Some Ways To Make Water Safe For Human Consumption

Some Ways To Make Water Safe Human Consumption

Sterilizing water is becoming more and more important due to the lack of access to clean water in some areas around the world, which has led to a number of water sanitation strategies. Globally more than 785 million people do not have access to basic water services, and more than 884 million do not have safe drinking water. There are many reasons for this – such as extreme poverty, natural disasters contaminating water, lack of physical clean water reserves, etc – but one thing is certain: it is important to invest in clean water and sanitation solutions for these regions as soon as possible. By obtaining and purifying water from clean water resources, we can save and improve the quality of life of millions of people. There is no one, best way to purify water, but below are several possible ways.

Water sanitation strategy

Protect natural springs - Natural springs can be easily contaminated so building a spring box or house around them to keep out animals, leaves and debris greatly reduces the chances of contamination. The spring water can then be piped into a holding tank. However, the springs are open to groundwater runoff, which easily contaminates them, and must be regularly monitored and protected. Therefore, they are not among the most effective clean water and sanitation solutions.

Install sand dam – A reinforced cement wall built across a river of sand, a sand dam helps to block runoff water in the river bed and store clean water in the soil. A dam is capable of storing millions of liters of water and supplying clean water to hundreds of people, ultimately making it only semi-reliable in solving the water crisis

Self-sustainable sterilizing water technology — a European-African alliance recently developed a water purification system for rural Africa that removes pathogens from water; Thus, purifying chemical contaminants and acting as a water disinfectant. The technology is self-sustaining and easy to use, but is still fairly new, as only two units are currently in use: one in Mozambique and one in South Africa.

Rehabilitate old wells - clean well, well, well (no pun intended). However, many—especially in Africa—that used to be effective are no longer operational due to aging and use. Therefore, rehabilitating them so that they can function again is a viable water sanitation strategy. Methods for reconstructing wells include building a wall around the top with a reinforced concrete drainage apron that prevents surface water from draining into the well. However, unfortunately, well water cleaning and constant maintenance are required to ensure that they remain effective.

Construction of new wells- Instead of rehabilitating old wells, construction of new wells is also a viable water sanitation strategy. Each well costs about $8,000 USD and can serve about 2,000 people. However, like the reconstruction of old wells, new wells need to be constantly maintained, to disinfect the well water and to ensure that it does not become contaminated.