Varsity applies grandma’s wisdom for safe drinking water needs.
For many of us, the sight of water stored in copper vessels reminds us of our grandmothers’ homes.
Recognising copper’s potent use in removing pathogens from water and making it fit to drink, the city-based Transdisciplinary University has launched TamRas, a low-cost copper-based water purification device for rural areas.
Reasearchers at TDU, led by Padma Venkat, principal investigator, studied the effect of storing water overnight in copper vessels.
She found that when water, inoculated with colony forming units of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi and Vibrio cholerae, was stored overnight at room temperature in copper vessels, the organisms were no longer recoverable when cultured, compared to water stored in control glass bottles under similar conditions.
The results of this study were published in the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development in 2011.
The team designed several iterations keeping in mind cost and utility, until arriving on the present design.
“The final device had to be simple and sustainable, without complicated parts that need repair or replacement,” said Dr. Venkat.
The project had to be scalable and community-driven to be successful.
“Women in rural areas spend a major portion of the day in solving the problem of safe water,” said Hari Ramamurthy, advisor to TDU.

With water scarcity looming large in Vadakku Kalankarai village of Korampallam panchayat, most of the affected residents from the village thronged the Collectorate here on Monday with empty pots seeking the intervention of the district administration to ensure regular supply of drinking water.
Six months ago, borewells, which remained the key source of water, were cleaned up with the active participation of the local community and people managed to access water to some extent.
But of late, these wells have also dried up.
Though the issue was brought to the notice of the Secretary of Korampallam panchayat and the Block Development Officer of Thoothukudi Union, nothing has been done.
An aggrieved resident, Siva Mariammal, said there was only one water pump and it was not sufficient to cater to the needs of all households in the village and sought more such pumps.
S. Perumalkani, another affected woman, said people had no alternative but to buy packaged drinking water cans after walking up two kilometers.
“One can of water was sold at Rs.
25 when it was bought directly from the seller at the selling point and the same quantity of water was sold at Rs.
40 when it was delivered at the doorstep,” she said.
Subbulakshmi, another affected villager said the officials should at least take steps to supply water through tanker lorries during the scorching summer.

08.05.2017 — Since April 2016, the BUCHI Scrubber K-415 has been a water sponsor for Helvetas (www.helvetas.ch).
What that means is that for every Scrubber sold, BUCHI donates 50 Swiss francs to water supply projects so that more and more people can have access to clean water.
Helvetas is a development organisation founded in 1995.
The opportunity for education and an independent income improves the situation of families so that they are able to take control of their own lives.
Their children then have the chance to have an education, earn their own money and take control of their own lives.
Education Because the children no longer become ill, they can go to school regularly – the essential requirement for an independent life.
What does the Scrubber have to do with it?
The Scrubber saves life-sustaining drinking water.
However, the Scrubber offers a number of advantages over the Water jet pump: The Scrubber reduces water consumption by more than 300 litres per hour It completely separates off the fumes and neutralises them It only runs when needed because the Scrubber is fully controlled via the digester The Scrubber contributes in two ways – it saves essential water in every laboratory and so plays a part in the principle of careful and responsible use of life-sustaining resources.
And secondly, for every Scrubber sold 50 Swiss francs are donated to Helvetas.

Two locations test high for lead in Middletown schools.
The district announced Monday morning that a drinking fountain at Middletown Village Elementary and a sink in the nurse’s office at River Plaza Elementary both exceeded the standard for safe drinking water.
Even low levels of lead poisoning can hinder the development of a growing child’s body and mind.
The effects are irreversible.
Watch the video above to see how lead gets into your tap water.
Both sources of water were shut down and were replaced, according to an online note from the district.
An information session for parents has been set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the district’s administrative offices, 834 Leonardville Road, Leonardo.
Now he says the jail robbed him.
A year ago, Middletown schools announced that showed high concentrations of lead were found at locations in River Plaza Elementary as well as Bayshore and Thorne middle schools.
"During that time, we had to remediate five access points; three last year and two this year."

UTEP students, companies aid Haiti water access.
Six University of Texas at El Paso civil engineering students will travel to Haiti to install a water filtration system that they designed.
The group, with their professor Ivonne Santiago, partnered with Solar Smart Living and Industrial Water Services on the humanitarian mission.
"People don’t understand how amazing it is to have tap water at a moment’s notice to people that have to spend two hours traveling across a lake to get the same thing," he added.
The students adapted a design suggested by the partner companies that specialize in reverse osmosis and solar power.
Paul Diaz, vice president of Industrial Water Services, said it was hard to view the project as another industrial project.
The system will be installed at a site in Haiti in six to eight weeks and will serve residents of Po Ploom.
The students have been working on the water system since August and recently tested the system in El Paso before it heads to Haiti in a large metal shipping container.
The students, company representatives and Santiago will leave in June to help install the system.
Locals in Po Ploom will be responsible for day-to-day maintenance of the system, but once installed, both the water treatment unit and solar system will be monitored remotely by Santiago.

Lack of access to clean drinking water is the reality for millions of Indian citizens, an issue that National Geographic and Water Aid India are hoping to tackle through the launch of Mission Blue.
Mission Blue will see Nat Geo air documentaries and television specials spotlighting the country’s water crisis across its channels in India.
The short films, which have been made available on the initiative’s website, touch on how water scarcity impacts daily life for people in India and are directed by Bollywood heavy hitters Imtiaz Ali, Hansal Mehta, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, and Madhur Bhandarkar.
“I am proud to be associated with an iconic brand that has the legacy of working for the cause of preserving the planet,” said Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar, who serves as the face for the campaign.
It has the power to enlighten, inspire and empower people who are unaware of what they can do towards the cause of water scarcity and drive real change.
To further engage viewers, Mission Blue’s website has been designed to provide viewers with an interactive experience in which they can calculate their own water footprints and provides tips on the different ways they can save water every day.
“National Geographic has always been a brand that has stood for driving purposeful change, something we have been doing for over a century now,” said Swati Mohan, Business Head at National Geographic and Fox Network Group India.
In the last five years, the National Geographic Society has funded more than 50 grants relating to conservation in the United States and around the world.
For World Water Day 2017, it joined forces with Stella Artois and director Crystal Moselle to create Our Dream of Water, an extension of the brewer’s Buy a Lady a Drink campaign which aims to raise awareness about the global water crisis.
We help people stop and think about what’s going on in the world today, but also — more importantly — what could happen to make it better,” said Gary Knell, President and CEO of National Geographic Society.

BALTIMORE (WBFF) – The annual Water Quality Report for Baltimore City was released on Monday. Each year the report describes how the city’s water is treated, where it comes from, and whether it meets federal standards for tap water. According to the 2016 Water Quality Report, the city’s drinking water meets or exceeds federal standards. “The data represents the most recent testing done in accordance with the requirements of EPA’s Water Testing Regulations,” the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) stated in a release on Monday. Over the course of 2016 approximately 150,000 water quality analyses were conducted, testing for more than 90 different drinking water contaminants, DPW…

Another Water Grab?
Potential Potash Mine Angers Residents.
Just six miles from Nestle’s wells, Michigan Potash, a Colorado-based company, is seeking permits to drill 11 injection wells for a potash mining operation.
"It requires 1,200 gallons per minute of fresh, clean water – drinking water – to create these potash cavities,” Ford said.
A permitting hearing was held before the Environmental Protection Agency in January, but no decision has been made.
The application also is being reviewed at the state level by the Department of Environmental Quality.
Ford said that at least two other companies have tried unsuccessfully to operate potash mines in the same area.
"A lot of our roads got destroyed, the air quality was terrible, there are times when your eyes burn,” he said.
“You worry about what that stuff’s doing to the environment, truck traffic, and noise, and then the water pollution."
Their analysis has concluded the aquifer cannot sustain the intended water withdrawals, and that permanent damage to the environment would result.

Boil water advisory issued for Sorrento.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has issued a boil water advisory for the Sorrento water system.
High turbidity levels, which is cloudiness due to suspended sediment, have been detected in the Sorrento Water System’s drinking water supply.
High turbidity levels may occur in surface water sources due to seasonal weather changes causing excessive surface runoff, flooding or lake turnover.
This may impair the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment system.
If disinfection is impaired, disease-causing micro-organisms may escape into the water distribution system, resulting in an increase risk of intestinal illness.
The CSRD and Interior Health recommend that children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and anyone seeking additional protection to drink boiled water or a safe alternative.
For these at-risk populations, water intended for drinking, washing fruits and vegetables, making beverages or ice, or brushing teeth should be boiled for one minute.
Boiled water should then be refrigerated in a clean covered container.
The advisory is in effect immediately and until further notice from the CSRD.

The standard of drinking water in India has improved in the last five years but a lot of work still remains to be done, the head of the World Water Council has said.
World Water Council (WWC) recently carried out a major survey on water awareness in major parts of the world, including India.
Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do there,” Braga told PTI.
A majority (71 per cent) of Indians said that safe drinking water had improved over the last five years.
The survey stated that 62 per cent of the Indians said they believed that the government was doing enough to support access to safe drinking water.
Referring to the ‘Swachha Bharat Campaign’, Braga praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts towards clean drinking water and sanitation.
He has even appointed a special secretary in the ministry of water resources to deal with the Ganga River cleanup,” he said.
“I understand there is a major effort from the current aid in government towards improving water and sanitation access in the country.
“World leaders realise that sanitation is fundamental to public health, but we need to act now.
In order to make water and sanitation universally available by 2030, we need commitment at the highest levels.