Contamination of drinking water is a very serious problem, particularly in
developing countries. One in six of the world’s population has no clean
drinking water. Around four million people die every year from infections
transmitted by water; every fifteen seconds a child dies of the effects of
polluted drinking water or poor hygiene. Alex Vrinzen and Paul Vergossen of
DSM Research in Geleen developed a very cheap method of treating drinking
water – a simple filtration device operated by a hand pump. The project, known
as Water4Life, was launched in June 2003 in association with
Proshika and Novib. Prototypes were
tested in cooperation with hospitals and other institutions. The pumps are
assembled in India and thousands of units have been handed out to the Tsunami
victims in India and Sri Lanka this year.
