Table of Contents

I. The Need for Clean Water

A. Lack of Water Filtration
B. SODIS Method
1. What Is SODIS
2. How Does It Work
3. What To Do
C. Potential Cost
D. Necessities of Life































I. The Need for Clean Water
A. Lack of Water Filtration

According to the World Water Council (WWC), nearly 77 million people are
without clean water in Latin America. Traditional water filtration like reverse osmosis
is expensive due to costly equipment and hard to reach areas like the Andes where
everything has to be trucked in. Although it seems that clean water for rural indigenous
people seems out for reach, there is another answer.

B. SODIS Method
1. What Is SODIS

Solar Disinfection or SODIS is a method for disinfecting water using only sunlight
and plastic soda bottles. This method is recommended for use by the World Health
Organization (WHC) and is currently used by over 2 million people in Thirty three
countries including; Bolivia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Kenya,
Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Vietnam just to name a few. SODIS projects are funded by
multiple international organizations which include; Rotary Clubs, Michel Montre Water
Foundation, the SOLAQUA Foundation and several Lions Clubs.

2. How Does It Work

SODIS uses UV-A Rays from the sun to disrupt the cells of bacteria and viruses with
a 99.99% effective rate. Unfortunately Solar Disinfection does not remove harsh
chemicals or metal deposits from water and cannot purify water if it is too murky
because the radiation from the sun cannot reach the cells of the bacteria. This problem
can be easily fixed by letting the water run through a cloth or pre-filter before adding it
to the bottles.

3. What To Do

To effectively disinfect water with SODIS, a clear plastic soda bottle with the label
removed and the recycling code 1 should be filled with water 75%. Then one needs to
shake the bottle for twenty seconds to aerate the water which helps the UV-A Rays kill
the bacteria and viruses. The bottle then can be filled the rest of the way. To make sure
all unwanted germs are out of the water, the bottle should be placed on a corrugated
roof or horizontally on the ground for the next six hours to two days depending on the
amount of sunlight.





C. Potential Cost

500 Liters of fresh water could be purchased at a store for 1,250 Soles and those
bottles could then be reused for the SONDIS method. Transportation fees to haul the
bottles would increase cost as well. The cost for this project could be curved by
applying for grants to the organizations named above, by purchasing water directly from
the company or by starting a recycling program that takes used bottles with the
recycling code 1, cleaning them and transporting them to the desired location.

D. Necessities of Life

Clean water is one of the necessities of life that cannot be overlooked. Whether it is
an Arab merchant in Egypt or a simple quinoa farmer in Peru, the SODIS Method can
be life changing.