Accessed 16 June 2021].
[4] Anon, “Water Filtration Challenge,” NASA, n.d. [Online]. Available: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/water-filtration-challenge/. [Accessed 18 May 2021].
[5] Anon, “Water and Gender,” United Nations. [Online]. Available: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/gender/. [Accessed 26 June 2021].
[6] K. Sakakeeny, “World Water Day: How far would you walk for water?,” Oxfam, March 21, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/world-water-day-how-far-would-you-walk-water/. [Accessed 17 July 2021].
[7] Fresh Water Systems, “How Can I Test My Water at Home with a Water Test Kit?,” YouTube, March 19, 2019. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6mrmVUtdg. [Accessed 18 May 2021].
8] Anon, “Drinking-water,” World Health Organization, June 14, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water. [Accessed 16 June 2021].
[9] Anon, “Human Rights to Water and Sanitation,” United Nations, n.d. [Online]. Available: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights. [Accessed 18 May 2021].
