PURE WATER THROUGH THE "STRAW"-A NEW TECHNOLOGY

Safe drinking water is a universal problem and most parts of the world suffers due to limited access to safe water. While urban house holds have some sort of public water supply with relatively better quality, it is the rural population which suffers grievously on account of water shortage and indifferent water quality. There appears to be a vested interest in keeping the water unsafe which is being exploited by the water bottling industry to amass massive fortunes in practically all countries and the use of bottled water has become so omnipotent that even in areas where water is safe for consumption, people seem to have developed the habit of consuming only branded water. Availability of water purification gadgets makes it easy for urban families for processing the supplied water into comparatively cleaner water for daily consumption. Here is an innovation reported recently that is just a straw fitted with simple filters for drawing clean water from any water source.

"Now it can be good business as well. If you are a hiker or camper, you may have heard about Vestergaard Frandsen's LifeStraw. It's a hollow stick equipped with a series of filtering membranes. You put the end of the stick in a river or puddle ─ or a toilet, for that matter ─ and suck on it. By the time the water hits your lips, it is clean and safe ─ its filters are fine enough to trap virtually all bacteria, viruses and parasites. The product has a bigger cousin called the LifeStraw Family. You hang it on your wall, pour dirty water in the top, open the tap and clean water comes out the bottom. No power or replacement parts are required. Each unit cleans about 18,000 liters of water ─ enough for a family for three years. The market cost of the unit averages out at a penny per ten liters of water purified.Vestergaard Frandsen will distribute the LifeStraw Family for free. It is helping to sponsor a traveling campaign through the western part of Kenya set for April, 2011, that will reach 4 million families. The campaign bundles various products ─ each family that attends will get insecticide-treated bednets to protect against malaria, AIDS tests and counseling and a free LifeStraw Family".

The efforts by the above company is laudable and serving millions of families in a country like Kenya is a logistical nightmare. Though the contraption is claimed to be efficient in filtering the water to make it free from all bacteria, viruses and parasites, independent verification may be necessary before it can become a commercial success. This is especially critical when one hears about the indifferent performance of almost all brands of water purifiers, now being marketed, in keeping out all disease causing vectors.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com