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Pennington, N.J. –The following story on the solar powered water purification and pumping systems from WorldWater & Solar Technologies, Inc. was written and released by the United States Embassy in Baghdad. The story reflects the impact of the Mobile MaxPure® units donated to the US Marines who had requested assistance in bringing clean water to the farmers of the Euphrates Valley. WorldWater shipped 12 of the Mobile MaxPure® units to the Marines in April of 2008. Two additional units were shipped to Darfur by WorldWater in June of the same year.
Full Text of U.S. Embassy Press Release
By Leslie Sabbagh, Special Correspondent, Embedded PRT Anbar 1
The
hot, dusty air erupts with shouts and laughter as a young Iraqi man
holds a bottle to capture the water splashing from a hose connected
to a strange-looking device. They’re cheering in this village just
east of Fallujah because that small stream means these villagers,
for the first time in more than three years, will have clean, accessible,
inexpensive drinking water.
Clean water is a critical need throughout Iraq. Now Iraqis in the Fallujah
District of Al Anbar Province are one step closer to attaining that
goal with the installation of solar powered water purification units.
Potable (drinking) water is, arguably, Iraq’s most precious and scarce
resource. And this water, flowing from a newly installed unit, means
the difference between health and disease for thousands of Fallujans.
“Clean drinking water is enormously important to our people,” said
Fallujah District Council Chairman Hamid Ahmed Hashim Al-Alwani.
Most people receive drinking water from wells or directly from the
Euphrates River, which is contaminated. The solar powered water purification
units will be crucial in preventing diseases like cholera and bilharzia
(a parasitic disease that causes diarrhea) that strike vulnerable
population groups, especially children, Hamid said.
Water-borne disease is a significant problem throughout Al Anbar
province. “We have received letters from the Ministry of Health related
to water-borne diseases,” said Fallujah District Council spokesman
Sheikh Salam Halbusi, “these units will manage the problem.”
How
it works
The system is a point distribution system and does not require
a water distribution network. People come to the site for water
drawn from a storage tank or directly from the unit. Some sites are
considering means by which clean water can be delivered from the
site to homes via tankers to extend the reach of this potable water
source.
The physical requirements are simple--A water source (canal or well),
open space for sunlight to hit the solar panels, water storage for
the treated water, and security.
The system uses solar panels to generate electricity to power the
pump that draws source water through a series of filters and ultraviolet
lights and into a holding tank for distribution. The end result is
potable (drinking) water. And all this without fuel gulping generator-driven
power (obviating the need for fuel) and chlorine.
The units were donated by an anonymous donor based on an ePRT Fallujah’s
Weekly Report citing the shortage of potable water in the area. About
$1.3 million in equipment and shipping costs were donated.
Location,
location, location
Where these units are placed is critical, from
both a practical and political standpoint. The sites must be physically
suitable, secure and within reach of the population in that area.
Politically, to ensure placement of the units is both equitable and
addresses the clean water shortage in areas where the needs were
greatest, the ePRT worked closely with the Fallujah District Council,
the membership of which is drawn from the municipal and tribal leadership
of the major Fallujah sub-districts.
To date, seven units have been installed by the ePRT and Marines
of Regimental Combat Team One throughout the Fallujah District. More
evaluation is required as well as consultation with District leaders,
but the goal is to have the remaining five units installed by the
end of June.
“Many children are taken to the hospital every day from illness caused
by unclean water, now hospital visits are down,” Salam said.
The Zobai tribal representative to Fallujah District Council Sheikh
Hamid Zobai spoke for his tribe, “Our bodies used to be the filters,
but now you’ve given us filters.”
http://iraq.usembassy.gov/prt_news_06172008.html
About WorldWater & Solar Technologies, Inc.:
WorldWater & Solar Technologies is a private company specializing in proprietary solar-driven water pumping and purification systems, mainly through its Mobile MaxPure® technology and product lines, which can produce an average of 30,000 gallons of potable water daily from freshwater sources, using solar power backed by an embedded battery bank. Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination and purification systems are also available. For more information about WorldWater & Solar Technologies, Inc. visit the website at www.worldwatersolar.com or call Melissa Burns at 609.356.0372. |
