Clean Water

By: Josephine Hong

Water Cycle

So What is the Crisis?

Quick Facts
884 million people lack access to safe water supplies 3.575 million people die each year due to water-related disease Only 62% of the worlds population has access to improved sanitation Women spend thousands of hours each year collecting & carrying water 70% of the worlds freshwater supply goes to agriculture

For Developing Countries

Clean water sources are usually miles away Hours wasted Children and Women Only source of purification is boiling WaterGuard

Contaminants in Water
Two categories- Chemical & Microbial Attempting to remove all would be extremely costly Concentration of contaminants is the main determinant Health Effects

Chemical Contaminants
Most associated with chronic, long-termed health effect All drinking water contain mineral dissolved from Earth Usually result of human activity Such contaminants extensively being studied

More effort to prevent these from entering water supply

Nitrates
Used as plant nutrients Enter water from fertilizer runoff, human sewage, and livestock manure Immediate threat to children under 6 months MCL is 10 ppm

Microbial Contaminants
Microbes (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, parasites) Found in untreated surface water supplies Turbidity Some microorganisms can be pathogens

Waterborne diseases
Pathogens usually from intestinal tract of living creatures Water becomes contaminated by feces that carry these microbes Examples of waterborne pathogens include Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella, specific type of Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter

Infectious Diarrhea
Having 3 or more loose or liquid stools per day, or as having more stools than is normal for that person Viral
Norovirus - most common in adults Rotavirus- most common in children under five years old

Bacterial
Campylobacter

Water-based Diseases
Parasites (flukes, tapeworms, roundworms and tissue nematodes) Usually not fatal, but impair ability to work and prevent normal living Prevalence increases with dam construction Examples of common parasites Entamoeba histolytica, Dracunculus medinensis

Solutions to Crisis
Biosand Water Filters Freshwater Wells Rainwater Catchment System

Freshwater Wells
An underground structure created by digging or drilling to access groundwater in aquifers Groundwater
Free from pathogens No suspended particles Requires no treatment for usage

Installing a Well
Hydro-geologist must locate good supply of water Rotary Mud Pump Drilling Method to dig borehole Top three meters of borehole sealed with concrete and gravel Hand pump installed

Rainwater Catchment System

Aka rainwater harvesting To accumulate and store rainwater for reuse Generally collected from roofs of houses Usage of water

Pros
Inexpensive Flexible system Easily repaired Reliable Can be used to refill aquifer (for well)

Cons
Constant maintenance Requires more ground space Roof materials and airborne pollutants

BioSand Water Filters

Simple contraption that solely uses sand and gravel Dramatically reduces bacteria, viruses and parasites Uses slow sand filtration technology Produces water at a slow, constant rate flow

How does it work?

Diffuser plate Biological later- top 2 cm sand layer Mechanical Trapping Adsorption Natural death

Benefits
No need for electricity No moving parts Low maintenance Easy to assemble/ Portable

Works Cited
"Bring Clean Water to Africa - The Water Project." 2006.http://thewaterproject.org/ (accessed June 7, 2011). "Hydraid BioSand Water Filter." http://www.hydraid.org/index.htm (accessed June 7, 2011). Katz, Soloman H. "Safety of WaterEncyclopedia of Food and Culture". 3. (2003), 516-521, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true & prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=nvrhsot&tabID=T003&searchId=R5&resultListType=RESULT 3403400605&&docId=GALE|CX3403400605&docType=GALE&role=. (accessed June 7, 2011). Lerner, Brenda W. "Water-borne DiseaseInfectious Diseases: In Context". 2. (2008), 895-898, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true & prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=nvrhsot&tabID=T003&searchId=R5&resultListType=RESULT _LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=9&contentSet=GAL E%7CCX3045200257&&docId=GALE|CX3045200257&docType=GALE&role=. (accessed June 10, 2011).

Works Cited
Lerner, Brenda W. "World Water CrisisMedicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources". (2006), 346-347, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do? sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true& prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=nvrhsot&tabID=T003&searchId=R3&resultListType=RESU LT _LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&contentSet =GAL 2011). Schlager, Neil. "The Hydrologic CycleScience of Everyday Things". 4. (2002), 369-375, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inP S=true& prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=nvrhsot&tabID=T003&searchId=R8&resultListType=RESU LT _LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet =GAL E%7CCX3408600224&&docId=GALE|CX3408600224&docType=GALE&role=. (accessed June 13, 2011). "Water.org." 1990.http://water.org/ (accessed June 7, 2011).