Drinks from the Sky

Drinks from the Sky by Nicholas Enriquez

In the recent times the water prices have gone up, last July 1 cu.m (cubic meter) costs 35.48 pesos for Maynilad. This is due to the demand for water as well as the cost of fuel. The more we use water from companies like Maynilad or Manila Water the more fuel in the form of fossil fuels which create greenhouse gasses when burned are used to power up factories. Also in May, 2018 Maynilad built a new filtration plant to keep up with the demand. The new plant entails a large quantity of fuel to be used, which will inevitably bring along with it pollution. In light of this, one way to help lessen pollution is to stop relying heavily on water plants and try to filter our own water at home. Now is what body of water can you use that is close to your homes. The answer to that is in the sky above us, its rain. By filtering rain water we can save money, save the environment, and create a sustainable water system especially since the Philippines gets 965 to 4,064 millimeters of rain per square meter annually (965 liters to 4,064 liters of rainwater per square meter). The problem here is, how do we get rainwater systems into houses, and how does one filter rainwater.

The vision of this project is:

Promote a clean sustainable water source and lessen pollution emissions of water plants through placing rainwater filtration systems in Filipino households

This advocacy aims to keep the Filipino households sustainable in the water aspect. Also as a bonus through this project, we will be able to lessen pollution due to using water filtration plants less and help households save money. While the vision is to put rainwater filtration systems in all homes, the start of this will hopefully be in San Juan City, Philippines.

There are three mains goals The first goal is to have this projects approved by the local government of San Juan so that this project will have the funding and support of the government, thus helping the implementation of this project. The second goal is when the systems are implemented to make sure that all water that comes out of it is clean as well as enough to actually supply a family. The third goal is to slow spread this project to other cities/barangays.

The system/setup that will be used in the rainwater filtration project consists of five main parts. The parts are Pre-Tank Filtration, In-Tank Filtration, Activated Carbon, Sediment Filtration, and UV Sterilization. Although the initial cost for setting this setup might me costly, in the long run this investment will save you money and the earth in the future.

The researchers will first hold a informative gathering/ seminar about the uses of rainwater filtration and how effective it will be in saving the residents money as well as how it will be beneficial to the environment. The seminar will also cover how to set up a filtration system as well as how to operate it and repair it. To further promote the advocacy, the researchers will make a website that will contain everything mentioned in the seminar as well as an instructional video which contains how to make a filtration system, repair it and operate it. The website will also be featured in the local government’s website in order to help with the promotion of the project. Another form of promotion is to hand out fliers that inform people when the next seminar is and also a hand out/manual that will be distributed to the residents. Also for those that want to create setups in their homes, a list of suppliers will be available on the website of the project and residents can also inquire for parts in their respective local government offices.

In order to create a setup residents must assemble the five main parts of the set up  Pre-Tank Filtration, In-Tank Filtration, Activated Carbon, Sediment Filtration, and UV Sterilization. A general list of materials needed for all the parts would be roof, gutters, gutter guard, downspouts, debris traps, final sediment filtration, first flush diverter, surge/pump tank, water storage and lots of pipes and hoses. For the final sediment filtration a fine mesh screen filter and a gravity mesh screen that can remove suspended particles as small as 150 microns. For the water disinfection portion of the setup, a simple one only needs particle filters and a UV light, but for extra filtration residents can add Biosand filters to their setups.

References: