World water day: are filters the future?

780 million people still lack access to clean drinking water. A new breed of filter could change that but must be made more affordable alongside wider sanitation effortsSince 1990 more than 2 billion people have gained access to improved water sources. It's a huge achievement that has saved thousands of lives, but the biggest challenge will be getting water to the remaining 780 million, many of whom live in the most remote and underdeveloped places on earth.Another considerable but necessary task is to provide clean water to those hit by humanitarian disasters. According to the UK government, diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation account for 80% of deaths in children under two during humanitarian emergencies.One easy to deliver solution that NGOs are now using is the Sawyer water filter. The simple system, which comprises a bucket with a thin hose attached to a nozzle, can clean a million gallons of water. Given that a child needs only 14,600 gallons in a lifetime, the system can offer clean water for life.The filters are based on the technology used in kidney dialysis machines. Each filter is made up of tiny micro tubes with pores hundreds of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. These pores remove deadly bacteria and allow only clean water to pass through for drinking. The filter effectively eliminates cholera, typhoid, E coli, amoebic dysentery, and many other bacterial contaminants. Water from rivers, ponds, puddles and rainwater can be filtered th...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: Global health innovation Guardian Professional World news Society Water Access to water Features Hygiene Global development professionals network Environment Humanitarian response Sanitation Science Source Type: news