ABSTRACT
Human society requires water for drinking, sanitation, cleaning, production of food and energy, and support of commercial and industrial activities.
Water in nature can contain a variety of contaminants such as minerals, salts, heavy metals, organic compounds, radioactive residues and living materials, for example parasites, fungi, and bacteria (US EPA, 2003). In rural and urban areas of low-income countries, millions of the most vulnerable people lack access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Unsafe water from all sources contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, principally through the waterborne transmission of gastrointestinal infections such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, and a wide range of agents that cause diarrhea and even death. Thus, cheap and effective water treatment systems that can be used at different scales, from single-point water sources to small-community water supplies, can make a valuable contribution to reducing the burden of disease by improving access to safe water (Ahmed et al., 2011).
