UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 19 May 2008 -- It is a tale centered on the introduction affordable sustainable technologies.

A group of students from the University of Alberta (Canada) are coordinating a Kenya Ceramic project that is focused on delivering a low tech water filtering process to villagers living in rural communities.

The Kenya Ceramic Project (KCP) is a pilot program aimed at introducing innovative ceramic water filters and high efficiency wood burning stoves to rural areas in Kenya.  

With the help of NGO’s and health clinics, potters in these areas are being trained to make specially designed filters and stoves with two goals in mind:  increasing access to clean water and introducing a more efficient use of available fuels.

Essentially simple clay pots are being introduced to serve as a low-tech, low-cost water filter and as part of an efficient heating/cooking unit.

The pots are inexpensive and made by drying clay and mixing it with sawdust and different types of grass. 

When the pots are fired in an energy-efficient designed kiln, the organic material is burnt away – leaving small holes that can filter out bacteria. 

The challenge with this technique – making sure that the pots are used properly and ensuring that the clay mixture doesn’t filter the water too quickly. 

The pots designed by the students from the University of Alberta filter water at a rate of approximately one liter per hour. 

Testing of these pots has demonstrated a 100% elimination of coliform bacteria from the drinking water supply. 

And the ceramic pots can also maximize target heating as part of the cooking process – thus reducing the amount of fuel needed to heat water or other cooking materials.

During the upcoming summer 2008, the U of A students will return to Kenya to continue working with a village where a pilot project is in the works that involves the construction of a small pottery factory and test a design for a high-efficiency cooking stove made of clay pots.

UNICEF has expressed interest in facilitating the expansion and proliferation of the KCP water filter program.

For more information about this unique program, visit www.kenyanceramics.org

  Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews WATER, water, sanitation, water and sanitation, Kenya Ceramic Project, KCP, University of Alberta, UNICEF, drinking water, water filter, cooking stove, Kathy Shandling, international development, environment, water news, water sustainability, water resource, water management, global water crisis, sustainable development

 

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