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Disinfecting or boiling water for drinking in developing countries? which way forward

Good people,

If we boil drinking water with whatever means it may seem to be not energy saving or whether by treating drinking water with purification tablets available in most stores being the most environmentally friendly way but what if it is not 100% effective but water borne disease causing agents still present.
So the debate is whether we are considering the environment or human health????

What do you think guys??

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Juan Manuel Lopez Hoyos on February 25, 2010 at 2:54pm

Remmember that even during the manufacturing of the tables (at the factory) there are impacts on the environment. I would say it is more an economic (more than helth or environmental) issue what your are bringing here. Communities or cuntries with lack of resources to buy a tablet should try to boil the water by whaterever mean (solar energy, wood, coal, etc.) if that is their cheaper way of doing it.

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Permalink Reply by Cyndee on February 26, 2010 at 7:20am

I agree Juan Manuel with the need to conserve energy and the use of renewable energy in developing countries,especially in very hot countries boiling water using solar energy is environmentally friendly.

Thanks do you know there is a method known as solar disinfection,where by water is placed in transparent plastic bottles and places in direct sunlight and after a few hours the sun rays purify the water,i saw this method being used in a slum settlement here in Nairobi.

Thanks again for the comment

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Permalink Reply by Abdullahi Nashe on July 18, 2010 at 5:42am

Mr Cyndee,
I think the issue could be both, depending upon where you live, and the condition you find yourself. Imagine you are living in sub-saharan Africa, where about 70-80% don't have the accessibility of clean and safe drinking water from municipal taps, and have no accessibility to the tablet a member is talking about. is there then any harm if one boils his/her water in order to reduce the number of microbes in the drinking water for protection of health? Lest I forget, many countries in Africa cannot afford to buy solar panels to their citizens, no matter how small...