Creating clean drinking water using bio-sand water filtration systems.
The bio-sand water filtration team in Phu Binh commune hosts a training day so that people from a nearby village can learn about the water filtration system. Some are apprehensive that the bio-sand system works. CWS has educated Dang Van Mao (Mr. Mao) who is hosting today’s training at his home to help trainees understand the benefits of the bio-sand water filtration system for their community.
Each water filtration system is made from a metal form and cement. Sand is used in the filter to clean the water. These materials are provided by Church World Service, CWS.
CWS trained the biosand water filtration team who now sells these to families for an inexpensive price. The biosand team does not work for a profit. For each family that buys a water filtration system, for 650,000 dong, the biosand team gives 10,000 dong back to the women’s union, the village health center, and the veteran member’s national assembly.
Hguyen Hong Ha (Mr. Ha) is the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the District (Chiem Hoa District). He joins the training from the local biosand water filtration team to ensure the other community members understand how the filter is built, how it works and what benefits clean water brings to the community.
The mold is made of four metal sheets that are affixed with nuts and bolts. The inside face of each wall is pre-treated so the cement does not stick to the wall as it hardens. Once the cement dries, the nuts and bolts are simply unscrewed and the walls are removed to reveal the water filter.
The mold has been assembled and the cement has been poured. The walls then get knocked on to remove air bubbles that may have formed to create a smooth surface. The group waits for this mold to dry and moves on to the second station where a mold has previously been poured and dried so that the trainees can learn the next part of the process.
Trom Van Luu is a member of the Phu Binh water filtration team. The team moves from the first station, where they filled the mold with cement to the second station, where the cement is dry and the mold needs to be removed. The team set up this mold prior to the training so the trainees could see how the mold is disassembled and how the new filtration system is set up.
Now that the cement has dried, the center column has been removed and Luu begins to take out the nuts and bolts. The mold walls are removed to reveal a CWS filter.
When a filtration system is complete it is painted and taken to its new owner. The trainees will deliver a completed biosand water filter to see how it is installed and tested.
Ma Thi Huang, from Phu Binh commune, has two children and her husband works far from home. He is only able to return home a few times a year so Huang maintains their home and biosand water filter. She is the leader of the women’s union in the village and received her filter four months ago. 20 other families now have biosand water filters because she spoke about the benefits of her filter.
Huang Thi Bao is a Church World Service, CWS, beneficiary of a biosand water filtration system. With clean water she is able to cook and maintain healthy sanitation and hygiene practices.
the local hospital has multiple biosand water filtration systems to provide drinking water to their patients.