A village in Laikipia County, Kenya, once faced a common problem in remote regions of Kenya. Their taps had run dry.
Being located in a far-flung region with limited infrastructure meant there was no technical assistance nearby, and it would take a long while for any to come their way.
Kathryn Bergmann, Director of Projects for Well Aware, an international nonprofit that addresses water scarcity and promotes sustainable water solutions in East Africa, explains that, given the circumstances, such a problem would ordinarily take weeks to resolve. Often, this meant a community would be forced to spend lengthy periods without water, incurring heavy repair bills.
Aware of the technical and geographical challenges facing such communities in remote areas, the firm developed the Well Beyond app, a mobile platform that connects them to technical support.
“The community in Laikipia County reported that there was no longer water coming from the faucet,” Bergmann told RESET.ORG. “Through our app, we helped them remotely troubleshoot the issue and repair it. In under two hours, their water system was working again.”
The app enables communities to diagnose and maintain their water systems and prevent these failures without relying on external help. This improves water system management and reduces overall downtime by empowering partner communities to handle small problems on their own.
Some typical problems that communities solve with the help of the app include filter replacements, leaking pipes and float switch issues. Water systems need regular maintenance, upkeep and replacement, which traditionally requires a technician visit. Bergmann said that, through the app, community members are trained to handle filter replacements and leaking pipes.
“For example, at Karaus Primary, clogged filters were addressed by sending replacements and the teachers successfully installed them using the instructions provided through the app”, she explained.
In addition, the Well Beyond app allows communities to manage their water systems even in areas with limited internet connectivity or offline environments.
“Once the app is downloaded, it becomes fully functional offline, ensuring greater accessibility for even the most remote and isolated populations in developing regions. If the community member is in a remote area with no connectivity or internet, the app can store the responses and data entered by users”, Bergmann added.
These stored responses are submitted to the dashboard when Wi-Fi or internet connectivity becomes available, ensuring that the data collected by the app is not lost even in areas with limited connectivity. This allows users to input information, such as maintenance checklists, service requests, and community impact reports, which are then securely stored until a reliable internet connection is established.
By being fully functional offline, the app is a sustainable tool for communities with limited internet connectivity, contributing to the long-term running of water projects in developing regions.
As happens with many novel applications of technology, the Well Beyond app has also faced a number of challenges. Among their principal challenges, the tool’s adoption was the biggest concern when the firm deployed the app.
“Many of the communities we work with are located in remote areas where smartphones and mobile apps have not been widely used for long enough for people to fully understand their usefulness”, stated Mesret Endale, the Project Manager & Engineer. “This means that integrating the app into their daily project monitoring and control routines takes time and requires training.”
To overcome this challenge, the firm implemented community training programs.
“We train three to four people in each community to manage the flow of information using the app. This not only helps the community members become familiar with the technology but also empowers them to take ownership of their water systems and resolve issues on their own.” By training community members, the firm saw a significant reduction in the downtime of water systems. Bergmann said this ensures efficient, real-time communication with the beneficiary communities. Currently, the firm has over 80 communities trained and using the app.
Being a charity, Well Aware funds its operations through donor support. Donating is straightforward and available from their website.
The app also provides access to complete project history in one location, including specifications, maintenance, reporting and any issues. The firm can oversee community progress, training completion, and knowledge gained while enabling data collection on water system success.
The AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) encourages African countries to leverage smart technologies to address their WASH challenges, particularly regarding water management. By using innovative digital technologies, Bergmann says many parts of the continent can effectively manage their well water systems and avert failure, a significant part of which results from a lack of maintenance and oversight.
" ["post_title"]=> string(84) "Well Beyond App Empowers People in Remote Kenya to Take Charge of Their Water Supply" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(193) "The Well Beyond App, a mobile tool by the international non-profit Well Aware, empowers communities in East Africa with water supply maintenance skills—particularly handy in remote regions. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(84) "well-beyond-app-empowers-people-in-remote-kenya-to-take-charge-of-their-water-supply" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-06-05 11:30:46" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-06-05 09:30:46" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(27) "https://reset.org/?p=112773" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [1]=> object(WP_Post)#7378 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(110066) ["post_author"]=> string(5) "21506" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2023-09-23 08:00:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-09-23 06:00:00" ["post_content"]=> string(9009) ""Bottling water and shipping it is a big waste of energy, so you better stop doing that. Water is water. If you want lemon flavour, throw in a slice of lemon. If you want bubbles, take a straw and blow." Radio presenter and writer Garrisson Keillor gets straight to the point—our obsession with bottled water, predominantly disposable PET bottles—are causing an ecological disaster. Many have called bottled water the greatest marketing gimmick of our time.
Manufacturers promise us a healthier and better life with their water. But do you actually know what's in your water bottle?
Anyone who wants to find out where the water in their bottle comes from should pay close attention to these labels. According to the European Commission, only water that comes from springs or underground water sources may be called spring and mineral water, whereas the term "table water" refers to nothing more than tap water. We are happy to pay double or triple the price for bottled water. But is it really better than water from the tap?
Both drinking water and bottled water are strictly controlled in Europe. The Drinking Water Ordinance in the EU, for example, stipulates that drinking water must not contain pathogens or other substances in concentrations that are harmful to health. The EU sets limits and quality requirements for 53 microbiological, chemical and physical parameters, based on the WHO guidelines.
In 2023, German consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest tested a total of 62 still, slightly sparkling and strongly sparkling mineral waters from various manufacturers. The result: the quality of bottled water is no better and there is usually no appreciably higher mineral content in it; tap water is generally just as good—or better. This is also the conclusion of the 2015 report by the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Environment Agency on the quality of drinking water in Germany.
2. Myth: Tap water is made from wastewater
The assumption that drinking water consists simply of purified wastewater can be easily dispelled: 64 percent of our tap water comes from natural sources (groundwater), 27 percent from surface water (rivers and lakes) and nine percent from spring water. Before it is fed into the supply network, it is treated by various processes to produce drinking water. Only in special cases is it necessary to disinfect the water with chlorine. Our wastewater, on the other hand, is discharged into bodies of water after treatment and thus returned to the cycle of nature, not into our water pipes.
3. Myth: Bottled water has an increased mineral content
Mineral and spring water is often advertised as having a higher mineral content than tap water. However, these minerals are usually not present in such high quantities to an extent where they would have a meaningful health impact. Most studies in Europe and the USA agree; the difference in mineral content between bottled and tap water is negligible and that the need for minerals is predominantly met by solid food.
4. There are other, less desirable components in bottled water
Plastic degrades. In fact, degraded, microscopic plastic bottle particles can pass into the water and change not only the taste but also its composition. In a study, the University of Frankfurt showed that mineral water from plastic bottles is contaminated with microplastics with hormonally active substances.
We can assume, therefore, that not only does tap water have similar health benefits to bottled, but that bottled water could actually have negative health implications. And, that's without taking into account the ecological impact of bottled water production, transport routes, and so on.
All you need is one product and five seconds before you head out of the door. A reusable, non-BPA bottle is a perfect solution to making sure you're hydrated on the road. Head to an outdoor store, larger supermarket or look online, there are many sizes, shapes and price points to choose from, and many of them can actually be quite stylish. Aluminium is a good material to go for as it's lightweight and contains no plastic.
If you don't like bottles, you should take a look at the Anti-Bottle from Vapur. Lightweight, flexible and practical—when the BPA-free anti-bottle is empty, it is simply rolled up and stored in a bag to save space.
Drinks in refillable bottles are the most environmentally friendly according to a study by the German Federal Environment Agency. If they come from regional suppliers, returnable PET bottles and glass bottles are on par. If long transport routes come into play, the eco-balance of refillable glass bottles deteriorates due to its weight.
The jury is out as to whether water filters are necessary. In any case, one should be careful with lead or zinc pipes in old buildings. An indication of lead pipes can be discolouration under dripping taps. You can have the quality of your own tap water checked with a water checker. Those in Germany, for example, can head to wasser.de, umwelt-checks.de, inlabo.de or wasserschnelltest.de.
Depending on your needs, there are different water filters:
In 2022, it was still unusual for the citizens of Germany to be asked to save water. However, forecasts, such as the OECD's Environmental Outlook for 2050 have been pointing out for years that water scarcity will become a problem worldwide without political countermeasures. In addition to setting and adhering to climate targets, it is the way we deal with water that has to change.
Worldwide, between 30 and 45 percent of treated fresh water is lost through burst and leaking pipes. Supply systems for fresh water can be very complex, particularly in the more population-dense areas. In Berlin, for example, treated water is transported via a network of pipes and pipelines that together are about 7,800 kilometres long — over 17,000 if we add sewers. If water leaks at any point, finding the weak spot is difficult.
The use of sensors that check water pressure in real time, immediately reporting any malfunctions, would be one way to stem this water loss. But how critical is the loss of fresh water?
Worldwide, the share of "non-revenue water", water that has been produced and is "lost" before it reaches the customer, is between 30 and 45 percent. However, the International Water Association (IWA) includes not only water losses due to real leaks but also apparent losses such as theft and measurement inaccuracies in this term, as well as water provided free of charge, for example for firefighting.
While the proportion of non-revenue water, or NRW for short, in Germany is between five and ten percent, depending on the source, other countries fare much worse. In both Norway and Croatia, for example, over 30 percent is lost in the public drinking water network. In Uganda and Italy it is even over 40 percent. England recorded losses of about one trillion litres of water due to leaking pipes in 2021 alone, according to the Guardian.
And, according to water scarcity forecasts, such losses may simply no longer be compensated for by a surplus of fresh water in the future.
In the coming years, more and more people will suffer from water scarcity. The causes are manifold, but are mainly made up of global warming, population growth and water pollution and overuse. While the demand for water, which is already barely sufficient in many regions, continues to rise, the availability of clean drinking water is decreasing all over the world.
Dry and particularly hot regions, such as aforementioned Uganda and Italy are particularly affected. German soils have also lost a total amount of water over the last 20 years, that's roughly equivalent to the volume of Lake Constance.
Losing water through leaks in supply systems is also associated with a higher environmental impact, as it not only causes consequential damage to resource-intensive infrastructure but also seeps into wastewater collection basins or into the ground. Recovery is then costly and increases the water supply's carbon footprint.
German start-up Pydro shows how networked sensors for detecting leaks in water pipes work. With the "PT1", it has developed a flow meter for water pipes that can supply itself with energy - and is already available on the market.
The meter, which is installed as a connector between two water pipes, is equipped with a ring propeller for this purpose. The water pressure in the pipes sets it in motion, which in turn causes the PT1 to draw current. According to the manufacturer, a low resistance is sufficient to supply sensors and transmission electronics with power. For the water circuit, this means only a small pressure loss of 0.2 bar.
The PT1 transmits the collected data to a server in real time via a mobile network. Pydro offers the monitoring of water networks as a service, including corresponding software and troubleshooting. As soon as an unusual drop in water pressure is detected, network operators can react immediately and precisely.
The fact that Pydros flowmeters generate their own electricity also solves the problem of decentralised monitoring systems. In order to ensure far-reaching monitoring, the sensors must also be able to be used in locations that are kilometres away from the power network. While energy supply is less of a problem in urban areas, Pydro's monitoring system brings the necessary independence from the power grid in rural regions or in countries with a low level of electrification. In addition to increased flexibility, the sensors also ensure monitoring during blackouts or prolonged power outages.
In future products, Pydro also wants to use its flow meters to control the flow of water. As Pydro founder Mulundu Sichone revealed in an interview for Frankfurter Runschau, this would reduce the load on water pipes. For water to be available as soon as the tap is turned on, as it is in Germany, there must be sufficient pressure in the pipes. The required overpressure at peak consumption times is one of the main reasons why leaks and damage occur in the first place.
Pydro has already been able to win important partners for the development of the PT1, including the German Federal Foundation for the Environment, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union. In addition, Pydro is one of 40 companies selected by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology to fight water scarcity in 2022.
The distribution of the Pydro PT1 is expected to increase to 8,200 systems by 2025, but many utilities in the founding country Germany are still reluctant. At the beginning of last year, Pydro's sensor network system was only used in Gelsenkirchen.
So, why are our water pipes not yet equipped with modern sensors?
Press spokesperson of Berlin water utility company Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Astrid Hackenesch-Rump, justified this in an interview with RESET. She says that the losses of fresh water in Berlin and in Germany are already very low. In the capital, only three percent of fresh water is lost in burst pipes and leaks. Accordingly, the strategy for maintaining Berlin's water network was already functioning sufficiently reliably.
Instead of sophisticated sensor technology, the previous strategy was based on empirical values about the materials used, past repairs and planned modernisation measures. Taking into account external influences such as the traffic volume over the lines, the network could also be reliably maintained using the current systems.
Moreover, upgrading existing lines with new sensors is not harmless. Installing something "foreign" in a safe system increases the risk of damage and contamination. Overall, the risk is too high to make it worthwhile to further optimise the already low losses.
Real-time monitoring of our water supply is therefore not the only way to deal with fresh water sufficiently without losses. However, Berliner Wasserbetriebe's strategy is based on data that has been meticulously recorded for many decades.
On the other hand, the water losses in other countries show very clearly that the leak detection systems used are unreliable everywhere. So new technologies could certainly be put to good use here.
The evaluation of the lost water as "non-revenue" also makes it clear that the loss of water is mainly discussed as a financial loss. Water utilities can easily pass this on to citizens through their pricing. Thus, there is insufficient financial pressure to minimise water losses.
The urgency of reducing freshwater losses with monitoring systems like the PT1 must therefore be discussed at the political level. While the lost water can currently still be compensated by surplus, this will almost certainly no longer be possible in many parts of the world in just a few years.
The potential of such technologies is great enough for this. According to Pydro founder Mulundu Sichone, decentralised monitoring in the water supply could save 13.5 billion litres of water and 27 million kilowatt hours of energy per day worldwide.
" ["post_title"]=> string(93) "The Steady Drip: How “Smart Water Monitoring” Could Equip Our Water Supply for the Future" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(124) "Forecasts have been pointing out for years that water scarcity will become a problem. Here's one start-up's smart solution. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(83) "the-steady-drip-is-smart-water-monitoring-equipping-our-water-supply-for-the-future" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2023-05-04 13:29:49" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-05-04 11:29:49" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(27) "https://reset.org/?p=107060" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [3]=> object(WP_Post)#7367 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(105711) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "390" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2022-11-21 12:14:16" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-11-21 10:14:16" ["post_content"]=> string(5807) "Water pollution continues to be a major problem across the planet, especially in the Global South. Currently, water pollution or scarcity affects around 2.8 billion people across the globe, and is responsible for around 80 percent of all illnesses.
Causes for weather scarcity and pollution are many-fold. Warm weather has increasingly dried up reservoirs, while freshwater rivers are at historic lows. The growth of agriculture - vital to feed an expanding population - has also placed more stress on water supplies, while irresponsible industrial processes pollute those which are available.
One solution to these problems is to turn to traditionally non-drinkable sources of water, such as the three-quarters of the planet which are salt-water seas and oceans. The desalination of this water could potentially provide for the needs of growing communities across the world.
One Polish startup, Nanoseen, is working to develop a simple, but effective non-powered means of removing both salt and contaminants from water sources. Their method employs a series of ‘NanoseenX’ membranes containing regulated and controlled pores ranging in size from about 0.1 nanometres to 0.8 nanometres. These holes are large enough to allow through water, but small enough to capture salt and any contaminants.
Around 30 different types of membrane have been developed from a combination of many types of nanomaterials each. Each of the membranes has been developed with a specific function in mind, and can be combined with others for increased levels of purification.
These membranes are inserted into a vertical cylinder through which water is passed. Depending on the salinity of the water and/or its level of contamination, anywhere between two or twenty of these membranes will be required. Each membrane has been designed to remove different sizes of contaminants, from larger physical objects, to pesticides, heavy metals and eventually viruses and nanoplastics.
Each membrane is expected to last for around 200 days of 24 hour work, and can be ‘regenerated’ up to 10 times, either using pure water, solar energy or compressed air. Nanoseen claim their approach can filter up to 1000 litres a day, although they are working to boost this amount by up to ten-times
The advantage of the NanoseenX system is the simplicity of its approach. No electricity or power is needed, as gravity alone can move the water through the cylinder. This makes it ideal for off-grid or rural communities without electrification, with Nanoseen claiming it is the only current desalination system capable of doing so. The system is also relatively rapid, with water passing through it in only two to five minutes, and affordable. Membranes cost between 0.08 and 0.5 USD each, and Nanoseen suggest their system can produce one litre of drinkable water for only 0.0001 USD.
Nanoseen’s approach is only one effort to harness the power of desalination to produce drinking water. Virginia Tech University has developed an interesting, innovative system which replicates the natural process of mangrove trees to suck seawater up into a filtration system without the need of mechanical power. Membranes themselves could also be used to generate electricity via osmotic processes. In these systems, water is used to apply pressure above or below a membrane, ultimately creating energy. However, developing a reliable, cost effective osmotic system is still being explored.
In addition to desalination and purification, Nanoseen has also applied its experience with nanotechnology to other sectors. In addition to membranes, it has also produced NanoboosteX, a plant accelerant designed to reduce fertilisers, and NanopowderX, a powder used to degrade plastics from salt and freshwater.
" ["post_title"]=> string(87) "Can Nanomembranes Provide Cheap, Safe Drinkable Water Without the Need for Electricity?" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(127) "Much of the world is wracked by water scarcity. Can high tech nano-engineering provide surprisingly simple and cheap solutions?" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(85) "can-nanomembranes-provide-cheap-safe-drinkable-water-without-the-need-for-electricity" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-11-21 12:14:28" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-11-21 10:14:28" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(27) "https://reset.org/?p=105711" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [4]=> object(WP_Post)#7404 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(103657) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "390" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2022-08-03 08:00:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-08-03 08:00:00" ["post_content"]=> string(11669) "Water scarcity is one of the greatest threats of our century. It now affects around 1.1 billion people worldwide, with 2.7 billion people experiencing shortages in at least one month of the year. Goal Six of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to achieve water supply and sanitation for all by 2030 - as inadequate sanitation conditions in some regions of the world in particular, caused in large part by water scarcity, are an acute problem for 2.4 billion people (Source: WWF). The WWF predicts that by 2025, two thirds of the world's population could experience water scarcity.
Scientists at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University are conducting research on how to counter this global problem and have taken their inspiration from nature. In many places, such as the sea, water is often available in huge quantities, but we cannot drink it because it is contaminated or has a high salt content. The researchers therefore resorted to a process used by mangrove trees on coastal strips. These trees can grow in the highly saline waters of the oceans, such as on the Indonesian island of Pari. There, they offer the added benefit of mitigating flooding on the small island by reducing the strong currents caused by steadily rising sea levels.
But how can something like this be replicated synthetically and, more importantly, scaled up? Conventional solar stills - not in themselves a new innovation - first suck up water through an absorbent material. The water is then heated by sunlight and evaporates, causing it to rise further. The water vapour then hits a sloping ceiling and condenses there, whereupon the water runs back into a collection tray in liquid form. Many innovative water purification devices today are based on this basic design.
The idea of taking inspiration from nature and developing tree-like designs is also not new. Similar devices usually use the so-called capillary action: liquid adheres to the edges of a small area and pulls other molecules upwards due to the internal binding of the liquid. This can be observed, for example, in the hairs of a paintbrush when they pick up paint, or when liquids seep into porous material such as plaster. The problem with this application, however, is that it is difficult to scale.
For this reason, the researchers at Virginia Tech have also turned to the process of transpiration. This basically follows the natural process when water is transported by the roots of trees through their trunks to the leaves. Solar radiation also plays an important role here. The process is based on a suction effect that occurs when, due to decreasing water potential - the availability of water in the air surrounding the plant - water is drawn up from the roots via the trunk in the plant. This happens because the water potential causes the water molecules to diffuse out of the plant into the air, which in turn increases the pressure on the molecules in the plant. Finally, the water is then released back into the air through evaporation via pores on the underside of the leaves.
The synthetic version of this process consists of 19 plastic tubes, each 6 centimetres high and 3.175 millimetres in diameter. The water rises in these tubes and is then released through a graphite-coated ceramic disk, which provides a surface for evaporation similar to the leaves of mangroves. The big goal is to create a brine effect so strong that the water can be pulled through a salt filter without needing a mechanical pump - just like how mangrove trees survive in salt water.
The researchers at Virginia Tech are by no means the only ones with the vision of producing clean drinking water quickly and on a large scale in the future. Students from the USA have developed a portable bottle based on a similar design. The bottle also has several other advantages: among other things, the students have attached a kind of "solar fin" to the outside of the bottle, which is supposed to increase the speed at which the water flows through the filter. This should also increase the transpiration rate and ensure that the process is faster.
Trees continue to provide inspiration for designs that mimic the natural process of water filtration. The "Warka Tree" is a device that corresponds to the local meteorological, geographical and social conditions of communities with severe water scarcity in Ethiopia. The design is inspired by the giant Ethiopian Warka fig trees and can collect fog, condensed water and also rainwater during rainy seasons. Fog is also collected in Morocco to provide clean drinking water for local communities. There, there is the largest "fog harvesting" system in the world, which consists of 600 metres of a vertical square net, solar pumps and 8 kilometres of pipes. The water collected is piped directly to local communities. This has the added benefit of not having to travel long distances of several kilometres to fetch water - a task that often falls to the more vulnerable young women and girls.
However, one of the key issues with synthetic trees, as with many of the innovative designs for water purification, is their scalability. Trillions of people worldwide suffer from water scarcity, threatening not only their immediate daily lives and food security, but also the agricultural economy and the environment as a whole. To address this scarcity, innovations need to be implemented on a large scale. The Virginia Tech team therefore sees the need to conduct further tests with larger trees, multiple "leaves" and different membranes - also to achieve the desired, sufficient brine effect for filtering salt water.
But technical and especially digital innovations are only a starting point in the fight against the global water shortage. On the other hand, this often also has political causes, is promoted by war and conflicts and especially by a lack of infrastructure. Therefore, innovations alone are not enough - structural action must also be taken.
" ["post_title"]=> string(53) "Can Synthetic Trees Help Solve Global Water Scarcity?" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(155) "Many innovative designs have experimented with producing clean water from contaminated or salt water. A new approach takes inspiration from mangrove trees." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(52) "can-synthetic-trees-help-solve-global-water-scarcity" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-08-02 06:59:04" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-08-02 06:59:04" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(27) "https://reset.org/?p=103657" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [5]=> object(WP_Post)#7406 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(38111) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "390" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2018-08-29 03:00:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2018-08-29 03:00:00" ["post_content"]=> string(4379) "A revolutionary computer-based prediction system has helped drastically reduce the number of cholera cases and deaths in war-torn Yemen.
According to the BBC, Yemen was home to 50,000 cases of waterborne diseases a month in 2017, with 2,000 sufferers - mostly young children - eventually dying from their illnesses. In 2018, that number has plummeted to around 2,500 a month and it’s possibly all thanks to a new computer prediction system that can spot outbreaks before they even happen.
The ongoing civil war in Yemen, which erupted in 2015, was greatly contributed to one of the largest cholera epidemics in recent years, with fighting destroying sanitation, sewage and water supplies across the nation. All told, this has lead to over one million cases of waterborne infection in 2017 - a number which massively strained the limited resources of aid workers on the ground.
Faced with this, the UK's Department for International Development worked closely with the Met Office weather service to develop a system which can predict likely outbreak locations, allowing charities and agencies to better concentrate their efforts and resources.
Firstly, the Met Office uses its weather satellites to monitor and track weather patterns over Yemen in order to locate future areas of particularly heavy rainfall. Such downpours can often overwhelm sewage and sanitation systems resulting in the contamination of drinking water and aiding the spread of disease.
This information is then fed through a computer model which can further highlight potential issue areas. The algorithm, developed by the University of Maryland’s Professor Rita Colwell and West Virginia University’s Dr Antar Jutla, takes into account additional information such as population density, seasonal temperature and local infrastructure and provides workers on the ground with a list of high risk locations.
Charities on the ground, such as Unicef, then use this data to better direct their operations, which frequently consist of distributing hygiene kits, chlorine tablets and jerry cans for water storage. Perhaps more importantly, workers also conduct local educational initiatives, teaching Yeminis basic sanitation as well as advice for drawing clean water. Although much of the aid provided on the ground is of a tried and trusted method, the computer model has allowed them to distribute it much more effectively - sometimes up to four weeks before heavy rainfall arrives.
Professor Charlotte Watts, chief scientific adviser for the Department of International Development accepts that other factors, such as local structures and geography, may have also had an effect on the reduction of cholera cases in Yemen. However, the reduction following the introduction of the prediction system is so marked, she believes it has also had a significant role in reducing the number of deaths and infections resulting from cholera.
Now, she hopes to develop the system further and possibly extend the warning period from four to eight weeks, allowing workers on the ground time to establish more robust solutions - such as vaccination programmes. Ultimately, she also hopes the system can be used to impact upon other illnesses also tied to weather patterns, such as malaria and dengue fever. Indeed, an American medical startup, AIME, is already working on such a system.
" ["post_title"]=> string(88) "The Computer System Helping to Predict Yemen's Cholera Outbreaks Before They Even Happen" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(146) "A revolutionary computer-based prediction system has helped drastically reduce the number of cholera cases and deaths in war-torn Yemen.
" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(82) "computer-system-helping-predict-yemens-cholera-outbreaks-they-even-happen-08282018" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-06-14 13:22:40" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-06-14 13:22:40" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(105) "http://reset.org/blog/computer-system-helping-predict-yemens-cholera-outbreaks-they-even-happen-08282018/" ["menu_order"]=> int(1344) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [6]=> object(WP_Post)#7407 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(37391) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "387" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2018-02-27 08:43:24" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2018-02-27 08:43:24" ["post_content"]=> string(3417) "
GraphAir, a new type of graphene developed in Australia, can remove salt and contaminants from water in one easy step.
According to statistics from the WHO, around 3 in 10 people worldwide (a whole 2.1 billion people) lack access to safe, readily available water at home. CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) scientists, in Australia, have now come up with a new type of graphene that can purify water in a cheap, simple and effective way.
Graphene is a carbon material, just one atom thick, and usually very expensive and tricky to make, using explosive compressed gases and vacuum processing. This version, made using soybean oil, is much easier and cheaper to produce than usual graphene but retains graphene's usual properties, making it much more commercially viable.
GraphAir is the name they've given to this material - a thin film with nano-channels that allow water to pass through but not pollutants. "In Graphair we've found a perfect filter for water purification. It can replace the complex, time consuming and multi-stage processes currently needed with a single step,” said CSIRO scientist Dr Dong Han Seo in a press release. He is also the lead author of a paper on GraphAir submitted and published in Nature Communications.
The paper shows the results of the different experiments using both a GraphAir biofilm sheet and a normal filter on polluted seawater from Sydney harbour. “Conventional water filter membranes used in water purification are made from polymers (plastics) and cannot handle a diverse mix of contaminants; they clog or allow contaminants to pass through, so they have to be separated out before the water is filtered,” the paper states.
When used by itself, a water filtration membrane becomes coated with contaminants, blocking the pores that allow the water through, but when the GraphAir membrane is added, it can clean even the highly polluted water from the Sydney port in one step. It continued to remove 99 per cent of contaminants, even when coated with pollutants “All that’s needed is heat, our graphene, a membrane filter and a small water pump. We’re hoping to commence field trials in a developing world community next year,” said Dong Han Seo.
According to WHO data, around 500,000 people die yearly from illnesses after drinking polluted water, most of them children. Consuming contaminated drinking water can cause diarrheal diseases (cholera, dysentery, polio, typhoid) and parasites, such as giardia, which can be lethal in areas with limited access to medical care. This technology could help to provide safe drinking water to those regions in a fast, cheap and sustainable way.
" ["post_title"]=> string(63) "New Cheap Graphene Filters Can Make Even Seawater Safe to Drink" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(125) "GraphAir, a new type of graphene developed in Australia, can remove salt and contaminants from water in one easy step.
" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(17) "graphair-02262018" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-06-09 13:48:11" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-06-09 13:48:11" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(40) "http://reset.org/blog/graphair-02262018/" ["menu_order"]=> int(1557) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [7]=> object(WP_Post)#7627 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(37336) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "390" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2018-02-14 04:00:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2018-02-14 04:00:00" ["post_content"]=> string(3559) "The solar-powered WADI tells communities when their water is safe to drink, reducing illness and carbon emissions at the same time.
For around 660 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, access to fresh, clean water is not something they can take for granted, with communities often needing to take extra steps to ensure their drinking water is thoroughly disinfected.
Water can be disinfected in several ways, such as via boiling or purification tablets, however one of the easiest and most cost effective methods uses the power of the sun. Now, an Austrian organisation, Helioz, has made this latter approach even easier to employ thanks to an innovative gadget named WADI.
WADI is designed to monitor the progress of disinfection in water undergoing the Solar Disinfection (SODIS) method. This process utilises the UV-A rays in sunlight to kill viruses, bacteria and parasites which are behind some of the most serious water-borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea. Water merely needs to be poured into plastic PET bottles and left out in the sunlight for around six hours to become disinfected.
However, although recommended by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Red Cross, the SODIS method isn’t perfect and it often requires an element of guesswork to ascertain whether water is fully disinfected, with different environmental conditions greatly affecting the time needed for the SODIS method to take effect - sometimes by as much as 24 hours.
The WADI device helps to remove this element of uncertainty by showing the level of disinfection on an easy-to-understand display. The small, solar powered device measures the the UV rays hitting the water, allowing it to calculate and display the progress of disinfection in any particular batch of water.
The WADI also has environmental benefits too. By helping to increase the efficiency and convenience of the SODIS technique, the traditional method of disinfecting water - boiling - has become less popular. This has lead to a reduction in wood burning, in turn reducing CO2 emissions, deforestation and the illnesses associated with burning fuel in enclosed spaces - another health issue that is already being tackled by a range of other innovative solutions.
Although simple in its design, the WADI could have major ramifications for world health, and help achieve two of the Sustainable Development Goals (#3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and #6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all) - the 17 targets that are set to guide global development until the year 2030. Currently, around an estimated 80% of all disease and death in the global South is attributable to water-borne virus and bacteria, while 50% of all hospital beds are occupied with individuals suffering from conditions brought on by drinking contaminated water.
" ["post_title"]=> string(78) "WADI: The Gadget Helping Communities Disinfect Water With the Power of the Sun" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(391) "The solar-powered WADI tells communities when their water is safe to drink, reducing illness and carbon emissions at the same time.
For around 660 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, access to fresh, clean water is not something they can take for granted, with communities often needing to take extra steps to ensure their drinking water is thoroughly disinfected.
" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(94) "wadi-simple-gadget-helping-communities-harness-power-sun-disinfect-contaminated-water-02122018" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-07-26 13:26:44" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-07-26 13:26:44" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(117) "http://reset.org/blog/wadi-simple-gadget-helping-communities-harness-power-sun-disinfect-contaminated-water-02122018/" ["menu_order"]=> int(1573) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [8]=> object(WP_Post)#7628 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(32976) ["post_author"]=> string(3) "350" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2015-05-15 06:42:58" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2015-05-15 06:42:58" ["post_content"]=> string(2671) "Water security issues affect the lives of millions in developing countries. A personal water filter system that purifies contaminated water as you drink it is helping to affordably alleviate water poverty in many places.
According to UN-Water, 85 percent of the world’s population lives in an area of high water scarcity. Meanwhile, “783 million people do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation.”
Stories out of devastating areas tell us how lives are being saved by SMART and sustainable humanitarian solutions that provide clean water and food to those who need it most. One of these solutions is Lifestraw, a personal portable device that houses a number of different filters and allows users to purify water using a 25-cm long device that functions like a straw, eradicating 99.9999 percent of bacteria and contaminants in the water. All you do is stick one end of the straw in water, suck liquid up and the filters inside remove the majority of harmful substances so that the water you consume is safe. Each device is built to clean about 18,000 litres of water over its lifetime, which equates to about three years worth of drinking water for a family of five people.
The Lifestraw is developed and manufactured by Vestaagard which sells the straws and other, larger-volume water-sanitising devices to outdoor adventurers. For each item sold, the company donates a water-purifying device to children in areas where clean water is scarce. Their Facebook page tells amazing stories of deploying the devices to communities and school kids and the team is quick to distribute the Lifestraw to areas that are experiencing the after effects of a disaster, such as the recent Nepal earthquake.
The device was awarded the best invention of the year in 2005 by Time magazine and has been recognised by numerous other publications, including Popular Science, The New York Times and Newsweek. This year, they are nominated by the The Humantiarian Water and Food Awards. The ceremony will be held in June 2015.
Head to the Lifestraw website for more information.
" ["post_title"]=> string(44) "Saving Lives with This Simple Water Purifier" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(227) "Water security issues affect the lives of millions in developing countries. A personal water filter system that purifies contaminated water as you drink it is helping to affordably alleviate water poverty in many places.
" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(44) "saving-lives-simple-water-purifiers-05152015" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2021-09-10 15:40:00" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2021-09-10 15:40:00" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(67) "http://reset.org/blog/saving-lives-simple-water-purifiers-05152015/" ["menu_order"]=> int(2782) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } } ["post_count"]=> int(9) ["current_post"]=> int(-1) ["before_loop"]=> bool(true) ["in_the_loop"]=> bool(false) ["post"]=> object(WP_Post)#7403 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(112773) ["post_author"]=> string(5) "21511" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2024-05-29 08:00:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-05-29 06:00:00" ["post_content"]=> string(8367) "A village in Laikipia County, Kenya, once faced a common problem in remote regions of Kenya. Their taps had run dry.
Being located in a far-flung region with limited infrastructure meant there was no technical assistance nearby, and it would take a long while for any to come their way.
Kathryn Bergmann, Director of Projects for Well Aware, an international nonprofit that addresses water scarcity and promotes sustainable water solutions in East Africa, explains that, given the circumstances, such a problem would ordinarily take weeks to resolve. Often, this meant a community would be forced to spend lengthy periods without water, incurring heavy repair bills.
Aware of the technical and geographical challenges facing such communities in remote areas, the firm developed the Well Beyond app, a mobile platform that connects them to technical support.
“The community in Laikipia County reported that there was no longer water coming from the faucet,” Bergmann told RESET.ORG. “Through our app, we helped them remotely troubleshoot the issue and repair it. In under two hours, their water system was working again.”
The app enables communities to diagnose and maintain their water systems and prevent these failures without relying on external help. This improves water system management and reduces overall downtime by empowering partner communities to handle small problems on their own.
Some typical problems that communities solve with the help of the app include filter replacements, leaking pipes and float switch issues. Water systems need regular maintenance, upkeep and replacement, which traditionally requires a technician visit. Bergmann said that, through the app, community members are trained to handle filter replacements and leaking pipes.
“For example, at Karaus Primary, clogged filters were addressed by sending replacements and the teachers successfully installed them using the instructions provided through the app”, she explained.
In addition, the Well Beyond app allows communities to manage their water systems even in areas with limited internet connectivity or offline environments.
“Once the app is downloaded, it becomes fully functional offline, ensuring greater accessibility for even the most remote and isolated populations in developing regions. If the community member is in a remote area with no connectivity or internet, the app can store the responses and data entered by users”, Bergmann added.
These stored responses are submitted to the dashboard when Wi-Fi or internet connectivity becomes available, ensuring that the data collected by the app is not lost even in areas with limited connectivity. This allows users to input information, such as maintenance checklists, service requests, and community impact reports, which are then securely stored until a reliable internet connection is established.
By being fully functional offline, the app is a sustainable tool for communities with limited internet connectivity, contributing to the long-term running of water projects in developing regions.
As happens with many novel applications of technology, the Well Beyond app has also faced a number of challenges. Among their principal challenges, the tool’s adoption was the biggest concern when the firm deployed the app.
“Many of the communities we work with are located in remote areas where smartphones and mobile apps have not been widely used for long enough for people to fully understand their usefulness”, stated Mesret Endale, the Project Manager & Engineer. “This means that integrating the app into their daily project monitoring and control routines takes time and requires training.”
To overcome this challenge, the firm implemented community training programs.
“We train three to four people in each community to manage the flow of information using the app. This not only helps the community members become familiar with the technology but also empowers them to take ownership of their water systems and resolve issues on their own.” By training community members, the firm saw a significant reduction in the downtime of water systems. Bergmann said this ensures efficient, real-time communication with the beneficiary communities. Currently, the firm has over 80 communities trained and using the app.
Being a charity, Well Aware funds its operations through donor support. Donating is straightforward and available from their website.
The app also provides access to complete project history in one location, including specifications, maintenance, reporting and any issues. The firm can oversee community progress, training completion, and knowledge gained while enabling data collection on water system success.
The AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) encourages African countries to leverage smart technologies to address their WASH challenges, particularly regarding water management. By using innovative digital technologies, Bergmann says many parts of the continent can effectively manage their well water systems and avert failure, a significant part of which results from a lack of maintenance and oversight.
" ["post_title"]=> string(84) "Well Beyond App Empowers People in Remote Kenya to Take Charge of Their Water Supply" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(193) "The Well Beyond App, a mobile tool by the international non-profit Well Aware, empowers communities in East Africa with water supply maintenance skills—particularly handy in remote regions. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(84) "well-beyond-app-empowers-people-in-remote-kenya-to-take-charge-of-their-water-supply" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-06-05 11:30:46" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-06-05 09:30:46" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(27) "https://reset.org/?p=112773" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["comment_count"]=> int(0) ["current_comment"]=> int(-1) ["found_posts"]=> int(9) ["max_num_pages"]=> int(1) ["max_num_comment_pages"]=> int(0) ["is_single"]=> bool(false) ["is_preview"]=> bool(false) ["is_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_archive"]=> bool(true) ["is_date"]=> bool(false) ["is_year"]=> bool(false) ["is_month"]=> bool(false) ["is_day"]=> bool(false) ["is_time"]=> bool(false) ["is_author"]=> bool(false) ["is_category"]=> bool(false) ["is_tag"]=> bool(false) ["is_tax"]=> bool(true) ["is_search"]=> bool(false) ["is_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_comment_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_trackback"]=> bool(false) ["is_home"]=> bool(false) ["is_privacy_policy"]=> bool(false) ["is_404"]=> bool(false) ["is_embed"]=> bool(false) ["is_paged"]=> bool(false) ["is_admin"]=> bool(false) ["is_attachment"]=> bool(false) ["is_singular"]=> bool(false) ["is_robots"]=> bool(false) ["is_favicon"]=> bool(false) ["is_posts_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_post_type_archive"]=> bool(false) ["query_vars_hash":"WP_Query":private]=> string(32) "8077f8a1c1ceb3503059dcac84062ca1" ["query_vars_changed":"WP_Query":private]=> bool(true) ["thumbnails_cached"]=> bool(false) ["allow_query_attachment_by_filename":protected]=> bool(false) ["stopwords":"WP_Query":private]=> NULL ["compat_fields":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(15) "query_vars_hash" [1]=> string(18) "query_vars_changed" } ["compat_methods":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(16) "init_query_flags" [1]=> string(15) "parse_tax_query" } ["query_cache_key":"WP_Query":private]=> string(84) "wp_query:e8d33e3fb62e67f9eb35e73510a9ab9c:0.18267800 17480747590.76074700 1748074691" } object(WP_Term)#7632 (11) { ["term_id"]=> int(13096) ["name"]=> string(14) "Drinking Water" ["slug"]=> string(14) "drinking-water" ["term_group"]=> int(0) ["term_taxonomy_id"]=> int(13096) ["taxonomy"]=> string(11) "custom_tags" ["description"]=> string(0) "" ["parent"]=> int(0) ["count"]=> int(9) ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" ["term_order"]=> string(1) "0" }The Well Beyond App, a mobile tool by the international non-profit Well Aware, empowers communities in East Africa with water supply maintenance skills—particularly handy in remote regions.
Water, water everywhere... By now, we know full well that our obsession with bottled water is damaging the planet. But, is it damaging us, too?
Forecasts have been pointing out for years that water scarcity will become a problem. Here's one start-up's smart solution.
Much of the world is wracked by water scarcity. Can high tech nano-engineering provide surprisingly simple and cheap solutions?
Many innovative designs have experimented with producing clean water from contaminated or salt water. A new approach takes inspiration from mangrove trees.
A revolutionary computer-based prediction system has helped drastically reduce the number of cholera cases and deaths in war-torn Yemen.
GraphAir, a new type of graphene developed in Australia, can remove salt and contaminants from water in one easy step.
The solar-powered WADI tells communities when their water is safe to drink, reducing illness and carbon emissions at the same time.For around 660 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, access to fresh, clean water is not something they can take for granted, with communities often needing to take extra steps to ensure their drinking water is thoroughly disinfected.
Water security issues affect the lives of millions in developing countries. A personal water filter system that purifies contaminated water as you drink it is helping to affordably alleviate water poverty in many places.
