In excess of 750 million people globally lack access to potable drinking water, and this leads to just less than one billion water-related deaths annually. The second largest cause of death in young children globally is as a result of diarrheal diseases attributed to the use of unsafe drinking water.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chlorine is “the most widely used, the most easily used, and the most affordable disinfectant,†and it is also “highly effective against nearly all waterborne pathogens.â€
Distributing chlorine to remote communities in the developing world is an ongoing task that this new device, which looks more like a child’s science-fair project than a solution to the global water crisis, will allow these communities to easily make the chlorine themselves.
The SE200 Community Chlorine Maker is an innovative little device that was created through a partnership between a non-profit global-health organisation PATH and an outdoor-equipment manufacturer, Mountain Safety Research, and could offer a simple, effective way to purify water to many remote communities across the developing world.
The device combines salt, water, and the electricity generated from a 12-volt battery to create a chlorine solution that can purify around 210 litres of water. All that it requires is that an individual pour a spoonful of salt and water into a container about the size of a soup-can, which then plugs into a car or motorcycle battery via a set of small jumper cables. The salt will naturally dissolve into sodium and chloride ions which transform into chlorine when the push of a button applies a small electrical charge.
The entire chlorination process takes a mere five minutes and anyone can do it, because MSR has made it user-friendly; the container lights up when the button is pushed and remains on throughout the entire process; smiley faces specify the proper solution mixture, and the instructions are in pictures.
“This technology is what happens when a world-class global health organization and a 40-year-old outdoor company set out to solve a problem,†said Laura McLaughlin, director of MSR’s Global Health division at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, where the SE200 was touted as one of the best new inventions.
MSR and PATH are busy developing a much larger “electrochlorinator†for use in disaster areas or at refugee camps, where there is great demand for larger volumes of water.
Rent watercooler and watercooler from Living-Water. Get bottled water cooler and rent water cooler in London.
