In Bluefields, on the southern Caribbean coast, more than 90% of the population has no access to safe drinking water. Residents consume water from rustic wells built manually behind their houses, permeable to city flows and nearby effluents, and poorly maintained. Lacking latrines, most families defecate in the open air. These poor hygienic conditions cause environmental damage, favor diseases development in populations and basements contamination. Thus, 99% of these wells are contaminated with pathogens of faecal origin.
That is why since 2008, BlueEnergy has been building and installing water filters in this region. This technology, developed by the Canadian NGO "Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology", is used in Nicaragua and Latin America. BlueEnergy is working with them to adapt this system to the context of the region.
These filters are a simple and inexpensive technology, and help to eliminate up to 98% of pathogens in water that cause chronic and acute diseases, such as E. Coli. Their construction requires only cement, copper pipe, sand and gravel, preventing from chemical pollution. A slow mechanical filtering process, associated to the natural creation of a bacterial layer on the upper centimeters of sand, allow entrapment and elimination of pathogens. These filters require very little maintenance and are functional for decades.
To ensure the sustainability of this project, it has been associated with the installation of deep wells, to facilitate access to groundwater, as well as the construction of latrines, diminishing soil contamination
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