Water Filter Project - The Idea

One of the reasons I came to Ghana was to study more about development. In the past months, however, social entrepreneurship has struck as me both a more challenging and more effective means to a similar end. I felt lucky, when halfway through my time volunteering at DAI, I learned that per company policy interns are paid a transportation stipend. I was about to receive a considerable ammount - one which I neither expected or had any need for, and decided to do something meaningful with it. The move to the village of Oguaa was about a month away, and these factors naturally combined. I began to research community projects that would be relevant to the village, while fitting the budget, time frame and level of expertise (zero).

Try googling something like "African village project" to see how many results come up. There were plenty of options to look into, from building composting latrines to new houses. Many options would live up to the "uniqueness" of a community project in a village. At first I considered building a Ventilated Improved Pit latrine (VIP), which is not only environmentally safe, it also provides fertilizer after a year of waiting (there's more to the process, naturally). My budget, however, would sufice for roughly one pit. Not exactly what could be seen as effective, as a community project or as a learning experience.

I analyzed other options, and a single kind of project stood out: bio sand water filters.
Built out of concrete, these filters use layers of sand to purify water by around 99 percent of pathogens, bacteria and viruses. Simple to operate, easy to maintain and relatively cheap, this was the project I was looking for.
In Oguaa, the school building is decadent, there is no sewage system, no running water, and the nearest clinic is fifteen minutes away. The population nonetheless is considerably healthy and prosperous - daily life poses no ever-present unbearable turbulences. What indeed should be improved in the village are mostly structural and policy issues, that need to be adressed through government action. While I was aware that borehole water was likely safe to drink (though the storage practices are not adequate), I was equally aware that with my budget I could not hope to tar the roads, install pipes or build a hospital. The fact that the experience of undertaking such a project would not be available to me in the next years of college was a deciding factor in choosing to go through with the filters.

My research sources were mainly CAWST and biosandfilter.org, two NGOs. From these I also got building plans, and combined characteristics from the two to cut down on costs and to fit the available materials.

The initial idea was to built a metal mould, so more filters could be constructed in the future. At first I thought of selling the filters as a possible income-source to the village, as the mould would remain in Oguaa after I left. However low the cost of filters, it would be an unacessible luxury to those who do not have access to clean drinking water. The project would thus involve only one mould, which would allow for the construction of 3-5 filters.

Upon arriving at the village, I sent the borehole water for testing at the Ghana Water Company laboratory in Kumasi. Fortunately, the results came as expected and proved the water is completely safe for consumption. The circumstances led to a change of direction - to take the filters to where there is a more pressing need: the north of Ghana. While I am still building the filters in Oguaa, and will give some to any resident who might need its use, the aim is to bring them to a village in the North when we go to Tamale as part of the program.

Next post I'll write about the process to build the mould, the first step on the actual project.

Take care!

Henrique