Every day millions of people around the world consume water from unsafe sources. To avoid getting sick you should use chlorine or boil it, but, in reality, there is a very simple method that uses the energy of the sun to disinfect the water. It's called SODIS and consists of putting water in plastic bottles and then exposing them to direct sunlight to purify it.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Millions of people around the world every day they consume water from unsafe sources. To avoid getting sick you should use chlorine or boil it, but, in reality, there is a very simple method that uses the energy of the sun to disinfect the water. It is called SODIS and consists of putting water in plastic bottles and then expose them to direct sunlight to purify it.
"This is one of the oldest methods of water purification, even before boiling or adding chlorine. It is the only method that has been tested, unlike other household disinfection systems, and recommended by the World Health Organization, which used it extensively during the tsunami in Indonesia ", said Mario Antonio Campos, coordinator of SODIS for Peru.
According to the expert this method should only be used with PET plastic bottles, which are more resistant and safer. For sun exposure to be effective it should take place between 8:00 and 17:00, however, people need to make sure that the water they expose to the sun is not cloudy. "Cloudy water is used by microbes as a shield, so it must be removed before exposure, for example adding the juice of the prickly pear leaf, which has the ability to separate the sediment from the liquid, ”Campos said.
While it may seem like an unreliable way forward, studies show this method it reduces diarrheal diseases deriving from the consumption of contaminated water, as demonstrated by over 20% of the intervention areas. Of course, this method can have certain disadvantages. The arrival of winter is undoubtedly the main one. But this does not mean that it cannot be essential to save the lives of people who still do not have access to drinking water today.
“Just as we trust the sun to grow plants and dry clothes, it should also be relied upon to purify water. There is a saying that says "where the sun enters the doctor does not enter". We must rely on solar energy and, by also combining hygiene measures, it will be possible to reduce diarrheal diseases ”, underlined the coordinator.
Roberta Ragni
Source and Photos
READ also:
- The billboard that produces drinking water out of thin air
