Project Description:
The Design It Clean project is where we learned about an area that has problems getting sanitary water and designed a low-cost filter for the area's specific problems. We then tested the filters' efficiency and the water quality.
Field Report:
Varanasi, India Field Report
Nicole Wiley
Varanasi, India, which is considered the cultural capital of India, is also known as Benares, Banaras, and Kashi. Varanasi is located in northern India on the banks of the Ganges River. It is the oldest living city in the world, believed to have been around since the 11th century B.C. The Ganges River is considered sacred; it is one of the seven spots in the world sacred to Hindus. Many people cleanse themselves at the Ghats by washing themselves in the sacred water, although it is unfit for bathing. This river is 1560 miles long and runs from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The average rainfall is 44 inches a year, and from June to September the temperature ranges from 72º to 115º Fahrenheit. Varanasi has a population of about a million people, 29% of which are employed, and most of which are uneducated and live in slums. 80% of Varanasi’s population is Hindu. Around 4 million people use the polluted Ganges River for daily life. Many of the people who use the river live in extreme poverty. Varanasi has a local governing body and is also represented by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the Parliament of India.
Main sources of pollution of the Ganges include human waste, industrial waste, and religious events. About one billion liters of untreated, raw sewage are dumped into the Ganges per day. One of the main industries in India is weaving, and the dyes and toxins used in it are often dumped into the river. Chromium, which is used in leather industry, is another one of the main toxic chemicals that gets dumped into the river. Two examples of the religious events are cremation or water burials for unwed girls. Thousands of bodies are cremated and then dumped into the river for religious reasons; many people believe that the Ganges is the way to prevent reincarnation and reach what is known as moksha or salvation. Another pollutant of the Ganges is dead bodies such as cattle carcasses. Although it is illegal, human carcasses (the bodies of those who couldn’t afford to be cremated) are still placed into the river for water burials. According to Fox News in January of this year, there were over 100 bodies recently found floating in the river; officials assume they were from water burials. The main reason bodies and remains are placed in the river is because Hindus believe that by being sent down the river after death, they can break the cycle of reincarnation. The amount of toxins, chemicals, and harmful bacteria is over 3000 times higher than is recommended by the World Health Organization to be safe. The leading cause of death for infants and children is the Ganges River. Although the Ganges’ water used to be clean enough to drink, dams are also damaging the river’s ability to restore itself.
Nicole Wiley
Varanasi, India, which is considered the cultural capital of India, is also known as Benares, Banaras, and Kashi. Varanasi is located in northern India on the banks of the Ganges River. It is the oldest living city in the world, believed to have been around since the 11th century B.C. The Ganges River is considered sacred; it is one of the seven spots in the world sacred to Hindus. Many people cleanse themselves at the Ghats by washing themselves in the sacred water, although it is unfit for bathing. This river is 1560 miles long and runs from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The average rainfall is 44 inches a year, and from June to September the temperature ranges from 72º to 115º Fahrenheit. Varanasi has a population of about a million people, 29% of which are employed, and most of which are uneducated and live in slums. 80% of Varanasi’s population is Hindu. Around 4 million people use the polluted Ganges River for daily life. Many of the people who use the river live in extreme poverty. Varanasi has a local governing body and is also represented by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the Parliament of India.
Main sources of pollution of the Ganges include human waste, industrial waste, and religious events. About one billion liters of untreated, raw sewage are dumped into the Ganges per day. One of the main industries in India is weaving, and the dyes and toxins used in it are often dumped into the river. Chromium, which is used in leather industry, is another one of the main toxic chemicals that gets dumped into the river. Two examples of the religious events are cremation or water burials for unwed girls. Thousands of bodies are cremated and then dumped into the river for religious reasons; many people believe that the Ganges is the way to prevent reincarnation and reach what is known as moksha or salvation. Another pollutant of the Ganges is dead bodies such as cattle carcasses. Although it is illegal, human carcasses (the bodies of those who couldn’t afford to be cremated) are still placed into the river for water burials. According to Fox News in January of this year, there were over 100 bodies recently found floating in the river; officials assume they were from water burials. The main reason bodies and remains are placed in the river is because Hindus believe that by being sent down the river after death, they can break the cycle of reincarnation. The amount of toxins, chemicals, and harmful bacteria is over 3000 times higher than is recommended by the World Health Organization to be safe. The leading cause of death for infants and children is the Ganges River. Although the Ganges’ water used to be clean enough to drink, dams are also damaging the river’s ability to restore itself.
Product Description:
The filter cleans water by sending the water through several layers of purification. The first layer consists of a screen and a coffee filter. I decided to use a coffee filter, because it removes smaller particles such as sediment and is inexpensive. I chose a screen to block out large debris such as trash and weeds. The second layer has activated carbon. Activated carbon absorbs many drugs and chemicals, of which there are many in the Ganges River. The third layer is made with a small screen rubber banded over the opening of the bottle. This screen is used for the purpose of preventing the activated carbon from entering into the filtered water. The estimated total cost of this product is about $2.27 USD (142.52 Indian Rupees).
Material List:
2 2l bottles
178 mL of Activated Carbon
1 Coffee Filter
2 Rubber Bands
30/26cm Window Screen
8/8cm Window Screen
Cost List:
$0.02 per filter for coffee filters-Walmart
$0.38 per pound for activated carbon-Amazon
$0.19 per square foot for window screens-Walmart
$0.90 per bottle for 2l soda bottles-Walmart
$0.03 per rubberband-Walmart
Material List:
2 2l bottles
178 mL of Activated Carbon
1 Coffee Filter
2 Rubber Bands
30/26cm Window Screen
8/8cm Window Screen
Cost List:
$0.02 per filter for coffee filters-Walmart
$0.38 per pound for activated carbon-Amazon
$0.19 per square foot for window screens-Walmart
$0.90 per bottle for 2l soda bottles-Walmart
$0.03 per rubberband-Walmart
Tests and Results:
Presence of Ammonia:
This test is to determine if the filter removes ammonia, which is a byproduct of waste in the water. The initial amount of ammonia in the water was 5 ppm (parts per million). After the water was sent through the filter, the amount was only 1.5 ppm. My filter reduced the amount of ammonia in the water by 70%.
Turbidity:
This test is to see if the filter removes the small particles in water that make it cloudy. The water started out with a visibility of about 2.6 centimeters. After the water was filtered, the average visibility was about 15.2 centimeters. The filter decreased the amount of particles by about 484%.
Testing for Microorganisms:
This test’s purpose is to see if the filter would remove single celled organisms that could possibly cause sickness and disease. Before the water was sent through the filter, there were 15 microorganisms. After the water was sent through the filter, there were 3 microorganisms. The filter reduced the microorganisms by 80%.
This test is to determine if the filter removes ammonia, which is a byproduct of waste in the water. The initial amount of ammonia in the water was 5 ppm (parts per million). After the water was sent through the filter, the amount was only 1.5 ppm. My filter reduced the amount of ammonia in the water by 70%.
Turbidity:
This test is to see if the filter removes the small particles in water that make it cloudy. The water started out with a visibility of about 2.6 centimeters. After the water was filtered, the average visibility was about 15.2 centimeters. The filter decreased the amount of particles by about 484%.
Testing for Microorganisms:
This test’s purpose is to see if the filter would remove single celled organisms that could possibly cause sickness and disease. Before the water was sent through the filter, there were 15 microorganisms. After the water was sent through the filter, there were 3 microorganisms. The filter reduced the microorganisms by 80%.
Conclusion:
The filter design improved the water quality by removing large particulate matter such as trash and weeds, along with decreasing the amount of sediment, ammonia and microorganisms. The design is inexpensive and easy to use.