Getting clean water to Haiti
At least two sources of clean water are on their way to Haiti. The first is being provided by the aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson. The second is being shipped by Innovative Water Technologies. A third source from WorldWater & Solar Technologies may already be in place.
The disaster in Haiti has been in newspapers, on television and the internet for the past week. Scenes of death, destruction and desperate survivors are found on every news site. One of the most threatening situations is Haiti’s lack of clean drinking water. People are becoming dehydrated and ill from drinking contaminated water if they can find any at all.
The USS Carl Vinson will be delivering 200,000 gallons of water a day to Haiti according to Time correspondent Tim Padgett. The ship has onboard desalination technology that allows it to convert 400,000 gallons of salt water to drinking water. Of that 400,000, 200,000 gallons are excess water that will be shipped ashore in special two gallon and five gallon collapsible bladders.
Innovative Water Technologies (IWT) has portable solar powered water purification systems that generate 5,000 gallons of clean water a day. The systems are able to take water from just about any water source such as rivers and lakes, and can turn it into drinking water.
The IWT Sunspring self-contained systems are able to remove a wide variety of dangerous organisms such as bacteria, virus, cysts, particulates and turbidity from water sources. Several Sunspring systems are on their way to Haiti courtesy of IWT and donations from the GE Foundation, Pentair Inc. and private donors.
IWT is sending the systems to installations where security and logistics are already in place. Rioting and fighting in Haiti has increased according to CNN. People are frantic for food, water and other supplies. Relief agencies have had trouble delivering the aid that is so desperately needed. Without secure installations and an pre-planned method for distribution, the water would never make it to those most in need.
A third possible source of water are the Mobile MaxPure systems from WorldWater & Solar Technologies. After the 2008 hurricanes, two Mobile MaxPure systems were sent over with more set to follow. These self-contained systems, like the Sunspring systems, can purify fresh and salt water for drinking and provide 3,000 gallons per day per unit.
These three clean water sources can produce drinking water onsite from whatever water source is available. There are other organizations that are shipping in drinking water and food. We can only hope that working together, all of these sources can provide enough drinking water to meet the needs of the earthquake survivors.
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