Water Sanitation Mechanisms - Research Paper Example

Water Sanitation

Introduction

The levels of water sanitation create the difference between healthy living and a life marked by illnesses. Studies have shown that about one person in every nine does not have access to clean and safe water (Grimes et al. 2014: 21). The approximate number of people who do not have access to clean water stands at 884 million with the statistics for persons who lack access to improved sanitation at about 2.4 billion (Schmidt 2014: 16). According to these statistics, many people are exposed to infections that result from consumption and use of unclean water. Because of this exposure and use of unhealthy water, about one million people worldwide die every year from water-related infections and illnesses with a child dying every second from the same (Mautner et al. 2015: 32). Despite the existence of several techniques and methodologies of water sanitation, the populations that require these services the most are yet to find methodologies that best suit their needs. This proposal seeks to present viable products by which the problem of water sanitation can be effectively handled in scenarios where large populations depend on single water sources.

The existing products are mainly for industrial use or one man use, and this does not benefit the people who require water sanitation products most. The inhabitants of rural areas are the most exposed to these water problems, and the existing methods of water sanitation and treatment do not favor them, for instance, in Mali where water is commonly collected from a single point such as borehole or river. In these scenarios, it is common for family drinking water to be stored in one source and the water set as aside as drinking water is commonly not used for other uses such as taking showers and washing needs. Some existing water sanitation techniques such as the use of straws limit the population that can gain access to the water and is not suitable in these rural areas where mass populations get the water they use from a single source.

The paper will display methodologies through which human populations can ensure access to clean and healthy water without limiting the numbers that can access the services. This paper provides sanitation solutions that involve water treatment at the water sources or collection points such as rivers and common points of water storages such as water storage areas for families. The solutions are such that the whole community within which they are implemented will be able to enjoy high levels of water sanitation rather than individuals enjoy the benefits. The solutions are viable and cost effective hence governments, municipalities, and nongovernmental organizations should be willing to sponsor them. The results of implementing the solutions in this paper will be a reduction of the number of deaths and infections arising from poor water sanitation such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis B among others (Goh, Lau &Ismai 2015: 41). The overall resultant effects will hence be a healthier and safer living since water is an essential part of human beings existence. Businesses, organizations, families, individuals and even economies of nations will collectively benefit from thisdevice that ease water purification hence saves on the hunt for clean water.

The Proposal Process

The project is the erection of UF devices in a community water source and family water storages. Both source and storage filtration will ensure water sanitation through Ultra Filtration. The target is rural communities hence the audience is community leadership. This method of water sanitation will allow communities access to safe and clean water for consumption and use.

Methodology

The water Ultra Filtration process involves the membrane filtration where a pressure in hydrostatic form drives water through a semi-permeable membrane that can separate the substances in water and other possible microorganisms such as bacteria, natural organic objects and particulate materials (Huang et al. 2015: 47). Through the technology, hollow fibers that constitute the membrane and the water that is input for purification passes within the shell or in the hollow lumen fibers. Unwanted components such as suspended solids, bacteria and other parts made of high molecular weights are held captive by the membrane while clean and extremely safe water passes through. The primary method that water Ultra Filtration employs in the removal of germs, bacteria and other harmful substances that could exist in water is size exclusion. Through water UF, contamination causes such as viruses, giardia, polio, bacteria, cysts, coloform, salmonella, E. colo, cryptosporidium, typhoid fever, flu, meningitis, infectious Hepatitis, and dysentery are addressed.

Solution One: Water Collection

The first solution that aims at availing clean water to the whole community is the installation of a water UF plant at the source of water collection, the place where the community members get the water they use from, be it a river, dam or borehole. In this solution strategy, the UF device should be incorporated with the ‘forage' such that every particle of water that flows from the forage has to be filtered (Shi et al. 2014: 107). Where the water source is a river, the device can be built such the user filtrates the water they carry home using a manual pump. Since the method does not require electricity, the technique is applicable even in the remotest of rural areas.

Solution Two: Water Storage

The solution that this proposal proposes to ensure water sanitation at the water storage location is an innovative water storage foldable tank made from plastic, fitted with wheels and an Ultra Filtration system. The tanks are made foldable for easy storage and mobility. The wheels ease the number of efforts necessary to move the water, and this can make easier the work of those who fetch water. By running water through the UF device, families will be guaranteed access to clean water.

Differences from Existing Methods

The first difference from other methods of water sanitation is that it does not use chemicals. The other methods may require chemicals such as flocculates, coagulants and disinfectants among others.

The second difference of this system from the other methods is that it uses size exclusion as its primary mechanism of particle isolation, unlike others which mostly use media depth filtration technique as the primary method of water purification.

Advantages over existing methods

• The first major advantage of this method of water sanitation is that this method does require any chemical. Chemicals have side effects and depending on the individual using it, could react with their system (Xie et al. 2014: 99). Ultra Filtration, however, does not require chemicals, unlike other methods that may require flocculates, coagulants, disinfectants and sometimes pH adjustments.
• The other advantage of this method over other conventional water sanitation methods is that the whole community benefits from these solutions.
• The process additionally does not require electricity to function hence can function anywhere.
• The method is easy to install and incurs low maintenance charges.
• It is not just that the process can save millions of lives; it can also be a lucrative business.

Possible Uses

This method can be used in several areas including rural areas, refugee camps, disaster recovery areas and by any person living in localities with water sources but lacking in the availability of potable water.

Project Timing

The erection of UF devices timing should take six months that will be broken down as illustrated below. The project illustrated targets a community that relies on a collective water source such as river or borehole from where the members of the community source water (Mautner et al. 2015: 55). The stages of the project's timing include:

Programming: The project programming is the first stage of actualizing water Ultra Filtration plant. This process constitutes the first one month, during this time, the program is planned and all aspects put into considerations. Issues such as the target community and the project sponsor are key aspects to be considered here. A committee is formulated comprising of the community’s members or leadership, and then the community begins the planning. The site of building the water UF plant is first determined. After the determination, the budget is drawn, and the funds for running the program acquired. This process of program planning should take one month, a period during which the programs and plans are reviewed multiply to determine any flaws.

Plan Executions: As soon as planning is completed, the executions of the designed plans follows immediately. From the beginning of the second month, the plan is set in motion, and all the necessary logistics of the plan are undertaken. The execution takes three months since it involves acquiring all the necessary documents and contract statements. It is important to note that the UF plant under construction here is a big one that can effectively serve the whole community. The deadline for completion up to end of execution of the set plans is 4months

Project Launch: By the beginning of the six months, the test programs should be on, and the community should be allowed to use the facility so that its impacts on the lives of the community members can be determined.

Necessary Logistics

The necessary logistics for this program include:

The first logistic is location. This is an important logistic that has to be taken into consideration before embarking on the project. This is the actual geographical area where the project shall be set upon (Grimes et al. 2014: 99). The area has to be a place of constant water supply, a source of water that a community of people depends on for use and consumption.

The other logistics for this project is personal. This refers to the labor that will be required to set up the plant. The people that will set up the Ultra Filtration device have to be identified and contracted to build the plant Tender shall be announced and a contractor chosen.

The other logistic is the materials necessary for the construction. The materials necessary for building the UF device must be determined and acquired for the success of the project.

Evaluation of the project

• One way to determine if the project is achieving its objectives is a study of the number of water-related infections reported in the community within which the plant is based before and after it began operations.
• The other way of evaluating the project's performance is by collecting opinions of the residents of the said community and determining if it is negative or positive.

Signs the project’s success

• The first sign of the success of the project is a significant drop in the number of water sanitation related infections reported after the project becomes operational. Since UF of water purifies it up to 99.99%, the number of persons acquiring infections that arise from consumption of unclean water should reduce significantly.
• The second sign of the project is a positive feedback from the residents of the community upon which it is installed. A survey should find that people can attest to the project changing their lives by raising the levels of water sanitation.

How to mitigate shortcomings

The first shortcoming of Ultra Filtration is that soluble materials cannot be filtered (Schmidt 2014: 109). This means that the materials that can dissolve in water will pass through the filtrations chambers. The way to deal with this challenge is to avoid exposing the source of water to any soluble material or product.

The second shortcoming of water ultrafiltration is that it does not have the capability of removing the bad odor of water. The solution to this shortcoming is that the water fed into the UF device should be odorless. This problem should not be experienced a lot though because the water that people use for consumption and other needs seldom has an odor.

Conclusion

The challenges that people all around the world face due to sanitation inspired the writing of this proposal. Improper water sanitation can lead to health complications such as diarrhea, typhoid, and flu amongst others and could lead to loss of life (Ngure et al. 2014: 50). The highlighted problem that results in loss of over a million lives annually motivated the writing of this proposal. The proposal provides a mechanism of water sanitation that is affordable since it comes in varying sizes and can serve a large number of people. The proposed mechanism is water Ultra Filtration at the source and the storage point. This method can help many people since it is set at a community's water collection point. Unlike the current methods, the proposed project does not use chemicals, requires no electricity, and can serve a large number of people such as community. The project will take six months and will require logistics such as the location of establishment, materials and the personnel to accord labor. The success of the project will be characterized by reduction of poor water sanitation related illnesses and positive response from the community members. The shortcomings of the project include that soluble materials cannot be filtered and it cannot help with water odor. The solution is that water fed into the device should be soluble and odor free.