Final Abstract

The average North American shower uses approximately 7.5 Litres of water per minute. The minimum amount of water the UN believes necessary for someone in a developing country to survive is 20L/day, the amount we use in a two minute and 40 second shower. Imagine showering for less than 3 minutes, then not using any water for the rest of the day, including drinking. 1 in 6 children in the world don't even have that much and what they do have is rarely safe to drink.

Through research and some innovative design, a more sustainable and economical way to get clean water to the people that need it most will be found. Working in partnership with thewaterproject.org a real world village in Kenya will be used as a case study to apply the findings and find a better solution for its inhabitants.

This report will answer the question of how the water collection and purification process can be improved in developing countries. It will do this by outlining the water needs of a village based on the number of people as well as special needs like agriculture. It will focus mainly on the collection of rain water but also purification and storage. Materials for the construction of the gutters, cisterns and other items will be analyzed and compared as well as different filtration methods for their economic value and functionality. This report will determine if there is enough rainfall in the region for each home to collect its own water or if a communal water source will also be required. If a communal reserve is required it will determine the most economical and functional way of sharing collected water. It will also compare costs and availability of materials to come up with a solution that will not only be beneficial to this village but to all villages in developing countries all over the world.

Most children in developing countries don’t go to school because they are either too busy walking several kilometers everyday to get water, or are too ill from drinking contaminated water. Families are unable to irrigate land and feed their livestock. There is a solution. Let’s find it.

Dean Kamen's newest invention

Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway electric scooter, shows his water purifier on The Colbert Report.

Traffic

Just out of curiousity I added a counter to see how many people were visiting my blog and where they were coming from. To date I've had over 250 hits from 8 different countries. Check out the map.

Abstract

Original design by Gordon T.

The average North American shower uses approx. 7.5L/minute. The minimum amout of water the UN believes necessary for someone in a developing country is 20L/day, the amount we use in a 2 minute and 40 second shower. Imagine showering for less than 3 minutes, then not using any water for the rest of the day, including drinking. 1 in 6 children in the world don't even have that much and what they do have is rarely safe to drink.

Through my research and some innovative design, I plan on finding a more sustainable and cheaper way to get clean water to the people that need it most. Working in partnership with the good people at thewaterproject.org I will be using a real world village in Kenya to use as a case study to apply my findings and find a better solution for it's inhabitants.

This report will outline the water needs of this village based on the number of people as well as special needs like agriculture. We will focus on mainly the collection of rainwater but also purification and storage. We will also compare costs and availability of materials to come up with a solution that will not only be benificial to this village but with to all villages in developing countries all over the world.

Most children in developing countries don't go to school because they are either too busy walking several kilometers everyday to get water, or are too ill from drinking contaminated water. There is a solution. Let's find it.

Weather data

Here's some weather data from the BBC Weather Centre for Nairobi.

Answers

After doing some research and trading some emails with Peter C. from thewaterproject.org I have a few answers.

1. The location is still to be finalized but will be approximately 100 - 150km from Machakos, Kenya which is 35km east of Nairobi so I will be using climate data info for Nairobi in my research.
2. Minimum amount of water according to the UN is 20L/day/person.

Questions I need to answer

1. Which location? - This will determine rainfall and amount of water required/day/person.
2. How will rainwater be collected?
3. How will the water be purified for drinking?
4. Will the residents be able to build and maintain their own system?
5. How many days worth of clean water should be stored?
6. How can future contamination be avoided? (Thanks Justine)

This is going to be a running set of questions that I'll add to as I come up with more. Feel free to leave comments and/or suggestions of more questions I can add.

Planning outline - revised

Project:
Sustainable drinking water solutions for developing nations.

Method:
Determine best/most efficient purifying method.
- Research different types of purification.
- Cost-benefit of each.

Calculate power required (if any) for purifiers, pumps, etc.
-Manufactures' data sheets.

Calculate ways to maintain power level.
-Solar, wind, hydro, etc.

Number of homes/people in one area can use a single water purifier.
-Define flow/purify rate.
-Define average use.
-Determine storage size based on use.

Determine climate data (hours of sunlight, rainfall, etc.)
-Weather.com/BBC Weather Centre for most recent/accurate data.

Additional hardware - What's required and costs.
-Batteries for power storage, pipes, pumps, etc.

Final cost-benefit analysis.
-Would enough people be able to benefit to justify the cost?

Also:
Specific project must be defined (specific equipment, location).

Special problems:
Who will perform maintenance if required?
Can the residents construct it?
Will items have to be shipped (added cost) or can they be found locally?




Planning outline


Project:
Completely sustainable homes in rural developing countries including clean water and power.

Method:
Determine the best/most efficient purifying method
-Research different types of purification
-Cost/benefit of each

Calculate power required for electric water pump (if needed) and purifier.
-Manufacture's data sheets for high efficient purifiers.

Calculate how many photovoltaic cells required to maintain power level.
-Manufacture's data sheets.
-General photovoltaic information

Hom many homes/people in one area can use a single water purifier?
-Define the flow rate through a purifier.
-Define average use.
-Determine storage size based on use.

Determine climate data (hours of sunlight/rainfall).
-Weather.com/BBC Weather Centre for most recent data.

Additioinal hardware - Waht's required and costs.
-Batteries, etc.

Final cost/benefit analysis.
-Would enough people be able to benefit to justify the cost?

Also:
Specific equipment (purifiers, photovoltaic cells, etc.) must be defined.
Specific location must be defined.

Special problems:
Where will the cells be purchased? Will they have to be shipped? (added cost)
Who will perform maintenance if any required?
Can the people who will live in the building construct it?

Welcome to my blog about sustainable housing in rural developing countries. Through my research I plan on finding better ways to provide sustainable clean drinking water to developing nations.