Aqua Relief: A Portable Water Purifier for Flood Victims

Abstract

Due to prevalent flood conditions, Pakistan is facing a severe shortage of clean drinking water in flood-affected areas. Not only that, but the water quality in the country is also getting worse day by day. Flood victims are forced to drink contaminated flood water which has a negative effect on their health due to the microorganisms and bacteria present in the water; the need to ensure the availability of clean drinking water is of utmost importance. The report is based on the design of a portable water purifier containing natural purifying materials to make it cost efficient and to ensure easy availability of clean water to flood victims. The results of testing the natural filter media show that active carbon as a filter media has very high turbidity removal efficiency i.e., up to 98%, and removes many toxins from water, such as volatile organic compounds and chlorine. It also adds important minerals such as iron, magnesium, and calcium into the water. Gravel holds back precipitates that may contain impurities and hold other sandsized particles. This material not only cleans water chemically and mechanically but also makes the purifiers cheaper as they are easily available natural materials. 3