By Anna Valmero
MUNTINLUPA CITY, METRO MANILA--The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) said it has developed a low-cost ceramic water filter that will be distributed in disease-stricken communities.
The DoST recently handed over 10 units of the ceramic filter filter to families in a National Housing Authority (NHA) resettlement site here.
Based on initial tests, the ceramic filter can reduce the hetetrophic plate count or the E.coli bacteria found in water from 37,000 to one or zero, according to DoST.
“This makes it a good alternative to producing clean and safe drinking water without the need to pay extra costs," said DoST chief Mario Montejo, noting plans to distribute the filter nationwide within a year.
E.coli causes diarrhea, a leading cause of death among children. At least 15 people, mostly children, in the remote town of Bataraza in Palawan were reported to have died from severe diarrhea.
The ceramic filter is made of local red clay from Baler (in Aurora) and coated with nano-colloidal silver to remove disease-causing bacteria found in water.
“Initially, the silver coating can be used for a minimum of two or three years but we are studying techniques to prolong its lifecycle," said Dr. Nuna Almanzor, director of the Industrial Technolocy Development Institute (ITDI), an agency under DoST.
ITDI will pilot test the filter in the next three months before mass production starts by July or August, added Almanzor.
More than 884 million people in developing nations such as the Philippines still use unsafe drinking water sources, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
In Southville 3 Housing Project in Barangay Poblacion in Muntinlupa City, for example, access to safe drinking water is still a problem, said resident Gaudencio Bandayazon.
To avoid getting disease from using tap water or those from deep wells in the area, Bandayazon's family buys two six-gallon bottles of water from a drinking station for P60. In a month, his family consumes drinking water worth P240.
"Mabigat po sa bulsa kasi mahal yung tubig. Sana sa paggamit namin ng ceramic filter, yung ginagastos sa tubig maipambili na namin ng pagkain, mlaking tulong yun (The cost of drinking water is expensive so we hope that by using the ceramic filter, we can use the savings from water to buy food)," said Bandayazon.
The ceramic filter is shaped like a pot and placed atop a plastic water container. It can sieve one to two liters of water per hour or at least six liters of water in a day.
DoST has started discussions with the Philippine Plastics Industry Association for the design and mass production of plastic containers that can hold the ceramic filter.
The prototype plastic unit with faucet costs P500 but this is expected to go down when DoST approves the design for mass production. The clay filter costs P300 a unit.
Almanzor hopes to bring down costs of the ceramic filter and plastic container below P400.
"Through the use of indigenous clay materials, we can teach potters nationwide on how to produce the clay filter. After Baler, we aim to gather clay soil samples from Ilocos and other parts of the country to study the formulation for producing the silver," she said
