Designing For Disaster "Purify" Water Filtration System

Rationale

The reasoning for the “Purify” water filtration system is to provide a filter and filtration system that the user can understand the sources from which it is made and lastly estimated that if the current situation of lack of sanitation and clean drinking water continue in the majority of the world between 34 and 76 million people will perish from water related diseases by 2020.

The World Health Organisation have stipulated that the main types of water related diseases effecting the 3d world are: Waterborne diseases: caused by the ingestion of water contaminated by human or animal faeces or urine containing pathogenic bacteria or viruses; include cholera, typhoid, amoebic and bacillary dysentery and other diarrheal diseases. Water-washed diseases: caused by poor personal hygiene and skin or eye contact with contaminated water; include scabies, trachoma and flea, lice and tick-borne diseases. Water-based diseases: caused by parasites found in intermediate organisms living in contaminated water; include dracunculiasis, schistosomiasis, and other helminths.

The ‘Purify’ water filtration system is unique in the way in which it operates and the support it gives entire communities. Firstly the purify filter is made on site by trained locals with the supervision by village elders. The filters are then sold to locals, and the way in which locals earn money is by collecting the resources to make the filters. For example the resources required are: Terracotta Clay, Organic leaf material such as used coffee pods and tealeaves, manure and dirty water required. So the system creates a second source of income for members of the community while also reducing the incidence of water related diseases allowing community members to live with less sickness to live more normal lives.

Originally the “home made” ceramic filter was developed by Dr. Fernando Mazareigos, a Guatemalan chemist, the Ceramic Water Filter combines the filtration capability of ceramic material with the anti-bacteriological qualities of colloidal silver. The only problem with this system is getting access to colloidal silver and therefore this system is not very sustainable in the sense that it is not self-perpetuating and requires constant monitoring and resources to maintain. And in 2005 Tony Flynn of Australian National University developed the filter that the ‘purify’ water filtration system is based and requires no chemical or physical additives so it allows a sustainable system by which once the knowledge is emparted and the means by which these filters can be created communities require little to no support to maintain a clean water source. Tests with the deadly E-coli bacterium have seen the filters remove 96.4 to 99.8 per cent of the pathogens in the water, which will drastically reduce disease its spread and its threat on lives.

Once the filters have been used they can be recycled by being crushed sieved into various levels of coarseness from small stones to fine sand and then in series can be reused as a particulate filter.

Reflection

This project I felt was very fulfilling as it was the first time we designed for other people to live, survive and rebuild during and after disasters. Also the needs that we were addressing are absolutely vital to their lives and so it was no longer just designing aesthetically pleasing products but products that could enhance the users quality of life to one more acceptable as we are all of one human race and no person should have all of there basic human rights denied due to the situation and context in which they live.

The ‘Purify’ water filtration system was a very satisfying project to undertake as I have been in contact with some communities you most filter there water before drinking and the reaction that the users have and the appreciation the have for such a basic right is incredible, something that we here in Australia take for grant billions of people world wide are denied everyday and if the ‘purify’ filter could just impact on one community I would feel the product was a success. I found this project to be the one that I was most motivated to do as the purpose of it was more important than to make an aesthetic object. To impact on the lives of people in a positive way on a daily basis is something that I aspire to achieve as a designer.