Mormon teaches villagers use of sand filters for water

A MORMON missionary has been teaching villagers how they can obtain clean drinking water by using sand filters.
Elder Allan White of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints taught villagers in Kukipi and Morovamu along the Tauri River, and at Lese Lava in Central province.
He did the same for the villagers in Wewak and Kambrimdo along the East Sepik River.
White and other missionaries of the church’s charity arm – Latter Day Saint Charities – aim to install up to 100 of the filters.
Their focus is on Moin, Pinang, Kamaramba along the Sepik River; Sogere, Bina, Sisiami along the Barmu River, and Suki, Sapuka and Pakaduka along the Fly River in Western province.
White said the sand filters could remove mud, sediment and some bacterial contamination.
But it could not remove dissolved solids such as salts and metals. It is because of this that  it would not be able to convert salt water into fresh water.
White said sand filters in the country were expensive and he had designed two to meet the  needs of households.
They are:
l The rapid sand filter – good for people obtaining water from rivers, the resultant is clean water suitable for washing but must be boiled before used for cooking. The sand must be regularly replaced; and
l Slow sand filter-filters that needed 2-3 weeks incubation period and were challenging to set up but would remove 95% of bacteria, leaving water that could be used for cooking and drinking.
White said a major challenge was being able to source sufficient drums and transporting them to the areas where they were needed.