# data[].attributes.body
Also, the Fillable Bucket and water wells. Creative thinking strategies for making water solutions. (Ms Strunks)

# data[].attributes.body
PUR is an advanced water filtration system where you put water inside  and it puts out clean water https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1513304/

# data[].attributes.body
this bucket is a really good idea for dirty water

# data[].attributes.body
Solutions for dirty water problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The problem may seem big. The problem may seem huge. To many the problem is unsolvable, but not to some. Some view this crisis coming to an end soon. Some are trying to solve the problem. The only way to tackle a huge problem like this is to start chipping away and it will get done. Many dream of a world where everyone has the right to clean water.

This problem is the worlds problem because the world has to come together to solve it. The people who have water have to help the people who don't get the clean water. There are almost a billion people without water so there is no one organization that can solve this. The key is to educate people. If you educate people about the problem and tell them to act in small organizations then it will get done. If people are not educated about it then the problem will not get solved.

Small projects sponsored by organizations or Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's) can solve many problems. Many small projects are the most efficient way to go because there are small communities in large areas. One large project would be inefficient. Small projects usually consist of installing the tools necessary for getting clean water. Often times they install lines and pumps to have clean water sent into an area. They install wells for people who can't afford them, such as schools. In addition to giving people access to clean water, many organizations will install hand washing stations or sanitation areas so the water will be clean and disease will not be as prevalent.

Another key to solving the problem is not overlooking the whole thing. As well as in Africa and third world countries, many poverty stricken areas in 1st world countries also have dirty water issues. It is possible there are areas near you that have dirty water issues. The main theme is not the country; it is the wealth of the area. You can start in your community and go outward from there.

That being said, there are a lot of organizations and events to promote clean water. An organization called "World Visions" will have you sponsor a child or town and they will raise enough money to build a water facility near their town in a third world country. They work with local communities and local governments to construct large scale water filtration facilities. This way you don't even have to move when sponsoring the child. If everyone did this then we would be able to increase the number of children that live longer.

The UN has made March 22nd World Water day. The purpose of the World Water day is to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year the UN highlights specific water related issues for that year. There are celebrations all over the world because fresh water is important. Some points of World Water Day are to highlight water as a source of life and stress the need for water cooperation to protect its value, and to raise awareness about the situation so that more people will act and we can solve the problem.

Organizations like the UN, the NRDC and UNICEF are all trying to put an end to this water crisis. Organizations like these that have the power can inspire people to act and can organize people to act. With out them then the fight would not be strong. They have the power to influence other high officials to act as well.

The UNICEF Tap Project is a nationwide campaign that provides clean water and adequate sanitation to children around the world. Since 1990 more than 2 billion people have gained access to clean water.

According to the NRDC, The US is implementing an "implementation of the water for the poor act." This act has put into effect many strategies for delivering clean water and sanitation to people in need of it. There have been 3 major steps toward this act. The first one is to develop a water strategy and take a comprehensive view on water. This will allow more people to get involved and raise awareness. If awareness is raised then the problem is more likely to get solved. The second one is to have the US get involved in the global water scene. The government can get involved with the UN and raise international awareness. The final part is actually delivering water to the people in need. Working with organizations that care about the problem will provide for good solutions/actions to the problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The problem may seem big. The problem may seem huge. To many the problem is unsolvable, but not to some. Some view this crisis coming to an end soon. Some are trying to solve the problem. The only way to tackle a huge problem like this is to start chipping away and it will get done.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a site about someone who invented a way to control the amount of bleach that goes into water to help clean it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Turning water into wine may be among the most venerable of miracles, but for Greg Allgood, the real miracle has been turning dirty water into drinkable water. He once wowed an audience in a Malawi village, where hundreds of inhabitants along with the country's Minister of Health watched him transform a sample of the only local source of drinking water. "There were gasps of excitement when the water turned from this horrible, muddy dark color to crystal clear and safe," he recalls.

Allgood was demonstrating PUR ™, a modest-looking packet of powder that quickly turns turbid, health-threatening water into the kind of liquid most of us would pay to drink out of a bottle. PUR was developed in the late 1990s by household products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) and shares its name-but not its technology-with home tap water filters sold by that company in developed nations. Now PUR occupies a place at the forefront of P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, a philanthropic initiative that Allgood directs.

Allgood spends about a third of his time in places like Malawi where people have limited or no access to treated, potable water sources. Worldwide, as many as 2 billion people drink water extracted from shallow wells or polluted lakes and rivers, with nothing like the municipal treatment systems that are taken for granted in most of North America and Europe. In the few developing locales where such infrastructure might exist-and indeed, even in the richest nations on the planet-this resource can be ruined suddenly by a natural disaster like a hurricane, earthquake, or tsunami, creating an immediate, desperate, and widespread need for safe drinking water.

The Stuff of Life

Water can be the key to keeping death and disease at bay. Hydration is fundamental to bodily functions, including the ability to retain nutrients. Infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised persons are especially vulnerable to dehydration caused by diarrhea, which is in turn spawned by bacteria or viruses acquired from tainted drinking water. In African countries ravaged by HIV/AIDS, large portions of the adult population could likewise succumb to even limited numbers of parasites found in relatively clean water. "While [a healthy person] might take a couple of weeks to get over Giardia, it could be fatal to a person that has a reduced immune system," says Allgood. As opposed to dealing with these ailments once they appear, purifying water can keep them from appearing at all.

The CDC became interested in point-of-use treatment when cholera exploded in Peru in 1991 and spread rapidly throughout Latin America. A dependence on questionable drinking water lay at the heart of this epidemic, and the Pan American Health Organization estimated that it would take some $200 billion and more than a decade to install the necessary municipal infrastructure to alleviate the problem throughout the region. The CDC sought alternatives to help affected populations in the meantime.

Chlorine bleach was among the most widely available disinfectants, although people had difficulty gauging how much was needed to treat a given amount of water without creating an unpleasant taste or harmful concentrations. The agency therefore supported development of special bottles of dilute bleach-the bottle caps were designed to hold just the right amount of solution to safely treat one jerry can of water.

These efforts caught the attention of P&G, the leading manufacturer of bleach in many of the affected countries. But while this approach continues to be used in many parts of the world, it does not remove suspended material from the water, leaving users with water that is microbe-free but can still look dirty. So in the mid-1990s, P&G struck a formal Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the CDC, focusing on how drinking water could be even better treated at the point of use.

Floccing Toward Solutions

P&G researchers tackled the challenge with flocculants, agents that promote molecular aggregation and can cause colloids or loose particles in a liquid to amass in clumps that sink to the bottom. Combined with large-particle calcium hypochlorite-essentially, powdered bleach-the result was PUR, a proprietary formulation that Allgood describes as reverse-engineering the municipal water treatment process.

Using PUR is like making a batch of powdered soft drink mix. Each packet of powder is designed to treat 10 liters of water. One simply tears open the packet, pours the powder directly into the water, and stirs. Within a matter of seconds, any floating material will start to flocculate into clumps that sink to the bottom. In no more than five minutes, all of the water is clear, and after standing for about 20 minutes, it will be completely disinfected. If desired, the solid remnants can be removed with the most basic of filters, such as a simple piece of cloth.

"The large particle size makes [the powder] slowly dissolve, so in essence it acts like a time-released formula of chlorine disinfectant," Allgood says. "That's important, because this product is meant to treat a huge range of waters, from clear to extremely contaminated."

Even seasoned observers, including the scientists who initially refined and tested PUR, agree that its action is nothing less than dramatic.

"It was extremely impressive, and the most impressive thing about it was its simplicity," notes John Perry, a microbiologist at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He and his colleagues spent two years working closely with P&G, putting PUR through its paces in the laboratory.

"We would take a bucket of clean water and contaminate it with all sorts of things-lots of different types of bacteria, but also viruses, protozoan cysts, and they'd also put a lot of soil in it to mimic the kind of conditions that you get in the field," Perry says. "We did a very detailed analysis of what came out at the end of the process, and all of these bacteria, viruses, and cysts had magically disappeared."

These results were recounted in a paper coauthored by Perry that appeared in the June 2003 issue of the Journal of Water and Health. Other investigators have also published findings from applications of PUR in various settings, ranging from ongoing rural development activities in Kenya and Guatemala to crises like that in Haiti following Tropical Storm Jeanne in September 2004. Just a few months after Jeanne struck, various aid agencies purchased 13 million packets of PUR and transported them to parts of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Maldives when they were struck by the great tsunami of December 2004.

One Option of Many

In addition to its humanitarian value in disaster relief, the product is also being marketed as a household commodity in many other parts of the world where large portions of the population lack reliable water treatment. The pricing of such a good varies widely from one market to another, based on what the local market will be thought to bear. Sally Cowal, a senior vice president with the Washington, DC-based nonprofit firm Population Services International (PSI), oversees the complex dynamics of advertising and selling PUR in different countries.

"Because we're in social marketing, we have a great belief that if you pay for something, you're much more likely to use it than if it's handed to you," she says. Of PSI's alliance with P&G, she says, "We're learning a lot from one another. They don't know particularly well how to reach the bottom of the pyramid in the countries we work in; that's what we know really well. But they know things about brands and brand management and sophisticated marketing and sales techniques that we [can] learn from them."

Neither of these organizations present PUR as a single, definitive answer to water treatment under any and all circumstances. Eric Mintz, chief of the Diarrheal Diseases Epidemiology Section of the CDC's Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, points out that dilute bleach, membrane filters, and solar (ultraviolet) disinfection each have their appropriate niche.

"We think those all have a place, and they all have advantages and disadvantages," Mintz says. "Allowing people to choose from different options is also good." He notes that using PUR can be somewhat more expensive and cumbersome than other methods. For example, although the 13¢ needed to buy a packet of PUR in the Dominican Republic sounds cheap, this may be much more on a per-liter basis than a family would pay for the CDC's dilute bleach treatment. Plus, the PUR system requires more components-two containers, a stirrer, a filter-than most other systems. The optimal option, Mintz adds, is undoubtedly the kind of built infrastructure found in the developed world.

But Steve Luby, who heads up the CDC's work in Bangladesh, observes that much of the developing world has waited four or five decades for permanent water treatment systems to arrive. He argues that too many lives are at risk for measures such as PUR to be ignored.

"The numbers [of people at risk] are just huge, and if we wait to build infrastructure we'll lose a generation," he says. "We can do something good here, and it also gets people understanding the importance of water and the importance of clean water, and the need to actually invest in making water clean. We view this as a step toward community empowerment, toward central infrastructure solutions."

Suggested Reading

Allgood G. Children's Safe Drinking Water: Notes from the Front Line [weblog]. Available: http://childrensafedrinkingwater.typepad.com/pgsafewater/

Luby SP, Agboatwalla M, Painter J, Altaf A, Billhimer W, Keswick B, et al. Combining drinking water treatment and hand washing for diarrhoea prevention, a cluster randomised controlled trial. Trop Med Int Health. 2006;11(4):479-489.

P&G Health Sciences Institute Safe Drinking Water [website]. Available: http://www.pghsi.com/safewater/

Souter PF, Cruickshank GD, Tankerville MZ, Keswick BH, Ellis BD, Langworthy DE, et al. Evaluation of a new water treatment for point-of-use household applications to remove microorganisms and arsenic from drinking water. J Water Health. 2003;1(2):73-84.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Turning water into wine may be among the most venerable of miracles, but for Greg Allgood, the real miracle has been turning dirty water into drinkable water. He once wowed an audience in a Malawi village, where hundreds of inhabitants along with the country's Minister of Health watched him transform a sample of the only local source of drinking water.

# data[].attributes.body
this can help with digging wells,rivers and much more but it´s expenses are over a thousand dollors are euros or any type of money.(Bruce)

# data[].attributes.body
Rodrigo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You've heard it before: when disaster strikes, you need access to clean water.

But where do you find it and what do you do if all the water around you has become, cloudy, muddy, or turbid?

Unless you've been thrust into a survival situation before, you probably don't know just how crucial clean water can be, and how rare it is to have it at your disposal after a disaster.

Even if you keep plenty of bottled water in your emergency stash, when a natural disaster strikes you could be on the move, which means you won't be able to tote around more than you can carry.

Combine this with the fact that during natural disasters, water treatment can shut down and clean water often becomes contaminated. This means even if you are in the comfort of your home, simply turning on the tap doesn't guarantee the water coming out of it is safe for drinking.

Plus, natural disasters all affect water differently. An earthquake can break water supply lines contaminating a whole city's water source. Floods can destroy household plumbing and water storage tanks. Even rivers and streams-known for being clean due to their moving nature-often become contaminated or at the very least dirty and turbid.

All of this is to say... you can last weeks without food, but without water? You're at risk of dying in days.

Which is why you need to know how to purify muddy and turbid water, no matter where you are and what type of emergency situation you find yourself in.

Unfortunately, using any standard water filter or purifier doesn't work with turbid water. In fact, you'll simply clog up your filter and ruin it if you don't start with practically clear water before trying to run it through your filter.

So whether you're dealing with dirty or muddy water, you need a method to clear the water before drinking it or passing it through your filter.
Lucky for you, I've got four incredibly simple methods to purify turbid water. Each one uses different supplies so you can figure out which one is easiest for you given the materials you have and the situation you're facing.
Let's get started.

Method #1: Cloth + Two Jars

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love survival hacks that don't require obscure equipment. The best thing about this method is it uses only three items, and these are things you can find almost anywhere: in your pantry, in the dumpster, at a gas station, etc...

All you need are two jars and a piece of cloth (such as a strip of tee-shirt) and you'll be well on your way to purifying turbid water in no time.

Step #1: Put dirty water in one jar

While your jars don't necessarily need to be transparent, it can only help. The goal here is to filter the water from one glass to another while using the cloth to absorb the dirt and mud, so a clear glass helps you see how much of the mud your cloth absorbed.

To start, place the muddy/turbid water in one jar, and set the empty jar next to it.

Step #2: Run the cloth from the muddy jar to the empty jar

Don't get hung up on "cloth". You can use something as simple as a strip of a tee-shirt for this method. However, do know the cloth should be narrow and long enough to run from one jar into the other.

Take your piece of cloth and insert one end into the jar with the muddy water. Then, take the other end and put it into the empty glass.

Step #3: Wait for the water to move from one jar to another

After you insert the cloth, the water will begin to move from the muddy jar to the empty jar. The cloth will absorb the mud and dirt and filter the clean water into your empty glass. It should only take a short while (depending on your jar size) before you have clear, muck-free water!

Step #4: Purify and Enjoy!

Even though the water looks clear and has gone through one stage of filtration, boil or filter the water to kill and remove any remaining germs and parasites .

Method #2: Bottle, Rocks, Sand, Cloth, & Charcoal

This method requires a few more inputs than the first, but they're simple to get your hands on plus it purifies the water so you get more bang for your buck .

Soldiers use this method to purify water in emergencies because almost anywhere you are, you can get your hands on a bottle, rocks, sand, cloth, and charcoal.

And like I mentioned, the great thing about this method is it removes harmful elements such as copper and chlorine without having to boil the water or use a special filter.

Step #1: Cut the bottom of the bottle and make four to five holes in the bottle cap.

The bottle acts as your main filter. You'll be stuffing it with other materials, so whether you use scissors or the knife from your bug out bag, it's important to make sure you cut the bottom of the bottle off so you can put the sand, cloth, and charcoal inside.

After cutting off the bottom of the bottle, you'll want to punch four or five holes in the bottle cap. Use a sharp edge, jagged rock, or even a pen to punch smalls holes. The key is to create an opening large enough to let the water drain through without letting dirt or particles through. So be sure to keep your holes on the smaller side.

Step #2: Place cloth inside to act as a filter

Once your bottle is prepped, it's time to place cloth inside to act as a particle filter.

Since you're using additional material to filter the water, you can also use tissues or napkins in this step. But make sure you use enough to thoroughly pad the bottom of the bottle near the bottle cap.

The point is for the cloth/tissue to servie as the final particle filter for the water, so it needs to be strong enough to not break or allow dirt particles through once the water hits it.

Step #3: Add a small amount of clean sand/gravel into the bottle.

Next, you'll want to add a small amount of sand/gravel to the bottle. When you put the sand and gravel mixture into the bottle, make sure it stays below the tissue/cloth filter. You don't want it to overflow, or get underneath the filter and leak into your clean water.

Step #4: Add small pieces of charcoal to help with filtration

Charcoal is great for helping to purify water. In fact, many water filters are packed with charcoal, since active charcoal absorbs turbid substances from gases and liquids (like water).

For this filter, you'll need smaller pieces of carbon. If you have large pieces, break them against concrete to make them smaller and wash it to remove black residue, so it doesn't leak into your water. Then, place the smaller pieces of charcoal on top of the sand/gravel mixture.

You're aiming for about 150-200 grams, so don't be worried if the charcoal rises above your tissue filter.

Step #5: Add more sand/gravel and tissue/cloth on top of the charcoal

Once you've got your charcoal in the bottle, you'll want to add a bit more sand/gravel to the mix. Then, add more tissue/cloth to top off your filter. These two layers will act as a pre-filter for the water you pass through the bottle.

The goal is to catch dirt/mud right off the bat, then treat it with charcoal, then catch any remaining substances in the sand/gravel and tissues layers at the bottom of your bottle.

Step #6: Place a clean container under the water filter and let it rest in the sun

Whether you're filling a water bottle, hydration sack, or just a plain old jar, you need something to catch the clean water. You can place this directly under your bottle filter, like this:

Then, pour turbid water into the top of your filter. The water will pass through the various layers and trickle out the holes you punched in the bottle cap.

You're almost in the clear at this point. To make sure it's safe, run it through your water filter, boil it, or leave it in sunlight for 2-3 hours. The UV rays will act as yet another filtration device.

After that, it's ready to drink!

Method #3: P&G Water Packets

P&G Water Purification Packets Separate Dirt and Purify Water

This method takes minimal supplies and a short amount of time, making it one of the easiest ways to treat and purify turbid water... if you've got the right equipment in your bug out bag or emergency kit. All you need is a container to hold water and a P&G water packet .

Step #1: Fill a large container with water

The great thing about this water purification method is a single P&G water packet treats 2.5 gallons of water. This makes this method excellent for those who need to treat a large amount of water in a short amount of time.

As you may have guessed, the first step here is to fill a large container with water. If you're using just one packet, shoot for 2.5 gallons or less. Many buckets will mark how many liters or gallons they hold, but if you find yourself without one, you can think of this in terms of a small fish tank or a couple of milk jugs.

Step #2: Place the P&G Packet in the container and stir for 5 minutes

Once you've got your container filled, empty one P&G packet into the container for every 2.5 gallons of water. Then, use a clean device (such as a spoon, knife, or even a rinsed stick), to stir the water for five minutes.

Step #3: Let water sit for 25 minutes before enjoying!

The During this time period, the floc will settle to the bottom of the water container. P&G water packet takes 25 minutes to fully purify the water, so you'll need to let it rest for this duration of time.

Once the 25 minutes are up, carefully transfer the water to a clean container (without floc) by pouring it into a separate container. If you can use a cloth to strain the water and ensure none of the floc gets into the clean container that's best, but so long as you pour carefully the floc that settled at the bottom will stay put.

Method #4: DayOne Waterbag + P&G Purification Packets

A lot of survival tricks use gear that goes hand in hand. This is one of those tricks. This method uses the same P&G water packets from the purification method above, but with a different container for your water: the DayOne waterbag .

This kit comes with an integrated filtration system and 60 P&G water packets to treat even the most turbid water without ruining filters. If you're looking for the absolute best purification system for any emergency, this is the combination for you.

Step #1: Collect water in pack

The great thing about using the DayOne Waterbag is you can collect water directly in the pack itself. No containers, bottles, or jars needed. Before you start filling the bag, make sure the clamp on the tube, which serves as the filtration device, is closed. It should look something like this:

Scoop water into directly into the bag and fill it to the 10L (or 2.5 gallon) mark.

Step #2: Pour one P&G packet into the bag and mix for 5 minutes

Once you've filled your bag to the 10L mark, it's time to add the The P&G packet. Again, I can't emphasize how great this method is for including everything you need. DayOne Waterbag even comes with a shoulder strap cutting tool that you can use to slice open the P&G water packet - way better than using your teeth, right?

Once you've got the packet open, go ahead and add it to the bag. Just like the previous method, you'll want to mix the water and the packet for five minutes. To do this with the bag, close it by folding down the top closure three times, releasing excess air, and buckling the clasp. Then, twist the bag back and forth to mix the contents.

You can hang the bag on a tree branch so you can mix it with both hands, or you can hold it with one hand while twisting it with the other if you're not near a tree, or can't find a sturdy branch.

As you're mixing, the water will become colored. Don't be alarmed - this means the packet is working!

Step #3: Let water sit for 25 minutes

This method also requires you to let the water sit for 25 minutes before it's ready to drink. If you don't have a place to hang the bag, you can wear it as a backpack during the rest period.

However, you'll want to make sure you don't move around too much. The whole point here is to give the dirt particles time to settle at the bottom of the pack.

Toward the end of the 25 minutes, you'll notice the water becomes clear above the outlet of the bag. The dirt will settle below it. If the dirt gets caught on the walls of the bag, feel free to tap it to help it settle at the bottom.

Step #4: Drain water into clean container

Now for the fun part! After waiting those 25 minutes, your water is finally ready to drink. It's time to release the shut-off clamp and dispense the water into a clean container or water bottle.

You'll notice that the water is clean only above the outlet port. This means you should not dispense the water below that port. The P&G packet helps the floc settle at the bottom, leaving the clean water above that point. Dirt has settled below it, so only drain the bag up until that point.

It's also worth noting that if after this process the water remains colored, yellow, or cloudy, you shouldn't drink it. Instead, mix it again and wait another 25 minutes. If the water is still colored or dirty after a second attempt, discard it.

You'll also want to drink the water within 24 hours of treating it. Water not drunk within that time may run the risk of being too dirty for human consumption, but can be used for cooking, washing, or even watering your animals.

And last, but certainly not least, clean the bag after each use! You can use the remaining water below to port to gather any sediment in the bag and discard it, preferably in a latrine or below ground. Then, wipe the bag with a cloth to get rid of any remaining sediment. One of the greatest things about this method is your container can be used over and over again - you just have to make sure it's fit to do so.

Conclusion

Water is crucial to survival in emergencies, which is why I outlined these four simple ways to purify dirty or muddy water no matter the situation you find yourself in . The goal with these methods is to find an easy purifying solution that works for you and the materials you have on hand.

Take some time and practice these methods. Whichever solution works best for you, make sure you keep the materials for it in your emergency supplies so you're ready to go .

If you have any questions on the methods I listed above, or have a favorite way to purify water, I'd love to hear about it in the comments .

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You've heard it before: when disaster strikes, you need access to clean water. But where do you find it and what do you do if all the water around you has become, cloudy, muddy, or turbid?

# data[].attributes.body
( Alex )

# data[].attributes.body
this should explain a lot of things about the water issues in Hong Kong. (Marco)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it comes to water, Hong Kong is in a paradoxical situation.

This city of more than 7 million people has few reliable sources of drinking water. There's no major river or natural lake to draw from. Groundwater is scarce and difficult to reach. And the city's hilly terrain makes it difficult to create reservoirs. Under such a crunch, Hong Kong depends heavily on water imports from China's Guangdong province.

On the other hand, Hong Kong is one of the wettest cities in Asia. The city regularly sees tropical storms drop heavy rains. The runoff rushes down from the mountains into the city's dense urban core, causing frequent flooding and waterlogging in low-lying areas where land has been reclaimed from the sea.

All of this makes Hong Kong a place with more than its share of water problems. But it also makes the city a good place to look for interesting solutions.

One of those ideas has been around since the 1950s but remains an anomaly today among the world's cities. And you can find it in the form of a special water pipe attached to almost every toilet in the city.

Seawater solution

Instead of flushing its scarce freshwater supplies down toilets, Hong Kong uses seawater. The water is pumped from 42 treatment plants on the coast through a massive network of pipes carrying water into businesses and residences just for toilet flushing. Using seawater for this purpose reduces the city's freshwater consumption by 20 per cent.

At one of the treatment plants in Wan Chai, a bustling business district jammed with high-rises, engineer Season Chan showed me how it works. Four mammoth pumps pull in water from the sea. The water passes through wiry mesh gates that filter out aquatic creatures, floating plastics and other debris. Then the seawater gets treated - not as intensively as if it were for human consumption, but in a creative way that costs almost nothing.

An electric current is passed through the seawater, triggering a reaction with the salts called " electro-chlorination ". That produces hypochlorite, which not only disinfects the water but also kills the foul seawater smell. "After decades of research and trials, we have made seawater flushing not only cost-efficient, but expanded the supply to nearly all of Hong Kong," Chan says.

"

City planners at that time decided to make the city's weakness into a strength.

Chung Man Tsang, senior engineer, Hong Kong's Water Supplies Department

This system got started in 1957, as Hong Kong's growing population began straining its water supply, and riots over water access became common. Public housing in two newly developing areas was set up with the proper piping. The experiment was seen as a success and inspired city planners to expand the concept to other districts.

"There was no option," recalls Chung Man Tsang, senior engineer with Hong Kong's Water Supplies Department. "City planners at that time decided to make the city's weakness into a strength."

Some experts think Hong Kong's seawater model could work in other world cities - but not all of them. Cost is a huge deterrent, as the system requires building out a separate pipeline system for toilet flushing.

"Hong Kong invested early," says Tze Ling Ng, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who has studied the system. "Now it's reaping benefits as it has to only add to the pipe network in new housing complexes."

Ng looked at the potential applicability of such a system in 15 coastal cities around the world. She found the best candidates are cities such as Chennai, Jakarta, Karachi, Mumbai and Shanghai. They're densely populated places where a little infrastructure can reach a lot of people - and where labour to build such a system remains cheap.

By contrast, retrofitting cities such as Los Angeles, Miami or Sydney with seawater flushing would cost more than alternatives such as recycling used water. However, seawater could potentially work for some kinds of new construction. "Seawater flushing can also be very useful for new coastal cities where dual pipelines can be easily laid," she says.

There's another downside to the seawater system. Seawater pipelines are more susceptible to corrosion and bursting than freshwater pipelines. Hong Kong is addressing this problem by substituting pipelines lined with cement or epoxy. PVC pipes are used in some places but they're not as strong as iron pipes.

Filling up the tank

Hong Kong's other problem - heavy rains - has pointed the city to a different set of water solutions. And the best place to find them is at a set of sporting fields close to where the city's lush green mountainsides flatten and disperse into busy streets and tall buildings.

The Happy Valley Recreation Ground has 11 fields, a jogging track, and a horse racing course surrounding the periphery. It's one of the biggest open spaces in Hong Kong, and it's popular with people of all ages. One recent afternoon, a group of toddlers was warming up for a rugby match, while other youths played football on an adjacent pitch and a group of old men jogged slowly around the track.

Just below the fields is a massive underground storage tank. During heavy rains, the tank fills with runoff flowing down from the mountains, and temporarily holds it there to prevent it from inundating the city below. The tank can hold 60,000 cubic metres of water, or roughly the equivalent of 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Ellen Nga See Cheng, a senior engineer with the city's Drainage Services Department, took me inside to see it. The tank feels like an enormous empty underground car parking area - it's the length of five football fields. It has grey concrete walls and an endless row of concrete pillars holding up a three-metre (ten-foot) high ceiling. The floors were slippery and a few pieces of trash were strewn about, leftovers from when Typhoon Merbok last filled the tank in June.

Cheng likened the tank to a "sponge", which has become a favourite metaphor in China. "Sponge cities" refers to a range of strategies for controlling flooding in urban areas. Some allow for more rain to soak into the ground, through rain gardens or permeable pavements. Others, like Happy Valley, are more engineered solutions.

"We have no space to store water that is gushing from the hills into the urban areas," says Cheng, adding that 40 per cent of Hong Kong is declared a nature reserve and all the other land is built up. "Going underground is the only way out. And Happy Valley Recreation Ground became a natural choice."
[See: Can 'sponge cities' solve China's urban flooding problem?]
The water storage scheme cost HKD 1.7 billion (USD 218 million) to build and was completed in March of this year. It's not the first such system in Hong Kong. The first one, built in 2004 beneath a football and rugby ground, holds almost twice as much water. But the Happy Valley water storage is more advanced technologically.
Alok Gupta is a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist who specialises in environment and development issues. This story was published with permission from Citiscope, a non-profit news outlet that covers innovations in cities. More at Citiscope.org.

Thanks for reading to the end of this story!

We would be grateful if you would consider joining as a member of The EB Circle. This helps to keep our stories and resources free for all, and it also supports independent journalism dedicated to sustainable development. It only costs as little as S$5 a month, and you would be helping to make a big difference.
Find out more and join The EB Circle

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In Hong Kong, too much water - and too little - leads to creative solutions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When it comes to water, Hong Kong is in a paradoxical situation. This city of more than 7 million people has few reliable sources of drinking water. There's no major river or natural lake to draw from. Groundwater is scarce and difficult to reach. And the city's hilly terrain makes it difficult to create reservoirs.

# data[].attributes.body
filters water and has a senes that so water don't run for over 3 seconds. https://brita.ca/products/faucet-water-filters/complete/

# data[].attributes.body
These are some creative ways to reuse your water instead of waisting it. If we don't use as much water we will waist less. Giulia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Are your water bills on the rise? Many cities are seeing higher water prices than ever as governments deal with repairing water systems and with water shortages. Check out these ways to recycle water around your house to save money and conserve this precious, non-renewable resource.

Here in Atlanta we have some of the highest water rates in the country. Thanks to some past government corruption, our water and sewage lines are a mess, and now that the city is finally getting around to repairing them, they've had to hike our water prices yet again. Since 2006, I've seen our water bills more than double, and we are not using twice as much water at home.

Atlanta has also had a drought on and off (mostly on) for years, so conserving water at home is extremely important to me.
Related Reading: 20 Ways to Conserve Water at Home
Cutting back water use is critical to conserving water, but on top of things like turning off the tap when you brush your teeth, you can collect and recycle water to save even more. Water recycling can range from very simple methods that don't require anything but a little forethought to complicated systems. Some of the conservation tips here are ones that I've been using for a long time and some are things I've been wanting to do but haven't had the time or cash to implement.
1. Use a Shower Bucket
The shower bucket is probably the simplest way to recycle water at home. When you turn on the tap for your shower, the water that comes out takes some time to heat up to a comfortable temperature. Next time you're warming up the shower, stick a bucket under the running tap until you're ready to get in. You'll be surprised at how much water you collect!
2. Install a Rain Barrel
Skip that whole municipal water system for watering your garden and collect rainwater instead. Rain barrel setups can be super simple or more complicated, depending on how much time you can invest and how handy you are. The best collection method that I've found is setting up the barrel underneath your gutter's downspout, so it collects the most water when it rains. Click here to see how my husband installed our rain barrels!
3. Create a Rain Garden
Rain gardens take advantage of land's natural water runoff to nourish the plants that live there. Unlike a regular garden that needs watering, a rain garden is constructed so that it reuses water that would otherwise run off into the sewage systems. The bonus is that by diverting that water from the storm drain, you're giving your city's overtaxes sewage system a break. Learn more about rain gardens here!
4. Save that Pasta Water
Next time you're making a pot of pasta, don't dump all of that precious water down the drain! Instead, set your colander over another large pot to collect all of that precious H2O. Once the water has cooled, you can use it on your garden or to water your house plants.
5. Save Water from Washing Veggies
Just like when you're boiling pasta, washing veggies uses water that's totally re-usable. Place your colander over a large pot to collect the water while you're washing. You can use your collected water on the garden or for flushing the toilet.
6. Install a Gray Water System 7. Collect the Overflow from Watering Plants
Gray water is waste water that doesn't contain sewage. Think the water that goes down the drain when you wash your hands or do laundry. A gray water system diverts that water, so it doesn't go to waste. A good example might be diverting water from your shower drain for flushing the toilet. Grey water systems can get pretty complicated, and just like any plumbing setup, they do require maintenance. Get some more deets on recycling gray water here.
8. Reuse Excess Drinking Water
When you water your potted plants, have you noticed that extra water usually runs out of those drainage holes at the bottom of the pot? Don't let that water go to waste! Place your plants in deep trays to collect that water. You can use the runoff from your larger plants to water the smaller ones.
Do you recycle water around your house? Share your favorite water reuse tips in the comments!
Got an almost-empty water glass that's been sitting out too long to drink? Feed it to a thirsty house plant instead! You can also use unsweet tea on your plants. If the drink that's been sitting is sweetened, you can pour it on plants in the garden, but don't use it on house plants unless you like ants!

Related
5 Reasons People Don't Recycle & 5 Reasons They Should
8 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle
Meet an Orchestra That Plays Music With Trash (Video)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Ways to Recycle Water Around Your House | Care2 Healthy Living

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Are your water bills on the rise? Many cities are seeing higher water prices than ever as governments deal with repairing water systems and with water shortages. Check out these ways to recycle water around your house to save money and conserve this precious, non-renewable resource.

# data[].attributes.body
On this link there are ways to save water https://www.wikihow.com/Save-Water (Isabella)

# data[].attributes.body
solar-powered water purifiers. A solar panel cleaning water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
TriplePundit: 6 Solutions to the Water Shortage Crisis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
But when faced with a crisis, history shows us that humanity has an amazing ability to conquer it resourcefully, and that's exactly what many environmental innovators are seeking to do by introducing new technology that helps businesses and individuals alike cut down on their water usage without compromising their quality of life.

# data[].attributes.body
Rodrigo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The UK must "improve our flood warning systems", giving people more time to take action during flooding, potentially saving lives, the deputy chief executive of the Environment Agency, David Rooke, said. Advance warning and pre-planning can significantly reduce the impact from flooding.

2. Modify homes and businesses to help them withstand floods

The focus should be on "flood resilience" rather than defence schemes, according to Laurence Waterhouse, director of civil engineering flood consultancy Pell Frischmann. He advised concreting floors and replacing materials such as MDF and plasterboard with more robust alternatives. "We are going to have to live with flooding. It's here to stay," Mr Waterhouse said. "We need to be prepared." His recommendations were echoed by Mr Rooke, who suggested waterproofing homes and businesses and moving electric sockets higher up the walls to increase resilience.

3. Construct buildings above flood levels

Britain should construct all new buildings one metre from the ground to prevent flood damage, the former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers has suggested. Professor David Balmforth, who specialises in flood risk management, said conventional defences had to be supplemented with more innovative methods to lower the risk of future disasters.

4. Tackle climate change

Climate change has contributed to a rise in extreme weather events, scientists believe. Earlier this month the leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, welcomed the landmark Paris Agreement, whereby governments from 195 countries pledged to "pursue efforts" to limit the increase in global average temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. "It is now crucial that world leaders deliver on the promise of Paris," Ms Bennett said. "The pressure is now on the British government to reverse its disastrous environmental policy-making."

5. Increase spending on flood defences

Figures produced by the House of Commons library suggest that real terms spending on flood defences has fallen by 20 per cent since David Cameron came to power. Yesterday [MON] the Prime Minister rejected this allegation, insisting the amount being spent had risen. Mr Cameron promised to review spending on flood defences after chairing a conference call of the government's emergency Cobra committee at the weekend.

6. Protect wetlands and introduce plant trees strategically

The creation of more wetlands - which can act as sponges, soaking up moisture - and wooded areas can slow down waters when rivers overflow. These areas are often destroyed to make room for agriculture and development, the WWF said. Halting deforestation and wetland drainage, reforesting upstream areas and restoring damaged wetlands could significantly reduce the impact of climate change on flooding, according to the conservation charity.

7. Restore rivers to their natural courses

Many river channels have been historically straightened to improve navigability. Remeandering straightened rivers by introducing their bends once more increases their length and can delay the flood flow and reduce the impact of the flooding downstream.

8. Introduce water storage areas

Following the severe flooding of 2009 a £5.6 million flood alleviation scheme was established in Thacka Beck, on the outskirts of Penrith, Cumbria. More than 675 metres of culverts underneath the streets of Penrith were replaced and a 76,000m³ flood storage reservoir - the equivalent of 30 Olympic sized swimming pools - was constructed upstream to hold back flood water. The risk of flooding from the beck was reduced from a 20 per cent chance in any given year to a one per cent chance, according to Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

9. Improve soil conditions

Inappropriate soil management, machinery and animal hooves can cause soil to become compacted so that instead of absorbing moisture, holding it and slowly letting it go, water runs off it immediately. Well drained soil can absorb huge quantities of rainwater, preventing it from running into rivers.

10. Put up more flood barriers

The Environment Agency uses a range of temporary or "demountable" defences in at-risk areas. These can be removed completely when waters recede. Temporary barriers can also be added to permanent flood defences, such as raised embankments, increasing the level of protection. "As the threat and frequency of flood risk increases, the use of passive flood defence has to be the only realistic long term solution," Frank Kelly, CEO of UK Flood Barriers claimed earlier this month in Infrastructure Intelligence, a magazine for the infrastructure sector. Mr Kelly's company was responsible for designing a self-activating flood barrier he said had proved to be "invaluable" in protecting properties close to the River Cocker.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 measures that must be taken to prevent more flooding in the future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1. Introduce better flood warning systems The UK must "improve our flood warning systems", giving people more time to take action during flooding, potentially saving lives, the deputy chief executive of the Environment Agency, David Rooke, said. Advance warning and pre-planning can significantly reduce the impact from flooding.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a bucket that filtrates the water and after you drink it.

# data[].attributes.body
this website is all about hiw moss helps the baths and pools stay clean so maybe also the lakes and rivers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creative Water Solutions | Natural Water Treatment for Pools, Spas, and more

# data[].attributes.body
this truck recycles water and sewage. https://www.mswmag.com/editorial/2016/09/water_recycling_is_changing_the_sewer_cleaning_game

# data[].attributes.headline
water filter made out of water bottle  Melissa

# data[].attributes.subject
water filter made out of water bottle  Melissa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Intro: Simple Water Filter Out of a Waterbottle

This Water Filter is very easy and quick to make. Most, if not all the materials can be found in or around your house. A Water Filter can be a necessary survival item if you have no access to clean water.

Materials Needed:

- Water Bottle
- Scissors or Knife
- Coffee Filter, Cotton Balls, or fabric.
- Sand or charcoal
- Gravel
- Large gravel or small rocks
- Cup to hold filtered and non-filtered water.

Step 2:

2) Using your knife, scissors, or anything sharp, make a small hole in the center of the cap. Make sure the cap is on tight!
In my case i used a small screwdriver and easily made a nice hole in the center.
A knife or scissors work just as well.

Share

Recommendations

Plastics Contest

Furniture Contest 2018

Optics Contest

Step 6:

6) Finally add your larger gravel or small rocks into the bottle. Again, 1-2 inches is enough.
Your water filter is now complete! Just put the filter over your cup for filtered water.
With the other cup, pour the dirty/muddy water into the filter.

Step 7:

Watch your dirty water come out filtered!
Boil the filtered water to completely rid of all bacteria and such!
Enjoy!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Simple Water Filter Out of a Waterbottle

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Simple Water Filter Out of a Waterbottle: This Water Filter is very easy and quick to make. Most, if not all the materials can be found in or around your house. A Water Filter can be a necessary survival item if you have no access to clean water.

# data[].attributes.headline
Quick video solution too filter dirty water with only charcoal, sand, and a plastic bottle  

# data[].attributes.subject
Quick video solution too filter dirty water with only charcoal, sand, and a plastic bottle  

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Quick Solution to purify and filter dirty water in less than 2 mins

# data[].attributes.body
Showering uses a lot of water. Here are the ways to clean yourself with out using water.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Showering. It's become somewhat of a standard rule to take one every day.

Of course, hygiene is important, but a daily shower isn't always necessary, and it can really dry out your skin. Unless you have a very physical job or you workout regularly, you shouldn't shower any more than two times every three days.

And if you live in an area experiencing drought, there's an even bigger reason to skip the wasteful shower. Don't think you can do it? You certainly can.

Here are the best quick tips for getting clean in a snap, without drenching yourself in water or having to lather up with harsh soaps.

1. Use baking soda or organic baby powder as a dry shampoo.

Believe it or not, you can actually train your hair to go longer without needing to be washed. A great way to tackle the the grease that shows up along the roots of your hair is to sprinkle small amounts of baking soda or organic baby powder along the greasiest areas. The soda or powder masks the greasy look and completely transforms your hair!

This may take some practice, and the trick is to make sure you don't leave any white spots in your hair. Simply flip your head and hair over the sink or tub and start by taking a very small amount of soda or powder in your hand to lightly sprinkle along the roots, being careful not to get much of it on your scalp. Do this all along the roots, using a brush or comb to spread the soda or powder out and blend it in with your hair.
Related: 51 Fantastic Uses for Baking Soda
2. Use olive oil to prevent clogged pores and keep skin moisturized.

Washing your face with a regular cleansing product is easy enough, but you may want to consider switching to olive oil (or any other type of natural oil of your choice, like castor oil, sunflower oil and so on). Unlike regular cleansers, an oil rich in vitamins and antioxidants can help dissolve face-producing oils that clogs your pores. In other words, you may not need to use harsh exfoliation scrubs, facial masks or even moisturizers as often if you start using olive oil to balance out the natural oils of your skin.

Simply massage a small amount of oil onto your skin using a circular motion, and then place a warm, damp cloth on your face for about a minute. Use the cloth to then wipe away the excess oil. If you already have oily skin, try castor oil with a small amount of tea tree or peppermint oil to ensure your face doesn't stay greasy.

3. Use apple cider vinegar to naturally deodorize your armpits.

Aside from greasy hair and an oily face, underarm odor is often the next big reason why we shower so often. Believe it or not, apple cider vinegar can be used in place of regular deodorant for its antibacterial properties and ability to balance the pH levels of the skin.

You can optionally wipe your armpits with a warm, wet cloth and natural soap first, or just go straight to the apple cider vinegar. Dip a cotton ball in the vinegar and then wipe it across your armpit region.
Related: Is Apple Cider Vinegar Safe to Drink?
4. Use a warm, wet cloth or organic baby wipes to cleanse your crotch and derrière region.

When you do shower, your crotch and derrière absolutely must be cleaned. But when you skip showering, a gentle cloth with warm water may be all you need to clean yourself down there. For women in particular, soap isn't ever recommended, even when showering. The area is very sensitive and even designed to be self-cleansing, so soap can throw off the balance of bacteria.

Men can also use just a soft cloth with warm water to clean their genitals, or they can opt for an organic brand of baby wipe or even specialized health creams for that area if they're more prone to developing an odor. Those wipes will also come in handy for both men's and women's derrière regions when there's no time for a shower.

5. Change into clean underwear and clothes made from breathable fabrics.

If you do all of the above and change into a fresh set of clothes, no one will ever know you skipped a shower or two. Make sure to choose clothing (especially underwear) made of breathable fabric like cotton to avoid any odors developing from sweat and bacteria. Women may benefit from using panty liners as well.

Of course, you'll need to shower eventually, but these tips will hold you over for at least a day-depending on how active you are and how well your skin responds to your daily activities. As a result, you'll save more time and money on your water bill while also doing your skin a favor by not over-cleansing it!

Related:
5 Powerful Skincare Products in Your Kitchen
14 Signs of Inflammation and How to Stop It
7 Ways to Clean with Castile Soap
Photo Credit: Megan Sparks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Natural Ways to Get Clean Without Showering | Care2 Healthy Living

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Showering. It's become somewhat of a standard rule to take one every day. Of course, hygiene is important, but a daily shower isn't always necessary, and it can really dry out your skin. Unless you have a very physical job or you workout regularly, you shouldn't shower any more than two times every three days.

# data[].attributes.body
If you have extra water from dinner you can water plants.
Don't leave your shower on the hole time
Don't have to long showers
Don't keep your tap on while
Giulia

# data[].attributes.body
Nigeria is having a big drought, right now people are just trying to survive. https://reliefweb.int/report/niger/faqs-west-africa-sahel-drought-and-hunger-crisis

# data[].attributes.body
This tells us about easy ways people can do to help fix the problem of droughts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Many water and sanitation problems are cyclical, occurring with seasonal regularity. Unmitigated, problems ranging from flooding in South Asia to drought in Northeast Africa threaten poor communities with a perpetual state of vulnerability.

Whether there's too much water or too little, a community's well-being is tied to its relationship with water. Luckily, simple steps can be taken to help populations manage year to year.

While contexts differ widely, ACF's water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs address a core set of factors in any intervention: the hydrologic context (where and how water is available); a population's access to water and sanitation; local knowledge, attitudes and practices; the prevalence of water-borne diseases; opportunities for community participation and education; local culture and beliefs; and the types of technical solutions appropriate for the context.

Seasonal Flooding: Disaster Risk Reduction in Myanmar

In flood-prone countries such as Myanmar, fertile deltas and broad floodplains are often highly populated, exposing hundreds of thousands to the threat of cyclical disasters. And while monsoon seasons are essential to agriculture, extreme weather (e.g., cyclones) destroys vital infrastructure and threatens human lives.

ACF develops local solutions to mitigate seasonal extremes. Working with government agencies in Myanmar, for example, ACF helps set up early warning systems to track flood conditions (communication channels, weather forecast, emergency broadcast systems); carries out vulnerability mapping; provides technical training on water and sanitation facilities; and helps with regional capacity assessments.

Disaster risk reduction measures are also directed at the community level. Risk awareness campaigns aimed at community and school groups integrate sessions on water use, sanitation and hygiene. ACF also builds and rehabilitates disaster-ready water points, disaster-resistant latrines, rain water collection tanks for schools, and safe areas with water points and latrines.

At the village and household levels, ACF organizes committees for managing water points, disseminating hygiene information, implementing risk reduction measures, and developing evacuation and disaster preparedness plans. In addition, we deploy home water treatment solutions (e.g., ceramic and sand filters) and ensure the availability of emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene materials.

Seasonal Drought: Water Infrastructure for Pastoralist Kenya

When there is too little water, as there often is in northeast Africa, ACF undertakes a number of activities to help people cope and thrive amidst scarcity. In Kenya's dry northeast, pastoralist cultures are routinely exposed to seasonal drought. The threat of water scarcity-for both people and their livestock-surfaces regularly, causing human misery and childhood malnutrition, and depleting the community's wealth and capital by reducing the size of their herds.

Pastoralist societies present special challenges. These communities are migratory, shepherding large numbers of livestock across vast regions of a water-poor part of the world-a very different context from those interventions where wells can be dug, latrines set up, and more permanent water points situated between fixed communities and health centers. Nevertheless, ACF has developed strategies to help these nomadic communities survive drought conditions.

Beyond trucking water to remote locations during acute water emergencies-an unsustainably expensive intervention-what can be done to enhance pastoralists' ability to withstand droughts? ACF works with these communities to identify their migratory routes and map traditional watering holes along the way. We then identify ways to improve and protect these watering holes. For example, we enhance hygiene and reduce evaporation losses with lids or concrete caps; we minimize contamination and health risks by building separate access points for people and cattle; we capture and store precipitation by creating run-off ponds and other rain-water collection systems.

Ensuring Water Security in Any Context

Action Against Hunger's integrated approach to hunger and malnutrition involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. For communities threatened by cyclical crises-whether too much or too little water-ACF facilitates the provision of, and access to, safe drinking water through technical, infrastructural, and social improvements (training, mentoring, educating, organizing).

Regardless of the context, ACF is committed to helping communities in crisis. We truck water during emergencies, clean contaminated water sources, install water storage tanks and above-ground reservoirs, drill wells (that require buckets) and boreholes (that require pumps), tap and preserve springs, improve and install local sanitation systems and latrines, design and build irrigation systems, create hygienic bathing facilities, and repair water infrastructure damaged by natural disaster or warfare.

Without this vital work in the areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene, we would make little progress in our fight against global hunger and acute malnutrition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Too Much, Too Little: Water As a Seasonal Problem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Many water and sanitation problems are cyclical, occurring with seasonal regularity. Unmitigated, problems ranging from flooding in South Asia to drought in Northeast Africa threaten poor communities with a perpetual state of vulnerability. Whether there's too much water or too little, a community's well-being is tied to its relationship with water.

# data[].attributes.body
These are some ways to stop water pollution- Christine
http://all-about-water-filters.com/how-to-prevent-water-pollution-effective-solutions/

# data[].attributes.body
This will tell some solutions that are easy and cheap. (Marco)

# data[].attributes.body
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlands Dikes are very useful sea barriers that hold off floods.

# data[].attributes.body
https://stateofgreen.com/en/partners/ministry-of-environment-and- food/news/new-nature-solutions-prevent-cities-from-flooding/ (Isabella)

# data[].attributes.headline
How to make filthy water drinkable ( TED talk ) video  

# data[].attributes.subject
How to make filthy water drinkable ( TED talk ) video  

# data[].attributes.body
lifesaver water-bottle

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Michael Pritchard: How to make filthy water drinkable

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it -- inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.

# data[].attributes.headline
creative ideas fo getting more water or saving water

# data[].attributes.subject
creative ideas fo getting more water or saving water

# data[].attributes.body
it has the drinkalble book but even other things like fog catchers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The global water crisis has many causes, requiring many different solutions. As 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, these solutions must span policy, technology, and behaviour change to make a real difference.

A number of technological innovations address the crisis in novel ways. We asked two water experts - Vincent Casey, senior water and sanitation adviser at WaterAid, and Hannah Safford, an energy and environmental policy analyst - to assess some of the most creative approaches.

Photograph: Water is Life

In partnership with non-profit Water is Life, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed this education and filtration tool. Each page of the book provides basic water and sanitation advice, such as the importance of keeping contaminants like rubbish and faeces away from water, often unknown in developing countries. Perhaps more novel is that the advice is printed on "scientific coffee filter" paper that can be used to purify drinking water and reduce 99.9% of bacteria. Each book has enough filtration sheets to provide its reader with clean water for four years. It's being distributed in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, Ethiopia, India and Tanzania, and a Farsi version of the book is in development.

Casey: Many different filter products will purify water and remove pathogens, but it needs to have a demand from users. It also needs to be affordable [in the local context] or come with some credit mechanism. Filters play a crucial role in making the water safe, but if you're not blocking other routes of transmission (eg flies on food, handwashing after toilet use) you will still have problems. In other words, any filter has to be part of a combined solution.

Photograph: WaterSeer

It looks like a well, but instead of withdrawing groundwater, the WaterSeer uses the surrounding environment to extract water from the atmosphere. It is planted six feet below the surface, where its lower chamber is surrounded by cool earth. Above ground, wind spins a turbine which spins fan blades inside the device. These blades send the air into an internal condensation chamber where, as the warm air cools, the vapour condenses on the sides of the chamber. Water then flows down to the lower chamber and can be extracted with a simple pump and hose. In ideal conditions, it can collect 37 litres of water a day. Developed by VICI labs in the US, the project is being tested by the National Peace Corps Association and will be piloted later this year.

Casey: If we take sub-Saharan Africa as an example, groundwater tends to be available in most places we work - about 20m below the surface. So it's a management or infrastructure problem that prevents people accessing water, not a lack of it. It's not really about fixing the problem with technology; it's about fixing the system. With this example, I would imagine there could be problem with vandalism, as the device seems quite fragile. However, that's not to say that technology is not part of the solution - it has a role, but it's makes up 20% of the whole picture, along with policy and management.

Desalination, converting saltwater into freshwater, has historically been too expensive and energy-intensive to serve as a widespread solution for improving access. However, Lockheed Martin has developed and patented a Perforene graphene filter which it claims would reduce the energy cost of conventional reverse osmosis desalination by 20%, while withstanding higher pressure and temperatures. The perforated, hyper-permeable filter is one atom thick and is said to improve the flow of water compared to conventional methods by 500%. While the technology would be hugely beneficial to the oil and gas sector, which reportedly produces 18bn gallons of wastewater each year, the company is also researching other applications for the technology, including in food and energy generation.

Safford: Desalination should only be used as a last resort. Emphasis should be placed on smart water management, reducing water losses, and increasing the uptake of water-efficient technologies practices. But in regions where there is truly not enough freshwater to meet demand, a cheaper and less energy-intensive desalination method is certainly a good thing.

Nets set up by a group of community leaders called Peruvians Without Water are used to trap water from the moisture in fog. Photograph: Mariana Bazo/Reuters

Vast mesh nets capture moisture from fog, which drips into collection trays after condensation. The largest of these projects is on the slopes of Mount Boutmezguida, a microclimate in Morocco where 6,300 litres of water can be harvested per day. The water is clean, free and instant, which is perhaps why Dar Si Hmad - the non-profit responsible for the project -was awarded the UN's 2016 Momentum for Change award. First developed in South America, fog catching systems also exist in Chile, Peru, Ghana, Eritrea, South Africa and California.

Safford: Fog catching could provide a sustainable supply of drinking water for small communities in water-scarce regions, but it is unlikely to generate enough water to significantly increase water supplies. The Mount Boutmezguida project only generates enough water to serve about 160 people per day - a project of a similar size in a developed country would serve a smaller number of people [due to higher consumption habits].

Sukhdev Vishwakarma and his daughter, Meenu, use water pumped from a solar water pump at a farms in Jagadhri. Photograph: Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan

In hot and dry climates, many farmers pump groundwater to irrigate crops, and there has been a growth in the use of solar-powered pumps. A problem arises when farmers view solar energy as free, as it can cause over-irrigation. A part-technological, part policy and management solution by CGIAR's research programme on water, land and ecosystems, and in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), incentivises farmers using solar pumps to sell excess power back to the grid. The guaranteed buy-back scheme produces a "triple win"; farmers gain income, the state gains electricity reserves, and the water source is conserved by curbing usage - all while reducing carbon emissions. The scheme is being piloted in Gujarat, and IWMI estimates that solarising India's 20m irrigation wells could reduce carbon emissions by 4-5% per year.

Casey: A good initiative addressing a serious problem through changes to policy and management, not just focusing on a technical solution. In addition, selling electricity back to the grid could generate revenue to conduct maintenance on these pumps - a good sign for the sustainability of the arrangement.
What have we missed? Have you developed technology to tackle water problems? Tell us in the comments below. Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter, and have your say on issues around water in development using #H2Oideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Could these five innovations help solve the global water crisis?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The global water crisis has many causes, requiring many different solutions. As 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, these solutions must span policy, technology, and behaviour change to make a real difference. A number of technological innovations address the crisis in novel ways.

# data[].attributes.body
the storm dammer takes the water through tanks and it reduces the possibility of floods.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jNw-e-3H1M This is a video that shows how to filter too dirty water. (Isabella)

# data[].attributes.headline
These are worldwide water problems that must be fixed, Kaan

# data[].attributes.subject
These are worldwide water problems that must be fixed, Kaan

# data[].attributes.body
These will help you be aware of worldwide water issues.

# data[].attributes.body
This will show a lot of ways of helping water problems. (Marco)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What We Build

We build new wells, rehab neglected wells, construct rain catchment tanks, protect springs and install sand dams where appropriate. We empower our in-country experts along with the communities themselves to determine what makes sense.

We've learned over the past 11 years that each community we serve is different. From basic geology, to climate and culture, many factors determine the most sustainable means to provide access to clean and safe water.

Your gifts enable robust community mobilization, careful project construction and rigorous long-term follow up and evaluation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Help Solve the Water Crisis in Africa | The Water Project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We build new wells, rehab neglected wells, construct rain catchment tanks, protect springs and install sand dams where appropriate. We empower our in-country experts along with the communities themselves to determine what makes sense. We've learned over the past 11 years that each community we serve is different.

# data[].attributes.headline
Filipino invention to make dirty water clean.

# data[].attributes.subject
Filipino invention to make dirty water clean.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a cool invention to make dirty water drinking water.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
filipino invention turns dirty water into drinking water | abs-cbn news

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Filipino invention turns dirty water into drinking water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tingin ng marami na wala nang silbi ang maruming tubig. Pero gamit ang ilang teknolohiya, pwede ulit itong inumin o ipang-ligo.

# data[].attributes.headline
exporting water to other countries in need.

# data[].attributes.subject
exporting water to other countries in need.

# data[].attributes.body
Rodrigo

# data[].attributes.body
Creative ways to conserve water
http://all-about-water-filters.com/how-to-prevent-water-pollution-effective-solutions/

# data[].attributes.body
these people take water in ships to countries in need of water. the ships can hold enough water to fill a football stadium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'The Drinkable Book' - its pages can purify water - CBBC Newsround

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A 'Drinkable Book'' has been invented so it's pages can be torn out and used to purify and filter water in developing countries. The pages have tiny amounts of copper and silver to get rid of harmful bacteria.

# data[].attributes.body
water org says"Water.org has empowered 13 million people with access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing." it is a water charity and educational site. (Alex)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
That's where Water.org comes in. Water.org offers smart solutions that break down the financial barriers between people living in poverty and access to safe water and sanitation.

Our solutions are working! Today more than 60 million people around the world can turn on a tap or safely use a toilet because small, affordable loans empowered them to get access to safe water and sanitation at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Water.org: A Global Charity for Water & Sanitation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Water.org, founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, provides access to safe water and sanitation solutions. Support us by donating, fundraising, and exploring our initiatives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This fun science experiment turns dirty water clean. (Kind of.)

# data[].attributes.body
One of the creative ways to help solve the world wide problem of droughts is called the WaterSeer!
-Libby

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The global water crisis has many causes, requiring many different solutions. As 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, these solutions must span policy, technology, and behaviour change to make a real difference.

A number of technological innovations address the crisis in novel ways. We asked two water experts - Vincent Casey, senior water and sanitation adviser at WaterAid, and Hannah Safford, an energy and environmental policy analyst - to assess some of the most creative approaches.

Photograph: Water is Life

In partnership with non-profit Water is Life, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed this education and filtration tool. Each page of the book provides basic water and sanitation advice, such as the importance of keeping contaminants like rubbish and faeces away from water, often unknown in developing countries. Perhaps more novel is that the advice is printed on "scientific coffee filter" paper that can be used to purify drinking water and reduce 99.9% of bacteria. Each book has enough filtration sheets to provide its reader with clean water for four years. It's being distributed in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, Ethiopia, India and Tanzania, and a Farsi version of the book is in development.

Casey: Many different filter products will purify water and remove pathogens, but it needs to have a demand from users. It also needs to be affordable [in the local context] or come with some credit mechanism. Filters play a crucial role in making the water safe, but if you're not blocking other routes of transmission (eg flies on food, handwashing after toilet use) you will still have problems. In other words, any filter has to be part of a combined solution.

Photograph: WaterSeer

It looks like a well, but instead of withdrawing groundwater, the WaterSeer uses the surrounding environment to extract water from the atmosphere. It is planted six feet below the surface, where its lower chamber is surrounded by cool earth. Above ground, wind spins a turbine which spins fan blades inside the device. These blades send the air into an internal condensation chamber where, as the warm air cools, the vapour condenses on the sides of the chamber. Water then flows down to the lower chamber and can be extracted with a simple pump and hose. In ideal conditions, it can collect 37 litres of water a day. Developed by VICI labs in the US, the project is being tested by the National Peace Corps Association and will be piloted later this year.

Casey: If we take sub-Saharan Africa as an example, groundwater tends to be available in most places we work - about 20m below the surface. So it's a management or infrastructure problem that prevents people accessing water, not a lack of it. It's not really about fixing the problem with technology; it's about fixing the system. With this example, I would imagine there could be problem with vandalism, as the device seems quite fragile. However, that's not to say that technology is not part of the solution - it has a role, but it's makes up 20% of the whole picture, along with policy and management.

Desalination, converting saltwater into freshwater, has historically been too expensive and energy-intensive to serve as a widespread solution for improving access. However, Lockheed Martin has developed and patented a Perforene graphene filter which it claims would reduce the energy cost of conventional reverse osmosis desalination by 20%, while withstanding higher pressure and temperatures. The perforated, hyper-permeable filter is one atom thick and is said to improve the flow of water compared to conventional methods by 500%. While the technology would be hugely beneficial to the oil and gas sector, which reportedly produces 18bn gallons of wastewater each year, the company is also researching other applications for the technology, including in food and energy generation.

Safford: Desalination should only be used as a last resort. Emphasis should be placed on smart water management, reducing water losses, and increasing the uptake of water-efficient technologies practices. But in regions where there is truly not enough freshwater to meet demand, a cheaper and less energy-intensive desalination method is certainly a good thing.

Nets set up by a group of community leaders called Peruvians Without Water are used to trap water from the moisture in fog. Photograph: Mariana Bazo/Reuters

Vast mesh nets capture moisture from fog, which drips into collection trays after condensation. The largest of these projects is on the slopes of Mount Boutmezguida, a microclimate in Morocco where 6,300 litres of water can be harvested per day. The water is clean, free and instant, which is perhaps why Dar Si Hmad - the non-profit responsible for the project -was awarded the UN's 2016 Momentum for Change award. First developed in South America, fog catching systems also exist in Chile, Peru, Ghana, Eritrea, South Africa and California.

Safford: Fog catching could provide a sustainable supply of drinking water for small communities in water-scarce regions, but it is unlikely to generate enough water to significantly increase water supplies. The Mount Boutmezguida project only generates enough water to serve about 160 people per day - a project of a similar size in a developed country would serve a smaller number of people [due to higher consumption habits].

Sukhdev Vishwakarma and his daughter, Meenu, use water pumped from a solar water pump at a farms in Jagadhri. Photograph: Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan

In hot and dry climates, many farmers pump groundwater to irrigate crops, and there has been a growth in the use of solar-powered pumps. A problem arises when farmers view solar energy as free, as it can cause over-irrigation. A part-technological, part policy and management solution by CGIAR's research programme on water, land and ecosystems, and in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), incentivises farmers using solar pumps to sell excess power back to the grid. The guaranteed buy-back scheme produces a "triple win"; farmers gain income, the state gains electricity reserves, and the water source is conserved by curbing usage - all while reducing carbon emissions. The scheme is being piloted in Gujarat, and IWMI estimates that solarising India's 20m irrigation wells could reduce carbon emissions by 4-5% per year.

Casey: A good initiative addressing a serious problem through changes to policy and management, not just focusing on a technical solution. In addition, selling electricity back to the grid could generate revenue to conduct maintenance on these pumps - a good sign for the sustainability of the arrangement.
What have we missed? Have you developed technology to tackle water problems? Tell us in the comments below. Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter, and have your say on issues around water in development using #H2Oideas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Could these five innovations help solve the global water crisis?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The global water crisis has many causes, requiring many different solutions. As 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, these solutions must span policy, technology, and behaviour change to make a real difference. A number of technological innovations address the crisis in novel ways.

# data[].attributes.body
In China theres a terrible water pollution. http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat10/sub66/item391.html

# data[].attributes.headline
People have little water that you can drink in different places , and if you don't  know if the water is with salt you may fell bad and even sic, and this solution helps to know if the water has salt or not. This thing is that if you put water with salt and put it on the frizzer and if it does not 

# data[].attributes.subject
People have little water that you can drink in different places , and if you don't  know if the water is with salt you may fell bad and even sic, and this solution helps to know if the water has salt or not. This thing is that if you put water with salt and put it on the frizzer and if it does not 

# data[].attributes.body
Saving water matters. if everyone saves water, there will be enough water for everyone on earth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The average person in the UK uses 150 litres each day. Here's how to reduce that...

1. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth - this can save 6 litres of water per minute.

2. Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush. You can get one of these from your water provider.

3. Take a shorter shower. Showers can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute. Consider getting an aerated shower head, which combines water and air, or inserting a regulator in your shower, which puts an upper limit on flow rates.

4. Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher - this cuts out unnecessary washes in between.

5. Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres of water a year.

6. Install a water butt to your drainpipe and use it to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows. A water butt can collect around 5,000 litres a year.

7. Water your garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. A hosepipe can use as much as 1,000 litres of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and also save water.

8. Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This will mean you do not have to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.

9. Install a water meter. When you're paying your utility provider for exactly how much water you use, laid out in an itemised bill, there's an incentive to waste less of the stuff.

10. Invest in water-efficient goods when you need to replace household products. You can now get water-efficient showerheads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other water-saving products. For more information visit the Waterwise website.

Why does saving water matter?

Even though water doesn't appear in short supply in the UK, using less water actually means you are:

Reducing energy use. Cleaning waste water (or 'grey water', as it's called) is an energy-intensive process; so is heating the hot water that comes out of your taps.

Saving money. If you're on a water meter, these tips above could save you a bob or two.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The average person in the UK uses 150 litres each day. Here's how to reduce that... Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth - this can save 6 litres of water per minute. Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush.

# data[].attributes.body
gadget that helps you save water in the shower. Also here is  a video
of it in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M_eFdgr004
(Alex)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Water Pebble | Shower, Conservation, Meter, Measure Flow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Water Pebble takes the guesswork out of water conservation by tracking your shower and training you to use less water

# data[].attributes.body
bruce

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To drill a water well, powered equipment is required. This increases the speed and depth that can be reached.

Note: The content on this page has been adapted from publications of Lifewater International, written by Fred Proby.

The objective in choosing a method to drill a water well is to use the least expensive method that can be successful given the type of material that must be drilled through and the depth that must be drilled to reach an acceptable source of groundwater.

Often, there are no options, and the choices we have are limited, maybe even non-existent. But the method used to drill a water well must match the geology.
Powered Methods Used to Drill a Water Well
Most manual well drilling methods have been adapted to use machine power instead of human power. Also, powered methods have been developed that can drill larger diameter boreholes much deeper and faster than any manual method. Machines used to drill a water well are typically called a "drill rig" or just a "rig".
Jetting
This method employs a pump to force a flow of water down a drill pipe and out a narrow nozzle to make a ''jet'' of water that loosens the sediment. The return flow of water outside the drill pipe carries cuttings up to the surface and into a settling pit. The pump then returns the water back down the pipe. The drill pipe is suspended from a tripod and rotated by hand to keep the borehole straight.
Advantages:
This method only requires lengths of pipe and a water pump that can generate sufficient pressure. The pipe is often left in the ground to serve as the well casing.

In fine sand, a 5 cm diameter PVC pipe can be rapidly advanced to more than 60 meters. It only takes two people to jet a well.
Disadvantages:
Jetting is only suitable for soft, fine-grained sediments. Gravel is too heavy for the return water to bring it to the surface.

The diameter of the borehole is only slightly larger than the drill pipe/casing. Therefore, it is difficult to install an adequate sanitary seal to protect the well from surface water contamination.
Cable Tool
This is a mechanized version of manual percussion drilling. The heavy drill bit and related parts are called the ''tools'' and they are raised and dropped on a steel cable.

Cuttings are removed with a bailer. Several meters of water must be maintained in the borehole to keep the cuttings suspended. The machinery ranges from a very simple skid-mounted powered winch with a tripod to a complex set of pulleys and drums with a large mast.

The larger cable tool rigs are mounted on a trailer or the bed of a truck and use hydraulic motors to raise and lower the mast and rotate the drums of cable.
Advantages:
A cable tool rig can drill through anything. The larger versions can drill a water well hundreds of meters deep. Compared with other powered drill rigs, the machinery is simple and has a relatively low rate of fuel consumption
Disadvantages:
Compared to other drill rigs of a similar size, a cable tool rig will drill a water wellvery slowly. When drilling in loose sediments, it is necessary to drive steel pipe behind the drill bit to keep the borehole from collapsing.

The sections of this drive casing must be welded together going in and cut apart coming out. So an arc welder and a cutting torch are needed on all but the smallest cable tool rigs.

The tools on a medium to large sized rig are very heavy and require a cable and winch to move around. There are many ways to get injured on a cable tool rig.
Mud Rotary
This method used to drill a water well starts with the basic concept of well jetting described above. Add a larger cutting bit, lengths of steel drill pipe with threaded joints, a motor to turn and lift the drill pipe, and a sturdy mast to support the pipe and you have the elements of a mud rotary drill rig. A further refinement is mixing bentonite clay or other materials in the water to improve its ability to lift cuttings out of the hole; this fluid is called ''drilling mud'' or just ''mud.''

There are many kinds of mud rotary drill rigs used to drill a water well. They fall in two basic categories; table drive, where the drill pipe is turned by a rotating mechanism near the base of the rig, and top-head drive, where the drill pipe is turned by a motor attached to the upper end of the pipe.

In both types, the upper end of the drill pipe is attached to a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers it along the mast. Both types of mud rotary rigs also have a swivel attached to the upper end of the drill pipe that allows drilling mud to be pumped down the drill pipe while the pipe is rotating.

The larger the rig, the faster and deeper it can drill. The LS100 and LS200 drill rigs are mud rotary rigs at the small end of the range of drill rig sizes.
Advantages:
Because the borehole is kept open by the pressure of the drilling mud, it is not necessary to use a drive casing as with cable tool drilling.

Mud rotary drilling is also much faster than cable tool. A large mud rotary rig can drill a borehole 60 cm in diameter to 1,000 meters or more. Even a small rig like the LS200 can drill a 20 cm porthole to a depth of 60 meters.
Disadvantages:
Drilling through rock requires a great amount of weight on the drill bit so only the larger mud rotary rigs can effectively drill in rock.

Most mud rotary rigs have a motor to rotate and lift the drill pipe and a motor to operate the mud pump.

As a result, mud rotary rigs use more fuel per hour than a comparable cable tool rig. Most drilling operations that use a large mud rotary rig also require support vehicles to haul water and drill pipe.
Air Rotary
The mechanical elements of an air rotary drill rig are similar to a mud rotary rig; table drive and top-head drive are the two basic options for rotating the drill pipe. The principal difference is an air rotary rig uses compressed air to remove cuttings rather than drilling mud.

A type of ''foam'' can be added to the air stream to improve cuttings removal and provide some borehole stability. An air rotary rig can use the same type of drill bits as a mud rig, but it can also drill with a down-the-hole hammer.

This type of bit uses compressed air to break up rock and it can drill very fast. A large air rotary rig can drill a borehole 60 cm in diameter to 500 meters or more.
Advantages:
Because there is no drilling mud to mix or settling pits to dig, an air rotary rig can be set up very quickly. An air rotary rig also drills much faster than any other rig of a comparable size.
Disadvantages:
An air rotary drill rig requires a very large air compressor, especially if a down-hole hammer is used. This adds significantly to the cost of the rig, its maintenance needs, and its fuel use.

A large air rotary rig will consume 40-60 liters per hour of fuel, making it one of the most expensive types of drill rig to operate. Large air rotary rigs also require support vehicles.

Swiss Centre for Development Cooperation in Technology and Management (SKAT) has published a manual entitled "Drilled Wells" which covers additional topics and information on the subject of how to drill a well. The PDF of that manual can be downloaded here.

SKAT Well Drilling Manual

Return to "Groundwater" from "Methods Used to Drill a Water Well"

Return "Home"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To drill a water well, powered equipment is required. This increases the speed and depth that can be reached.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Too dirty water: towards improved waste water treatment - PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wastewater treatment plants can be upgraded to include tertiary treatment systems with new technologies that enable the removal of 95% or more of the nutrients contained in the effluent. For rural areas, promising options may be on-site sanitation and better management of faecal sludge.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.dogonews.com/2016/1/7/ingenious-row-bot-devours-microbes-from-polluted-water-to-fuel-itself

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
EXPLORE OUR SITE

All About Water Filters (AAWF) brings you all the best information about drinking clean, refreshing water. We've got huge categories on water treatment, water pollution, water filtration, and much, much more. Learn how you and your family can enjoy healthy, potable water in your home today.

Have you ever been in a situation where your county health department calls and says that your water may be bad?

Has your family all gotten a bit sick for no reason?

Have you ever come out on the other side of a draught to running rusty faucets?

If you answer, "Yes," to any of the questions above, then you may have been forced to filter water at home. If you haven't faced any of these situations yet, who's to say you won't in the near future?

JUMP TO A SECTION...

4. Boil your water.

4 Reasons Why You Should
Make a DIY Water Filter

Given the cost and sophistication of commercial home water filters, here are good reasons why you should DIY with regards to water filtration at home:

It is likely to be cheaper than commercial water filter products

You may be able to use materials that are present in your garage

You have the freedom to design your own water filter

You are only limited to your own budget and may expand on necessary designs at will at anytime

5 Easy Ways:
​ How to Make a Homemade Water Filter

Alas, not everyone is knowledgeable even with the basics of how to filter water (we're looking at you, kids) for drinks, let alone the concept of a homemade water filtration system. It is quite important for anyone to learn how to make a water filter especially for emergency situations.

To help you out, here's a guide on how to build a water filter. The following are five of the easiest homemade water filter builds available:

1. Bio-Filter

Bio-filter, as a homemade filter, is composed of three separate layers of gravel, sand, and activated charcoal. It is a streamlined method of filtering impurities in the water starting from the biggest up to the most minute impurities in the water.

Here's How To Do It:

1. Turn the water gallon container upside down.

2. Cut a hole at the top of the container. This is where you will pour your materials and water for filtering.

3. The first layer must be gravel. Gravel is basically pebble-like rock that acts as a filter for common debris found in water such as a small sticks, fallen leaves, and even tiny creatures that are either an animal or an insect.

4. The second layer filled with sand. Sand can further filter out smaller particles in the water that the gravel was not able to catch.

5. Lastly, third layer contains the activated charcoal which will remove minute impurities. Harmful pathogens and chemicals lingering in the water can be removed with carbon. As the last of three layers, passing through this point will render the water clean and free from impurities that the process intended to remove.

6. Ultimately, this is a DIY carbon filter.

There is no one-way of doing this and the design is solely at your disposal. In fact, you can improvise and not just rely on the materials mentioned, other than the gravel, sand, and the activated charcoal.

Just remember to cut a hole big enough to pour the soil and the water through in the end. You should also suspend it atop a catch basin.

If you have an infant, it's best to know how to distill water. You can never be sure of what water may actually contain when you give it to a baby; the best solution is to remove everything from the water and just leave the H and O! This video above shows you how an easy DIY stove top distiller works. All you need are some basic household materials. Just be sure not to touch that HOT COPPER PIPE!

While this setup is a little complicated, this can technically extract water from most liquids that you find. If you ever find that all you have left for drinking water in a swamp, then this may be the method for you. If you're feeling lazier than usual, you can skip the DIY and get a stove top distiller kit delivered to your doorstep instead.

3. Improvised Charcoal Filter

This is basically like the Bio-filter, minus the gravel. Instead of using activated charcoal, you will be using good-old coal. Pretty much, this is a great option if you are outdoors and making a complete bio-filter is not possible.

Just like a bio-filter, you place a layer of sand over a layer of charcoal. These are crushed inside the plastic bottle where you pour over water to be filtered.The charcoal is the main purifier in this setup.

However, unlike water treated via bio-filter means, using the improvised charcoal filter give water that is cloudy and not immediately available for drinking. It has to go through boiling first.

Check out our guide on charcoal filtration to learn more.

4. Boil your water

Something that DIY enthusiasts overlook quite a bit is the simplicity of boiling a pot of water.

Depending on the heat source you have and the amount of water you need to boil, you simply have to feel it out yourself. A large pot needs a larger fire.

What's important is that you bring the water to a boil and sustain the temperature for three minutes.

5. Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS)

If any of the already four mentioned methodologies of homemade water filtration don't work for you, consider the Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS)

As its name implies, SODIS requires heat and sunlight to work.The downside is that, depending on the water sources, the process may take long to filter the water.

The Process is Simple:

1. Expose the water you need treated in direct sunlight.

2. Make sure that the water is covered by a thin screen so new impurities cannot contaminate it.

3. Leave the water out for two hours if the source is clear.

4. Leave the water out for at least two days if the source produced cloudy liquid.

Keep in mind that the water you disinfect in this method may not be completely pure.

***Solar power can do much more than disinfect your water. This DIY guide has everything you need to know about kissing your water heating bills goodbye with nothing but the power of the sun.

In the end, using two methods to filter water is the best thing to do without mechanical or chemical help. It's also better to boil the water before drinking even if it's been filtered before.

READ MORE ABOUT DIY WATER FILTERS:

BONUS VIDEO

These DIY water filter projects can also be quite fun! Check out this setup in the video 🙂

Copyright © by All-About-Water-Filters.com

All-About-Water-Filters.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, All-About-Water-Filters.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.

THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING MEDICAL ADVICE All the information, content, and material of this website are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 5 Easiest DIY Water Filters You Can Make At Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EXPLORE OUR SITE All About Water Filters (AAWF) brings you all the best information about drinking clean, refreshing water. We've got huge categories on water treatment, water pollution, water filtration, and much, much more. Learn how you and your family can enjoy healthy, potable water in your home today.

# data[].attributes.headline
These are some more ways to save water. There is a video and links.

# data[].attributes.subject
These are some more ways to save water. There is a video and links.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Photo By: Courtesy Photo

Water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body, around 50-75%. Babies and kids often have more water (as a percentage) than adults - being born at about 78%. So water is the most essential to our survival, next to air. In fact, a person can survive for 8 weeks without food but without water, he or she will not be able to survive for more than 5 days.

Water is not only essential to the human body, it also plays a vital role in our daily lives. We use water to do countless things such as: to drink, to clean and prepare our food, to clean our homes, to care for our pets, to grow plants and to cool our vehicles. However, in many developed countries, we often take water for granted because it is (almost) everywhere. For so many of us, we just turn on the faucet, and the fresh and drinkable water comes out, simple as that. Now, imagine instead that you had to scoop water in a dry riverbed, like in the photo below in remote Turkana in northern Kenya.

This photo might be a perfect illustration of how water important to us and why we need to conserve our precious resource. According to the World Health Organization, there are 844 million people don't have access to clean and safe water and 365 million people in Africa alone without it. So, it's time to notice the way we use water and learn how we can help to protect the quantity and quality of our water resources for generations to come.

As kids, it might seem like they can't do much to help. However, kids can still make a huge impact simply by using water wisely at home and changing the way their families and classmates use water. Even a few small changes can end up saving hundreds of gallons of water every year.

So, whether you're ready to take shorts showers or to check your home for leaks, there are lots of easy and simple ways that you can do to help conserve water around the home. Don't worry if you can't do everything on this list at a time. Just pick a few things to start with and add later if you can. Here are some water-saving ideas to get you going...

How Kids Can Help to Save Water

In the kitchen

Turn off the kitchen faucets when finishes using water.

If you see or hear any leaks, tell adults so the leak can be repaired.

If you want to help your mom with dishes, remember to wait until you have a full load to use your dishwasher. By doing this, your dishwasher is at its most efficient.

Know that dishwashers often use less water than washing by hand. Don't have a dishwasher? Fill up your sink with water and wash the dishes all at once instead of washing one-by-one under running water.

Don't waste your food scraps - Get composting.

Got ice cubes left over in water glasses after a party? Toss them is a houseplant's soil.

Using a large glass or a container to collect the water left over in the teapot each morning and use it to water the plants.

Save water while filling your glass. Don't keep running the faucet until the water gets cold enough to drink. Fill up a large water bottle and keep it in the fridge instead.

In the bathroom

Turn off the water while you're scrubbing your hands. If you follow guidelines to wash your hands, you can save a few gallons of water per day. Also, turn the faucet off after you wet your hands until you need to rinse.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth can save up to 200 gallons of water per month.

Take showers instead of baths. A bath typically uses up to 30 gallons of water, whereas a 5-minute shower will use only 10-20 gallons.

Take short showers.

Don't let the water run while soaping up or shampooing.

Reuse towels.

Throw tissues, bugs in the wastebasket, not a toilet.

Using a container to catch water from the shower, use it to force the toilet or to mop the home.

Tell adults about leaky faucets or toilets

Save water outside

If you do wash a car, turn off the hose between rinses.

Remind adults to adjust sprinklers so they water only plant or lawn areas - not the sidewalk, driveways and your neighbor's front yard.

Use a broom to clean a deck or driveway instead of hosting it with water.

Adding compost to your garden soil reduces how much water they need.

Water the plants in the morning or evening when it's cooler, to reduce evaporation.

Collect rainwater and use it for the plants.

Try to avoid water fight games.

Again, tell adults about leaky faucets.

Learn by watching | Make learning fun for kids

Other ways to help conserve water

Use less paper or recycle it - Think "saving paper equals saving water".

Stay away from toys that require constant running water.

Alert neighbors to running hoses or broken sprinkler heads, and check your own.

Encourage family, friends, and neighbors to conserve water.

Water Conservation for Kids Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Water Conservation for Kids: How Kids Can Help to Save Water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body, around 50-75%. Babies and kids often have more water (as a percentage) than adults - being born at about 78%. So water is the most essential to our survival, next to air.

# data[].attributes.body
i think this is smart idea to drink dirty water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Original, ultra-light backpack and travel-friendly "straw" water filter