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A new solar-powered water disinfection system could revolutionise
the provision of clean water in developing countries, according
to a research team at Trinity College Dublin.
“The unit is low-cost and requires little or no energy to
run, so it’s ideal for use in remote locations where sunshine
is an abundant resource,” said Joanne MacMahon, who is doing
a PhD in environmental engineering.
“Contaminated drinking water kills over two million people
annually, mainly children under five,” she added. “A sustainable
water disinfection system for developing communities is vital
to ensuring that we do not allow these horrifying statistics
to continue.”
Ms MacMahon said a pilot project using the continuous-flow
solar water disinfection system was implemented in the rural
village of Ndalani in Kenya in 2008 and worked successfully
for more than a year, with “very positive feedback” from locals.
On a visit to the project last July, she found ongoing drought
in the region had “crippled the system due to the shrinking
water table”. Women in the village must now make a 14km round
trip to collect poor-quality drinking water.
“We are currently trying to raise €22,000 through Fundit
to drill a borehole to tap the water table,” she said. This
would give the 600 people in Ndalani ready access to clean
water and allow for the system to be rolled out elsewhere.
“Clean, reliable water is only €22,000 away and the results
of this pilot programme will allow us to bring our system
to other communities in desperate need of it. Our target works
out at less than €37 per villager, or €1,000 per metre for
the 22m borehole.”
Ms MacMahon said the TCD research team was seeking to contact
potential donors and run fundraisers to meet a February 14th
deadline. “We would love to enlist corporate sponsors in both
the current project in Kenya and also in future pilots in
other locations.”
Source - The Irish Times
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