London: Scientists have developed a simple, paper-based device that can be used to test if a water sample is contaminated, providing a low-cost way for developing countries to limit the spread of water-borne diseases.
Inspired by the simplicity of litmus paper – commonly used for the rapid assessment of acidity in water – the device consists of a microbial fuel cell (MFC), obtained by screen printing biodegradable carbon electrodes onto a single piece of paper.
An MFC is a device that uses the natural biological processes of ‘electric’ bacteria – attached to the carbon electrodes – to generate an electric signal.
When these bacteria are exposed to polluted water, a change in the electric signal occurs, which can be used as a warning message that the water is unsafe to drink.
Researchers from the University of Bath in the UK are now investigating how to link up the sensor with an electronic device such as a mobile phone, via a wireless transmitter, for a quick and user-friendly way of identifying if a water supply is safe to use.
The device has the potential not only to make water assessment rapid and cheap – each device is expected to cost no more than USD 1 – but it is also environmentally friendly since the paper sensor is made of biodegradable components.
The device is also easy-to-use and transport, weighing less than one gramme.
"This work could lead to a revolutionary way of testing water at the point of use, which is not only green, easy to operate and rapid, but also affordable to all," said Mirella Di Lorenzo, senior lecturer at the University of Bath.
"This type of research will have a significant positive impact, especially benefiting those areas where access to even basic analytic tools is prohibitive," said Di Lorenzo, lead author of the study published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
"This device is a small step in helping the world realise the United Nations call to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right," he said.

LONDON — It is a worldwide emblem of urban life, as ubiquitous as the clutched paper cup of latte or the sight of a pedestrian in rapt communication with the screen of a smartphone.
It is the plastic bottle of water, poking from a backpack or grasped in a gloved hand, stacked on the refrigerated shelves of supermarkets, or discarded in the gutter.
There was a time when skeptical old-timers derided bottled water as little more than a marketer’s trick to lure consumers into paying for a liquid that should cost next to nothing.
And, equally, there were many people who asked where else they would find water when public drinking fountains had all but disappeared.
London mayors generally seek to establish a distinctive legacy.
Apart from a degree of buffoonery, Mr. Khan’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, who is now Britain’s foreign secretary, made a name in transport, introducing the Boris Bus, a distinctive update on the traditional double-decker, and the Boris Bike, a bicycle for hire on the streets of the capital.
Mr. Khan, by contrast, seems to be focusing on the environment, introducing measures intended to reduce air pollution and, now, its surfeit of plastic.
But it may be some time before the city sprouts new drinking fountains.
Globally, plastic bottles have become an environmentalist’s nightmare, with some reports suggesting that about half of the billions of bottles in circulation are not recycled.
In 2008, Mr. Johnson, the former mayor, announced plans for a great expansion of public drinking fountains but, Mr. Khan’s office said on Monday, “several proposals for providing water fountains and bottle-refill stations were explored but there were concerns over high installation costs.” However, there may be other factors, such as pressure from interest groups to protect retailers at train stations, for instance, who profit by selling bottled water and would not welcome the competition from free water fountains, The Guardian said.

His day starts at 4:30 am every day, but instead of doing yoga or going out for morning walk, he gets into his specially modified car and starts his journey to delver water around the capital. Alag Natarajan (68) takes an hour an a half to fill at least 60 matkas, he has placed in and around south Delhi so that thirsty people can get access to clean drinking water. According to a Times of India report, it is due to his efforts that he has earned the epithet, the ‘matkaman’ of Delhi. Natarajan, a retired engineer had returned to India in 2005 after…

Somalia leader wants arms embargo lifted to fight al-Shabab.
LONDON (AP) — Somalia’s president on Thursday called for an end to the arms embargo on his long-chaotic country, saying that if the military doesn’t have more sophisticated equipment in the fight against the al-Shabab extremist group, "definitely this war will continue for another 10 years."
He spoke to reporters at the end of a high-level conference to address the Horn of Africa nation’s deepening humanitarian and security crisis.
Mohamed, who was elected in February and holds U.S. citizenship, suggested that the international community develop a road map to achieve lifting the arms embargo within several months or "maybe next year."
British Prime Minster Theresa May and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for more support to counter Somalia’s deadly drought, with the U.N. chief requesting another $900 million in aid this year.
"Somalia now hangs in the balance between peril and potential," Guterres said.
"Here in London we can tip the scales from danger to safety."
Some 439,000 people are at risk of famine and more than 6 million people, or half the country’s population, are "severely food insecure," Guterres said.
Somalia is also facing new military interest from the United States, as President Donald Trump has approved expanded operations, including airstrikes, against al-Shabab.
Pressure is growing on Somalia’s military to assume full responsibility for the country’s security as the 22,000-strong African Union multinational force, AMISOM, that has been supporting the fragile central government plans to leave by the end of 2020.

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The textiles and apparel manufacturing industry has always been one of the major causes for global environmental pollution.
As the industry continues to thrive in emerging countries such as China and Bangladesh, how to tackle environmental pollution, especially water pollution has become one of the biggest issues faced by the industry.
China Takes Serious Actions Against Textile Polluters Chinese authorities are taking hard actions to fight against textile industry pollution as a recent report shows that enterprises and manufactures in China who caused serious pollution were fined a total of USD 38.3 million in the first quarter of 2017.
Many of these enterprises and manufacturers were operating in China’s textile Industry.
Connect with nearly 2,000 textiles companies in China listed on BizVibe Bangladesh Shows Strong Commitment to Tackle Textile Industry Pollution Water pollution is currently the number one challenge faced by the fast-growing textile and apparel industry in Bangladesh.
Connect with nearly 300 textiles companies in Bangladesh listed on BizVibe Connecting with textile companies on BizVibe In addition to the textiles industry in China and Bangladesh, BizVibe is also home to over 150,000 textiles and apparel companies across all sectors.
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Claim your company profile for free and let BizVibe connect you with potential business partners around the world.
With this in mind, we’ve designed a robust set of tools to help companies generate leads, shortlist prospects, network with businesses from around the world and trade seamlessly.
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Would you eat your water bottle if that would save the planet?.
With an edible water bottler, for instance, consumers can experience the immediate satisfaction of doing their part to reduce waste – a step beyond tossing recyclables into a bin and hoping they end up where they are supposed to.
“If you buy a plastic bottle that is made of 30 percent less plastic, you really don’t experience your contribution to a greener society, whereas if you ‘eat’ your water bottle, you’re actually reminding yourself and consciously thinking of this step that you’re taking to be sustainable, to be greener, and that could have a more positive impact on the consumer.” And without the need to open something or throw the container away after consumption edible packaging also gains another advantage: convenience.
In some cases, edible food wrappings have been so accepted by mainstream consumers no one ever gives them a second thought, such as the ubiquitous ice cream cone or a popular Japanese candy that comes wrapped in edible rice paper.
“I mean there has always been this notion of … something around the [food] product that is edible,” says Bernd Schmitt, a marketing professor at Columbia Business School in New York City.
However, Elizabeth Minton, an expert in pro-social marketing from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., says sustainable innovations like edible water bottles could easily build up following – if consumers are given a chance to try it out at events like athletic events or summer concerts.
“With a lot of these really new products, if you can get it involved in some kind of event-based marketing that is already using your product, you can get it to big audience,” says Ms. Minton.
Follow Stories Like This Sign Up Considering the mental barriers to accepting a new product like Ooho, Coary says these products with edible food packaging will probably only appeal to a small fragment of consumers who are "trying to lessen their impact on the earth when it comes to waste."
"I do see growing steam in these companies increasing in revenue and having growth in the next few years," he says.
"But would I see this is kind of overtaking our traditional water bottle in the next 10 years?

Insurance vital, but no magic bullet to fight drought in Africa.
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – More developing countries urgently need insurance to cushion their farmers against weather extremes that can worsen poverty, but it is no magic bullet to ward off the escalating impacts of climate change, experts say.
"Insurance is … (for) when you have done everything you can and there is still a risk you cannot cover," said Beavogui.
Planning for those risks – such as the number of people a government would be unable to help in a crisis – is vital, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Insurance can be triggered more quickly than international aid, which can take months to fund.
ARC’s cover is based on a pre-agreed plan for how the government will use the payout.
Since ARC Ltd began issuing policies in 2014, eight nations have taken out insurance and four – Senegal, Mauritania, Niger and Malawi – have received payouts totaling $34 million.
But while drought last year left 6.5 million people in Malawi in need of food aid, Malawi did not receive an ARC payout until January.
Malawi took out insurance based on a crop – long-cycle maize – that, as it turned out, most farmers did not grow in the 2015/2016 season.
Insurance companies that pay out directly to farmers are still few and far between in many developing countries, and they offer limited services.