Diseases: Group urge govt to invest in durable water filtration

A U.S. based NGO, Sri Mathrusri Vijayeshwari Devi Ashram (SMVA), Trust on Thursday urged the Nigerian government to invest in durable water filters, to curb the prevalence of waterborne diseases in the country.

Dr Prasanna Kankamala, an Agriculturist and Project Lead for Africa Initiative of SMVA Trust, made the call while demonstrating the efficacy of “Sawyer Water Filter’’, an initiative of the organisation, in collaboration with “Waves for Water” in Durumi I and II communities in the FCT.

Kankamala said the initiative, which was being piloted in the two communities, was part of the organisations project tagged “Water for Life” and geared towards ensuring access to safe drinking water and environment for citizens.

The SMVA Trust official, who presented five of the filters to the communities, decried Nigeria’s rating as one of the leading countries with polluted water.

She explained that the water filters had the ability to filter dirty water to crystal clean water, irrespective of the degree of dirt; as well as track all bacterial contamination.

According to her, the filter, which has the ability to filter water in the shortest possible time, can be used for a lifetime if well maintained.

“These water filters, which do not have chemical components, do not require any technology or electricity to function, can purify and remove contaminants from the water.

“So you can easily take water from any dirty pool and make it clean drinking water.

“The filters are very simple and easy to use; and are based on membrane technology.

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“When there is a presence of micron membrane at a point, all you do is to filter water to that membrane, like the way kidney filters disease from your blood, similarly this membrane filters impurities from the water.

“The water that comes out from this filter is 99.9 per cent microbial free, so it is very safe for human consumption.

“SMVA has distributed these water filters in almost 70 different countries; it is essentially war against waterborne diseases so that we can ensure water for life globally,’’ Kankamala stated.

Similarly, Prof Titus Ibekwe, Head of Ear, Nose and Throat Department, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, described the gesture as a welcome development.

Ibekwe who acknowledged that water was life, emphasised that most of the air and water-borne diseases people suffered from globally were largely transmitted through water, noting that this could be addressed by adopting the water filtration system.

According to him, the filter was chemical-free and a natural method of water filtration due to its ability to trap micro organisms.

He said access to potable water in Nigeria was a threat that could be addressed with the adoption of the water filtration method, especially in the rural and hard to reach areas.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the high point of the event was the distribution of the Sawyer Water Filters, which cost 100 dollars each, to the communities.

(NAN)