Clean water for all

The Manila Times

Clean water for all  Thirty percent of the world’s population – about two billion people – have no access to safe drinking water. A major reason is the high cost of water treatment plants. We meet a researcher whose low-cost method for purifying water using natural ecosystems is now in use in over 30 countries. In an alternative approach, another researcher developed an artificial crystal for use in water bottles that removes harmful heavy metals like lead. This approach is now applied in Africa. It’s contributing to one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals of safe water for all.  VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #DailyNews #Japan #Clean #Water #Purify #UN #Ecosystem #Sustainable #Development #Goals

Transcript

00:00 Clean drinking water. Our lives depend on it.

00:16 The tap water we drink is taken from natural sources and treated in water purification

00:21 plants to make it safe.

00:24 However, 30% of the world's population, about 2 billion people, have no access to

00:30 safe drinking water.

00:34 A major reason is the high cost of constructing and maintaining water purification plants.

00:45 Nakamoto Nobutada is a researcher whose long sought ways to solve this problem.

00:54 His breakthrough idea was to purify water using natural ecosystems.

01:01 In regular water purification plants, river water is first passed through a sedimentation

01:06 tank to remove debris.

01:09 It's then filtered through layers of sand.

01:13 And finally sterilized with chlorine.

01:18 These three major processes are costly due to their reliance on chemicals and power.

01:26 Nakamoto focused on the second process.

01:32 A professor of biology, Nakamoto spent many years studying the algae that live in these

01:36 sand layers.

01:41 This is a sample of sand and algae from a purification plant that uses Nakamoto's methods.

01:50 Under a microscope we see it's teeming with many kinds of microorganisms.

01:57 These organisms need oxygen to thrive.

02:00 It's the algae that produce the oxygen.

02:05 Algae produce this essential oxygen by a process of photosynthesis.

02:14 The microorganisms then clean the water by consuming dirt and impurities.

02:24 This natural approach significantly reduces chemical treatment and power costs.

02:34 Nakamoto's method is now helping deliver safe drinking water in more than 30 countries.

02:42 It's nature that does the work.

02:44 We've always dreamed of an energy saving system that coexists with nature.

02:50 This is it.

02:54 A very different approach is also proving successful in tackling the problem.

03:01 Just fill this bottle with water and press and all harmful substances are removed.

03:12 The secret is the substance packed into the cartridge.

03:18 These are sodium trititanate crystals.

03:22 Using them to purify water is a world first.

03:28 The crystal's atomic structure traps heavy metals like lead, removing them from the water.

03:37 This artificial crystal was developed by Teshima Katsuya.

03:43 Several substances are combined to form the crystals.

03:47 It took Teshima 10 years of repeated experiments, adjusting the ratio of the chemicals by amounts

03:52 as small as one thousandth of a gram.

03:56 All my life I've wanted to contribute something useful to the world.

03:59 It was a very emotional moment when I finally perfected this process.

04:04 Teshima is now working to apply his technology to meet the world's need for safe drinking

04:09 water.

04:13 In many parts of Africa, public health is seriously harmed by polluted wells and other

04:18 water sources.

04:24 These crystals will hopefully be a major contribution to the drinking water problem.

04:27 I'm now conducting trials to see how effective they are in practice.

04:33 Japanese water purification technology.

04:36 Bringing clean water to people around the world.

04:39 [Music]

04:51 [Music]

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