GUWAHATI, June 11 - An indigenously designed filter developed by a senior State forest officer is providing clean drinking water to forest guards in anti-poaching camps and remote areas. A significant aspect of the filter is that it requires no external energy and therefore has a zero carbon foot print.
The filter was developed by former Kaziranga Park Director Akash Deep Baruah following three months of research and trial and with a modest financial support from the park�s welfare society.
�It is a three-stage water filtration system with provision for water oxidation, filtration using sand, activated carbon and polypropylene spun candles for best possible filtration. The water filter uses a unique double-filtration system, developed by Baruah, for more effective removal of impurities. As the filters are meant for use in remote forest areas, it has been designed to draw water from a specially designed tube well called the Force Pump,� a forest official said.
Till date, the water filters � christened as Kazi filter � have been installed in ten selected camps in the park. More camps would be covered phase wise.
After installation of the Kazi filters, water samples from the camps were sent to the State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL) and PCBA for chemical analysis as per IS 10500:2012 standards which meet the EU directives and WHO guidelines for drinking water quality.
SPHL has reported impressive reduction in dissolved iron, turbidity and odour after filtration to within acceptable limits. Average Iron (Fe) level has reduced from 10.33 mg/l before filtration to acceptable 0.02 mg/l (threshold level: 0.30). Similarly, turbidity has come down from 91 NTU to 2.33 NTU (threshold level: 5.0). Similarly, PCBA has reported that after filtration, water sources meet the drinking water standards.
There are nearly 200 anti-poaching camps inside the Park and most are located in remote areas with hardly any basic amenities. Drinking water in the camps is sourced primarily from tube wells and such water is often heavy in iron, turbid and carry various pollutants and impurities. Lack of safe drinking water inside the Park has been a matter of great concern for the Park authorities.
