Japanese technology for PNG’s water woes

Weekender
  • By HENZY YAKHAM
    WATER is life – without which there is no life on planet Earth.
    The need for clean, fresh and healthy drinking water is a most talked-about issue with conversations on this topic reaching unprecedented level of concern for mankind.
    In recent times, this has been more evident than ever before in view of massive amounts of pollution (carbon dioxide) emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere causing global warming and subsequent effects like rising sea level destroying fresh water catchments and sources.
    Papua New Guinea is abundantly blessed with trillions of gigalitres of fresh water that find way into the seas around the country.
    PNG has the potential of even exporting 6-8 gigalitres of fresh water per day, 365 days per year to its southern neighbour Australia saving thousands of acres of dry land in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
    But, the sad paradox is that despite having so much water resources, PNG cannot meet the insatiable demand for clean and healthy drinking water for most of its estimated eight million citizens.
    Many PNG citizens die of preventable waterborne diseases adding to the global death statistics of over 3.4 million annually.
    It’s been scientifically and medically proven that waterborne diseases are caused by drinking contaminated or dirty water.
    Contaminated water causes many types of diarrheal diseases, including cholera, and serious illnesses like Guinea worm disease, typhoid, and dysentery.
    Worldwide, huge amounts of money are invested in scientific research for best clean water filters to remove bacteria and pathogens that contaminate water to decrease the incidence of waterborne diseases.
    One such company is Y’s Global Vision Incorporated of Okinawa, Japan whose philosophy is to solve the world’s water problems at a personal level by being a total solution company producing safe, clean and healthy drinking water.
    Since 2010, the company started developing seawater desalination systems with several large-sized systems produced and exported to African, Asia and other parts of the world.
    In 2012, the company achieved a major breakthrough creating the compact seawater desalination system, the MYZ E-40H.
    On Oct 15, the first of its kind MYZ E-40H arrived in Port Moresby and during a public demonstration session at Koki, NCD five days later, the Japanese invention received instant interest from three Members of Parliament from the Southern region.
    Powered by 220 volts (AC 1.3 kilowatt), the MYZ E-40H is a compact and high performance sea water desalination device that is easy to carry, easy to use and produces 40 litres (10.5 gallons) of clean fresh water per hour.
    As well, the purification system can purify water from other sources like streams, lakes, wells and rivers at 80 litres per hour.
    Weighing 30 kilograms, the E-40H is:
  •  Water output compliant with the Japanese Government for safe drinking water;
  •  Desalination rate of more than 99 percent (salt rejection);
  •  Best suitable for coastal villages, island use, disaster readiness, and outdoor activities; and
  •  Okinawa coral mineral fossil installed for healthy mineral water output production.
    Japanese inventor of this purification system, Mitsuo Omine visited PNG from Sept 21 to Oct 1 making on-the-spot water quality tests at Gaire, Barakau, Tubuserea and Boteka communities of Central.
    The tests found that the water quality at Boteka in the Laloki river system was undrinkable for humans while quality of carted water to the Motuan villages were below accepted quality level for drinking.
    Port Moresby based Pacific International (PNG) Limited is the promoter of this latest Japanese technological innovation which is sold by Ela Motors PNG-wide.
    It has systems ranging from E-40H, E-100, E-250 machine  to bigger units such as DL-250, DL-500, DL-1000 and DL-1500 that purifies 1500 litres of seawater to drinking water per hour to 3,000 litres of fresh water into clean drinking water in an hour.
    The system is best for both maritime provinces as well as inland highlands areas where clean fresh water is scarce.
    Because the machine can produce clean and healthy water from sea and fresh water it is suitable for all parts of PNG including mine and logging affected areas, remote islands as well as inland and coastal communities that do not have clean drinking water.
    Four Parliamentarians, Ministers Justin Tkatchenko (Lands & Physical Planning and APEC ), Soroi Eoe (Community Development, Sports, Youth and Religion) Roy Biyama (Correctional Services) and Samarai Murua MP Isi Henry Leonard were very impressed with the machine and have expressed interest to make purchases for their electorates.
    Members of the public, the MPs and workers from Ela Motors and Pacific International, Japan International Cooperation (JICA) and Government officials had a taste of the desalinated water which came from the sea at Koki.