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Published on: June 29, 2014
Appropriate technology for rural India - solar decontamination of water for emergency settings and small communities
Gagandeep Kang1, Sheela Roy, Vinohar Balraj
1Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632004, Tamilnadu, India. gkang@cmcvellore.ac.in
Abstract:
A commercial solar water heating system was evaluated for its effectiveness in decontaminating drinking water with a view to use in emergency situations. A total of 18 seeding experiments carried out over 6 months with 10(5) to 10(7)Escherichia coli/ml showed that the solar heater produced 125 l of bacteriologically safe water in 4 h when the ambient temperature was above 30 degrees C, with a holding time of at least 2 h. The solar water heating system is inexpensive, easy to transport and set up and could provide safer drinking water for 50 people a day. It would be effective in the decrease and prevention of waterborne disease in emergency situations, and is appropriate for use in small communities.
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