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HOUSEHOLD WATER TREATMENT
Water sources for household water needs are various in Cameroon. Families usually depends on water from springs, groundwater (wells), surface water (rivers, lakes,…), public taps and rainwater. The number of households connected to tap water is still very low. For instance, in Bamenda city (one of the biggest city in Cameroon) less than one on four houses is connected. The quality of the water highly depends on the source but most of it is contaminated, leading to serious health problems.
What makes a home to use water from a particular source?
- Water Quality - How good is it?
- Affordability - What does it cost?
- Adequacy - Is there enough?
- Reliability - How long will it last?
- Convenience - How far away?
The multibarrier approach is the best way to reduce the health risk of drinking unsafe water.
Step 1 – Protecting your water source
Step 2 – Sedimentation: reduce the turbidity (muddy aspect) before filtration by settling the water.
Step 3 – Filtration: different technologies are available, Biosand filter, Kanchan filter, ceramic pot filters, ceramic candle filters, straining etc
Step 4 – Disinfection includes techniques such as chemical disinfection, boiling, solar disinfection (SODIS), pasteurization, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection
Step 5 – Safely storing your water after treatment
THE BIO-SAND WATER FILTER ( Click the button to Donate a filter) 
The filter itself is a concrete container, with layers of specially treated sand and gravel inside. The sand remove sediment, pathogens, and other impurities from the water. The reasons why we choose to promote the use of the Bio-sand filter are many:
- The filter can be built anywhere in the world because it uses materials that are locally available.
- It is easy to maintain and operate
- There are no operation costs or replaceable parts
- It is durable and long-lasting
- It produces 60-80 litres of water per day
- The filtered water looks and tastes good
- It removes most pathogens or even all making the water safe for drinking.
- Above 99% of solid material is removed
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It is easy to use & maintain?
Operating the filter is very simple: remove the lid, pour a bucket of 20 litres (5 gallons) of water into the filter, and immediately collect the treated water in a safe storage container. It can be used with any available water source. The filter can last forever and the maintenance is very easy.
How much does a bio-sand filter costs?
The biosand filter cost 45,000 Frs CFA ( $90.00 ) to produce and includes cost of material and labour. In a community or a group where more than 10 filters need to be produced, the price will drop just a little bit, because part of the labour cost will be shared by the group or community members such as preparing the media sand on the spot and installing the filters. The program is accompanied by a training on the use and maintenance of the filter as well as good hygiene and sanitation practices which will further reduce the incidence of diseases.
Safe water storage
People, especially women and children, may collect and treat water for drinking, if the treated water is not stored safely, the quality could become worse than the source water and will cause people to get sick. Safe storage means keeping treated water away from sources of contamination, and using clean and covered or small outlet containers. It also means drinking water from the container in a way that people do not make each other sick.
Our work is to improve on your water quality. Note that Clean Water, good for drinking, is the one that you treat at the point-of-use or in your home.
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