DATA
| Profit gains per dollar invested in water disinfection |
4.4 $ (UN 2009) |
| Expenditures for water disinfection per year |
11.3 bn $ (UN 2009) |
| Health-care savings per year for health agencies |
7 bn $ (WHO 2008) |
| Productive days gained each year in the 15- to 59-year age group |
320 mn (WHO 2008) |
| Productivity payback per year |
63 bn $ (WHO 2008) |
| Number of people annually supported with water in 2009 |
15.9 mn (Red Cross 2009) |
| Annual growth rate - Indian Water Purifier Market |
22% (GWI 2011) |
| School days lost each year due to water-related illness |
443 mn (UNDP 2006) |
Field tests
Helioz has gathered vast research material during our field tests in Mozambique, Rwanda and India.
We are currently preparing the final report for our feasability study in India, co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency, the governmental unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation. The Helioz team has conducted labaratory tests at the Indian Institute of Medical Science and SUM hospital in Bhubaneswar, 35 interviews with experts from different fields, questionnaires with villagers, a field study for understanding drinking water habits of rural and slum areas in Orissa and WADI prototype tests. The result of the outcomes will be available on our homepage soon.
Laboratory tests
The Helioz microbiologists and engineers have tested WADI in labaratory conditions and under the Austrian sun to measure the disinfection time necessary for germ reduction. The research findings from the Indian lab and field studies are provided in the table above, indicating a 3-4 log step reduction in only 40 to 50 minutes under ideal conditions.
The following table shows the reduction of colony forming units under Indian sun (state Orissa during the month of April; 2011 high noon and no clouds) in about 45 minutes, meeting international drinking water quality standards.
Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is an established method by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich and they have publicly provided numerous scientific papers and research findings. Their microbiological studies investigated the effectiveness of the SODIS method against a wide range of germs. It was demonstrated both in the laboratory and in the field that the method kills germs effectively.
Source: SODIS, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 2009