SODIS: A Free and Simple Method for Safe Drinking Water in 6 Hours

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 Courtesy of  SODIS - Safe Drinking Water for All

Solar water disinfection – the SODIS method – is a simple procedure to disinfect drinking water. Contaminated water is filled in a transparent PET-bottle or glass bottle and exposed to the sun for 6 hours. During this time, the UV-radiation of the sun kills diarrhoea generating pathogens. The SODIS-method helps to prevent diarrhoea and thereby is saving lives of people. This is urgently necessary as still more than 4000 children die every day from the consequences of diarrhoea.

SODIS (abbreviation of Solar Water Disinfection) is an initiative of Eawag. We facilitate the dissemination of the SODIS-method in developing countries. Thereby people in the south get access to safe drinking water and can improve their health in the long term.

Water can be disinfected and in this way made drinkable using the rays of the sun. “Solar water disinfection” – SODIS for short – thus offers a solution for presenting diarrhoea, one of the most common causes of death among people in developing countries.

Clean drinking water in 6 hours

The SODIS method is ideal for treating water for drinking in developing countries. All it requires is sunlight and PET bottles.

How to Tell if a Plastic Bottle is Made of PET
Look for a triangle-shaped label with rounded corners made of three arrows, then check the number in the center to determine what type of plastic is in the container. If the number in the center is “1″, then the bottle is PET. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used most often in bottles carrying carbonated drinks because it has better gas-containing properties than other plastics. It is most commonly used for soda bottles, beer and detergent.
Read more: How Do I Tell If it Is Food Grade Plastic? | eHow.com

How does it work?

Clear PET bottles are filled with the water and set out in the sun for 6 hours. The UV-A rays in sunlight kill germs such as viruses, bacteria and parasites (giardia and cryptosporidia). The method also works when air and water temperatures are low.

People can use the SODIS method to treat their drinking water themselves. The method is very simple and its application is safe. It is particularly suitable for treating relatively small quantities of drinking water. (Click here for additional information and diagrams.)

Research

Many scientific studies confirmed the effectiveness of the SODIS method. It kills germs in water very efficiently. The method has even been shown to improve the health of the population. Research into training strategies gave insight about which communication methods are most suitable. It has also been proven that the use of PET bottles in the SODIS method is harmless.

International recognition

The World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the Red Cross therefore recommend the SODIS method as a way to treat drinking water in developing countries.

“Solar disinfection is an example of another measure with proven health impact that requires little capital investment on the part of end-users, and is thus appropriate for the very poor.” WHO, 2007

“UNICEF promotes a variety of treatment methods such as user-friendly filtration, simple solar water disinfection (SODIS) and home chlorination. These are all low-cost, effective and manageable at the household level.” UNICEF, 2009

Red Cross Prize, 2006: “The jury considers SODIS an impressive way of contributing by the simplest means to making water supplies better and safer, thereby reducing diarrhoea and other diseases like it, and mortality in developing countries.” Red Cross, 2006

Related Links

• Visit the SODIS Website
• SODIS on CNN
• SODIS on YouTube
• SODIS Method – Instructional Video
• Donate to SODIS

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Disclaimer: The statements in this article are for educational purposes only and have not been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The remedies discussed herein are not meant to treat or cure any type of disease. The user understands that the above information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.