Oz scholars to offer potable water kits in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is a region of 79.79 million of people. Water management significantly limits it’s development and is a critical requirement for future growth. 

The self-assembly kits make use of sunlight and gravity, some clever design and basic materials to produce up to 10 litres/day of safe drinking water. 

The university on Tuesday launched its first official crowdfunding project to fund the research, which will be needed to design and produce the kits, an official statement said here. The university aims to raise 30,000 Australian dollars to produce 1000 kits. 

A donation of 30 dollars will provide one water purification kit to a family in Rajasthan, which can convert up to 10 litres of contaminated water into fresh drinking and cooking water per hour.

It has been estimated that 680 million people around the world do not have access to fresh drinking water, and approximately 1.5 million people, predominantly children, die from drinking contaminated water every year, project leader Cris Birzer, Senior Lecturer in University’s School of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Humanitarian and Development Solutions Initiative at the University, said. 

“These kits use sunlight to kill pathogens, making the water safe to drink. But in India, the water also contains heavy-metal contaminants and we need to do some onsite pathogen, heavy metal and other toxin assessments to be able to modify the kits for Rajasthan,” Birzer said. 

The original water purification kits were developed by Birzer, his colleagues and students using glass tubing, metallised plastic and sunlight. The system makes use of UVA radiation direct from the sunlight to kill pathogens in the water. 

A team of researchers, including engineers, microbiologists and anthropologists, will visit Rajasthan to engage with local communities and conduct assessments on local water quality, manufacturing capabilities and supply-chains before returning to Adelaide to develop and implement a customised solution. 

“Once we know exactly what heavy metals and other contaminants are present, we’ll be able to modify the kit design with, for example, sand filters to remove other contaminants,” Birzer said.