Illustration from Acra, Raffoul and Karahagopian, Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water and Oral Rehydration Solutions, AUB/UNICEF 1984

SOLAR DISINFECTION OF DRINKING WATER

• Uses solar radiation to clean biologically infected drinking water.
• Uses cheap, readily available containers such as clear glass or plastic bottles or bags.
• No or extremely low costs.
• Ideal for household quantites.
• Traditional and tested historical method.
• Needs clear water, turbid water must be filtered to remove particles.
• Needs daylight from clear or cloudy sky.
• Needs organized exposure of containers.
• Exposure time varies depending on latitude and strength of daylight.

  Documentation resources:

• Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water and Oral Rehydration Solutions
  Aftim Acra, Zeina Raffoul and Yester Karahagopian
  Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences - American University of Beirut, UNICEF 1984

  • Practical instructions in English

  • Practical instructions in Arabic(pdf)

• Water Disinfection by Solar Radiation: Assessment and Application
  A. Acra, M. Jurdi, H. Mu'allem, Y. Karahagopian, and Z. Raffoul, 1990 - Courtesy of IDRC - Canada

• SOLDIS - Solar Water Disinfection

• Solar disinfection of water reduces diarrhoeal disease: an update (PDF)
  Ronan M Conroy, Michael Elmore Meegan, Tina Joyce, Kevin McGuigan, Joseph Barnes
• Solar disinfection of drinking water protects against cholera in children under 6 years of age. (PDF)
  R M Conroy, M E Meegan, T Joyce, K McGuigan, J Barnes