STAGE 1: PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
1.1 Project Title
Improving Water Purification in the Community Using Low-
Cost Methods
1.2 Background Context
Water from unprotected sources can contain suspended
materials such as sand, soil and organic matter. It can also
contain disease-causing microorganisms that cannot
necessarily be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, clear-
looking water should not automatically be assumed to be
safe for drinking.
1.3 Problem Statement
Some households in the community have limited access to
consistently treated water, creating a need for simple,
affordable and accessible methods of improving water quality
at household level.
1.4 Specific Objectives
The project aims to:
Investigate the main sources of water used by people in
the community.
Design a low-cost water filtration model using locally
available materials.
Demonstrate how filtration can remove suspended
impurities from water.
STAGE 2: INVESTIGATION OF RELATED IDEAS
A. Boiling
Advantages:
Can effectively kill many harmful microorganisms.
Does not require complicated equipment.
Disadvantages:
Requires fuel or electricity.
B. Sedimentation
Advantages:
Very simple.
Requires little equipment.
Disadvantages:
Does not reliably remove microorganisms.
C. Straining Through Cloth
Advantages:
Cheap and easy to use.
Materials are readily available.
Disadvantages:
Does not reliably remove microorganisms.
STAGE 3: GENERATION OF SOLUTIONS
[Link] filtration
Pros:
Cheap and simple
Improves water appearance
Cons:
Does not make the water microbiologically safe
B. Settling and decanting
Pros
Simple and easy to carry out
Requires little or no equipment
Cons
Does not remove dissolved substances
C. Low-cost filtration system
Pros
Cheap to construct
Uses locally available materials
STAGE 4: DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHOSEN IDEA
4.1 Selected Solution
The chosen solution is a low-cost layered water filtration
model, followed by an appropriate final treatment for water
intended for drinking.
4.2 Justification
The model is made from readily available materials such as a
clean plastic container, gravel, clean sand and a clean cloth or
suitable filter material.
4.3 Materials Required
The following materials are required:
A clean transparent plastic bottle or container
Clean gravel or small stones
Clean coarse sand
Clean fine sand
Clean cloth or suitable filter material
A container for collecting filtered water
Water containing visible soil particles for demonstration
Scissors or a cutting tool, used carefully with adult
supervision
Labels or marker pen
4.4Construction Procedure
i. Obtain a clean plastic bottle or suitable container.
ii. Cut the bottom of the bottle carefully.
iii. Place a clean cloth or suitable filter material near the
bottle opening.
iv. Add a layer of clean fine sand.
v. Add a layer of clean coarse sand.
vi. Add a layer of clean gravel.
vii. Place the bottle above a clean collection container.
viii. Slowly pour the demonstration water into the top of the
filter.
ix. Allow the water to pass through the different layers.
x. Collect the filtered water in the container.
xi. Compare its appearance with the original water.
xii. Explain that the filtered water still requires appropriate
treatment before drinking.
STAGE 5: PRESENTATION OF THE FINAL SOLUTION
How the model works
i. The different layers perform different functions.
ii. The gravel layer helps retain larger particles and
prevents the sand from moving through the system.
iii. The coarse sand layer traps some larger suspended
particles.
iv. The fine sand layer traps smaller suspended particles as
water passes through it.
v. The cloth or filter material helps prevent filtration
materials from escaping through the outlet.
vi. The resulting water may appear clearer because
suspended particles have been removed. However,
appearance alone cannot establish that water is safe to
drink. Microorganisms and dissolved contaminants may
remain.
STAGE 6: EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Evaluation of the Project
The project demonstrated that a simple layered filter can
improve the physical appearance of water by reducing visible
suspended particles.
6.2 Problems Encountered
The project may face the following challenges:
Difficulty obtaining clean filtration materials.
Limited funds for purchasing equipment.
Difficulty accessing some community water sources.
6.3 Recommendations
The following recommendations are made:
Households should use protected and reliable water
sources whenever possible.
Water from potentially contaminated sources should be
treated appropriately before drinking.
Simple filtration should be regarded as a treatment step
rather than proof that water is safe.