Two weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall, more than half of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents still don’t have access to clean drinking water. Luckily there may be a relatively easy solution, developed by Seattle gear company Mountain Safety Research.
You’re likely familiar with MSR’s snowshoes, backpacking stoves, and water filters, which are all designed and built in Washington. MSR also makes water-cleaning products for the U.S. military, which means they have one of the most well-equipped water labs in the world. For the last few years, that lab has focused on trying to create tools that provide clean drinking water to rural communities in developing nations, and in the wake of natural disasters.
Municipal water is typically disinfected with chlorine, which removes pathogens like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid—diseases that become more likely after a natural disaster that damages water storage, or pollutes sources. But chlorine has a short shelf life, making it difficult to store and ship.
In response, MSR has developed a simple, robust, and affordable way to make relatively large quantities of chlorine using a limited amount of common household supplies. All its Community Chlorine Maker needs is water, salt, and a 12V battery.
To treat water, just pour the resulting chlorine into a water container.