CLEAN WATER FOR THE MASSES

Technologies that may improve resource accessibility – Sashan Rodrigo reports

We should consider ourselves lucky to live on the only planet in our solar system that has water (yes, Mars is still a dead planet!). More than 70 percent of Planet Earth’s surface is covered in water although only a small percentage (between 0.75-1%) of it can be used for human purposes.

As a race, we have failed to preserve resources that are essential for our survival with water being one of them. For everyone to enjoy basic sanitation and water supplies, the World Bank estimates that countries will have to spend around US$ 150 billion annually.

The situation seems to be quite dire as nations – especially developing countries – don’t have that kind of cash lying around.

This is where human innovation steps in…

While we may be good at destroying things on our planet, we’re also the only beings who can prevent its collapse into a desert ‘hellscape.’

Imagine producing water from thin air. A company in the US is doing exactly that by using solar panels to capture and condense moisture from the air to produce water. The product is sterilised and mineralised so that it’s potable. Two panels can produce 10 litres a day, which is sufficient for an average family’s daily water needs.


The only negative (and probably most important drawback) is the cost, which is approximately 2,000 dollars a panel and far too expensive for most of us. However, it is a great idea and if the cost could be reduced, mass deployment of these panels would be a no-brainer especially since they literally create water from air.

In India, there’s a company that designs and manufactures water purifiers based on the region it is targeting. The company uses IoT based solar powered purifiers to treat water. Problems vary in each area, ranging from excessive fluoride content to high arsenic concentration. Therefore, each purifier is designed and engineered according to area specific treatment concentrations. In 2018, the company catered to around 200,000people in both urban and rural areas, charging one Indian Rupee for a glass and Rs. 5 for a litre of water at its ‘water ATMs.’

In 2016, a 16-year-old schoolgirl from South Africa won the Google Science Fair competition by developing a cheap and super absorbent material using orange peels. South Africa’s drought and water issues are severe, and the ability of soil to retain water in periods of scarcity is invaluable for adaptation to these conditions. At the time of the fair, the technologies available were expensive and nonbiodegradable.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been progress in terms of deploying this technology to the masses but a solution that requires orange peels is bound to be a winner when it comes to cost-effectiveness.

The moringa olifeira seed – a.k.a. murunga or drumstick tree – is known for its Ayurvedic properties but it can also purify water.

However, there are a few issues – a large amount is needed to purify enough water for a family and the seed has a limited lifespan of less than 24 hours when it comes to purification due to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) left behind. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University discovered an answer to the problem through the use of a medium known as ‘f-sand.’

F-sand uses parts of plants and silica particles that are widely available in developing regions to eliminate the need to replace the seeds every 24 hours. The medium was developed by extracting seed proteins from the moringa oleifera plant and adhering them to the surface of silica particles, which is the principal component of sand. If implemented successfully, this solution is cheap, and can be used in many subtropical and tropical climates.

There are other technologies around the world that haven’t been covered here. Notable mentions are the Omni Processor sewage treatment process funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which converts wastewater into potable water and desalinates through reverse osmosis. The high cost of both technologies however, is a negative factor when it comes to mass deployment.

A common issue with most of these technologies is the barriers to mass scale deployment, which include high costs, a lack of technical capacity in the implementing area, marketing and promotion of the technology, and insufficient regulatory support. There is no panacea for water issues globally, and diverse regions require different remedies depending on the resources available as well as the climate.

Expensive centralised water treatment systems may work for cities but to reach a majority of the population and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which covers clean water and sanitation, decentralised treatments using affordable solutions will be the best option.

When it comes to water treatment, supply and mass distribution, it’s often the simplest solution that will achieve success.