From Ananda Mallawatantri, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sri Lanka
Posted 10 May 2011
I am working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka on the Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Management Programmes.
UNDP Sri Lanka is supporting communities to improve their access to safe drinking water in different parts of the country. In some areas the water has high concentrations of fluorides, and metals such as calcium, magnesium, cadmium and iron. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has been observed in some of the areas. The general idea is that CKD is induced or connected with water quality although it has not been scientifically proven. The pH level of water also ranges from 6 to 8. Some people use aluminium pots for cooking and one hypothesis is the formation of aluminium fluoride complexes that are responsible for CKD.
The average family size in these areas is about four to five members and a typical community has about 20 households. Communities use dug wells or surface water bodies as the source for drinking water. UNDP Sri Lanka is looking at options to provide low cost water purification methods for the communities. I am writing to seek inputs from Community members on:
- What are the available water purification systems/technologies that can be provided to individual households or communities that are easy to build and operate?
- Are there low cost filters available that are easy to maintain and operate with less energy?
Your inputs will help us in devising community level water purification methods.
See the below attachment for response