Clean water remains a pressing global issue. In 2019, some 2.2 billion people worldwide struggled to access drinking water; at the same time, statistics show that 97% of the Earth’s water is considered undrinkable. Things could get worse, with poverty starting to affect the world’s population in early 2020.
In Kenya, the seventh largest country in Africa with a population of about 53 million, there is a new solution for drinking water. The NGO called Give Power has used technology to bring clean water to the people, installing a solar-powered desalination system that provides enough water for 35,000 people a day in a village called Kiunga. Previously, people were forced to travel more than an hour to reach a water source, which was said to be full of parasites and pollutants.
According to data from Water.org, 32% of Kenyans rely on unimproved water sources and 48% lack access to basic sanitation. - Photo: Give Power Foundation
The desalination process begins with the separation of salts and minerals from water using a membrane. The untreated liquid goes through a filtration process in which the membranes are designed to hold equal amounts of salts and minerals on each side. A chemical process is then used to remove the salt.
Additionally, Give Power uses solar-powered water farms, solar panels, Tesla batteries, and water pumps to aid in the process.
In particular, the final product does not produce salty residue that pollutes the environment.
The creation of drinking water using this method has been initially successful, providing a source of quality water for people in Kenya, reducing the risk of disease from water pollution.
Kenyans use clean water produced by a solar-powered desalination system - Photo: Give Power Foundation
