Hi everyone,
Just a quick note from me. I have recently left Ghana having completed what I set out to achieve. The project is currently providing clean water for two communities for an estimated potential of 350 people, which is more than our original estimates! Furthermore, we have two systems prepped and ready to go for when we identify the next communities WaterSafe will be engaging with.
The project is now in the capable hands of Adam N-nyeyam who is part of our team out in Ghana. He will now look at the lessons learnt from installing and operating the first two systems and apply these moving forwards. This gives us the chance to modify any aspects of the system based on community feedback, this will ensure the filters are set up in a manner which best suits the communities.
Finally, on a personal note, I wanted to thank all of you for making this possible. Not only has it been a great personal experience, but more importantly our filters are already creating a positive impact in our partner communities, given time the health benefits will be enormous.
All the best,
Henry
Adam (right) will be running the project moving forwards
Hi everyone,
I am pleased to announce that we now have two water filters up and running in our nearby partner communities. The roll out has gone smoothly so far and we are already preparing the third system at our office ready for it to go out to a more distant community by the end of the week.
We have had excellent initial results with a drastic improvement in water clarity and taste, and this will only improve with time as the sand biofilter develops. We are currently awaiting lab results which will give us an insight into how effectively bacteria and chemical contaminants have been removed.
Please feel free to view this compilation of photos from our first filter. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wm5SFax5NVhmYZS67
Thank you for your support,
Henry
Hi everyone,
I am excited to announce that the first water filter is nearly complete! We have spent the past several weeks ironing out any remaining technical difficulties, procuring the parts needed for the filter and visiting communities across northern Ghana and laying the foundations for the project.
The beauty of these systems is they use only locally available materials and are therefore capable of remaining operational for decades. To that end, last Tuesday I visited our partner community of Chirufojilly to organise for them to mobilise the materials needed for the filter. This includes various sizes of stones and gravel, sand, biochar and the construction materials required to build the foundations of the filter.
Upon our arrival in the community on Friday they set about this construction with impressive speed. In turn we began unloading and setting up the filter system. Our plan was to return on Monday once construction was complete to finalise the filter and get it up and running! Unfortunately, community events have delayed our return until Wednesday. In the meantime, we will begin work for the next filter system so as not to delay the wider roll-out. Moving forwards, once we have completed this system we aim to be able to install filters in a single day. As using photos and data from Chirufojilly we will be able to communicate ahead of time what we need building in the communities before our arrival.
Thank you for your support,
Henry
Please feel free to view and comment on any of the images and videos in the below google drive folder.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hZYSNrNfvTlpOkk0vywToge9K1L_SZjJ?usp=sharing
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update on Pond Foundation’s Project WaterSafe. Over the past ten days we have assembled and tested a small-scale model of the water filter system, which has provided excellent initial results. This model has allowed us to work through the difficulties of establishing the system in a simple and cost-effective manner. Most importantly it has provided a proof of concept, showing the filter to work effectively with locally available equipment and filter material.
We are currently engaged in field work, meeting with partner communities and introducing the project. Once this is complete we will begin assembling our first full-sized filter. The system will be assembled at our office here in Tamale and undergo stress tests. It will then be partially dismantled and transported to one of our partner communities. The filter materials (stones, gravel, sand and biochar) will have been prepared by the community ready to be integrated into the system. Which will then commence cleaning water!
Needless to say we are very excited about the progress of the project and hope to bring you photos of the filter up and running in the coming weeks alongside test results of the water quality!
Thank you for your support,
Henry
'Bucket system' used to model the filter system. Each bucket contains a separate filter material. The raised green bucket holds the dirty water. From there the first bucket uses stones and gravel to pre-filter the water, removing larger suspended matter. The next bucket contains a biologically active sand filter which removes pathogens and biological contaminants. The penultimate bucket contains biochar (weighed down with stone as seen in the pictures) which absorbs chemical contaminants and agrochemical run-off out of the water. The final bucket holds the filtered water.
Left: Test water collected from a local reservoir. Middle: Initial filter results. Right: Final filter results
Hi all,
My name is Henry and I am heading up the WaterSafe project here in Ghana. I am thrilled to announce I have now arrived in Ghana and am gearing up to begin installing water filters across our partner communities. These filters provide safe drinking water by filtering water through natural, locally sourced materials which remove both biological and chemical contaminants.
Alongside Elizabeth who is working on the project with me, we are currently working with the filter design to make it compatible with locally available equipment and resources. Moving forward we will be building a prototype model in a nearby partner community. Once this has been completed successfully, we will be able to start the widescale roll-out of filters across the region.
This work is so important as we are not only providing communities with clean water but the ability for them to produce it themselves, which is integral to Pond Foundation's commitment to credible long-term actions. All this work is made possible thanks to your generous donations. I will keep you all updated as the project progresses.
Thank you for your support!
Henry
Meet the team: Henry (left) & Elizabeth (Right)