Presentation on Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Appropriate Technology.,Low-income earners in Zimbabwe’s rural areas currently depend, to a very large extent,
on water from rivers, wells, dams and boreholes. Water from all these sources is contaminated in
one form or the other by the anthropogenic as well as natural pollutants and in many cases is
unsuitable for human consumption. Over the past decade, an increasing number of field-based
studies have been undertaken to determine the success of point – of – use (POU) treatment
measures in reducing waterborne diseases. However for poor communities in rural areas of
Zimbabwe such interventions have remained largely ineffective due to availability and
application challenges, lack of support, resistance due to cultural stigmas and mere ignorance.
The aim of this research was to provide a simple POU solution to water quality problems in the
rural communities of Zimbabwe. Thermally converted magnetite particle material with nanoporosity
was used to construct rudimentary filters for use by villagers. Both laboratory and
village scale tests were conducted. Results revealed that filters constructed using nano-porous
magnetite material were very effective for microbiological and chemical pollution control in
water and can be used successfully and sustainably by poor communities in the rural areas.,Kenyata University
Northern California Council of Black Professional Engineers (NCCBPE)
National Technical Association
NACOST
