One of the greatest challenges facing the world is a lack of clean, safe water for people. It isn’t just the fact that people need to drink, but that basic sanitation is a baseline necessity for the health of the global population.
Waterborne illnesses kill people every day. Dirty water makes children sick and limits their life chances. Daily, long-haul treks to fetch clean water prevents girls getting an education. Even in Western countries, water shortages and water contamination cause environmental, economic and health problems for people, businesses and governments.
World Water Day, organised by the UN, acknowledges this issue and every year seeks to raise awareness to help inspire change, to find solutions and to encourage action. The 2018 theme is nature and making the most of the abundance of water in nature.
At Aqua21 we see our point-of-use water treatment system – that uses small amounts of ozone to clean and disinfect water – as a simple solution to a global crisis. We have tested the technology, we know it works. We have simplified it, we have miniaturized it so it will fit in the palm of a hand and we have reduced its energy needs so it can be powered by battery or even solar power.
This means our technology could be fitted to a standpipe, or into a kettle or the end of a tap – anywhere really. It can sense contaminants in dirty water and apply the right dose of ozone to kill any pathogens, rendering it safe to drink. If more ozone is applied it can become biocidal, acting as a disinfectant to kill bacteria – for example, to disinfect hands and surfaces in a rural maternity ward without access to safe water.
The water treated by our technology can be waste water, water from rivers, run-offs – it doesn’t matter, the output will come out safe to drink the other end. This could be life-changing for people living in areas of the world without access to safe water, and yet regular access to unsafe water, which makes them ill.
But it’s also game-changing in a range of other scenarios too, many of which you can find elsewhere on our website – from agriculture and healthcare, to disaster relief. Find out more about Aqu21 technology, how it works and how it can save lives in this video.