Solar bag technology to provide safe drinking water

Kajiado, Tuesday, July 11, 2023

KNA by Rop Janet

A new technology that uses only solar power to purify drinking water has been launched in Kajiado County.

The SAWA bag launched by 4Life Solutions uses only Ultra Violet (UV) rays and heat from the sun to kill disease-causing microorganisms found in water.

According to CEO 4Life Solutions Jonas Pilgrard, many households in Kenya lack access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water.

“Safe drinking water can significantly reduce the occurrence of a wide range of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Thousands of people die each year as a result of not having clean drinking water,” he said.

Speaking in Kajiado during the launch, Pilgrard revealed that water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid that kill thousands of people each year could be prevented by ensuring access to safe drinking water.

He noted that the SAWA bag provides safe drinking water to low-income communities by the use of a simple water purification technology called solar water disinfection (SODIS).

“All you need to do is fill 6 litres of water in the SAWA bag and leave it outside in the sun for four hours. The UV rays will kill bacteria, viruses and protozoa making it safe for drinking,” he said.

The CEO said the use of the bag is much safer than boiling water as burning fossils could contaminate the water.

He added that the one SAWA bag purifies 6 litres of water and the bag could be re-used up to 600 times making it an economical method of purifying drinking water.

Maendeleo ya Wanawake Chairperson Rahab Muiu advised women to purchase the bag and use it in their homes to purify water as it saves time and energy.

Muiu noted that the bag only uses the sun to purify water thus one saves time spent looking for firewood to boil the water.

“The use of the SAWA bag will help save time and energy and protect households from diseases as it kills disease- causing micro-organisms. You just need to fill it with water a leave it in the sun for four hours.” she added.

The SAWA bag technology has been introduced in 7 countries in Africa and is already in use in over 500,000 households. One SAWA bag is sold at a retail price of Sh1000.

Courtesy ; K. N. A