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Water is the most essential requirement for a human to live, human can live up to 7 days without water (approximately). Some of the things that water does in our body include temperature regulation, proper cell functioning and growth, digestion, lubricating joints, helps in sweating and urination etc.

We need water every day to live but that water should be pure. Impure water is contaminated water with macroscopic impurities like dust which is visible to the eyes and microscopic level impurities like bacteria and parasites, which are invisible to the eyes. Drinking impure water causes diarrheal diseases, Cholera, Guinea worm disease, Typhoid, Dysentery and moreover, every year total number of 1.5 million people die by drinking contaminated water. Not every part of the world has proper access to pure water; underdeveloped regions, disaster struck areas and most rural areas suffer the most from this problem along with deserts, mountainous regions and forests.

People going on camping, boating, fishing, tracking, adventures sports, outdoor sports, forests or water-scarce locations, disaster struck areas or in any case of emergency need water to survive. Water filters are generally not available everywhere and cannot be carried everywhere due to their large size and weight. To solve this problem, a device which is small in size, light in weight and efficient enough for converting dirty water into pure water is required. In 2006, Vestergaard Frandsen, a European company named after name of its CEO, came up with an idea of such a device and called it as LifeStraw.

LifeStraw is a personal water filter that can purify dirty water and converting it into drinkable water, with light weight and small size adding to its features. LifeStraw can be put directly over the dirty water body converting dirty water into pure water, hereby acting as a straw. Also, water can be filled inside the container and converted into pure water. Therefore, acting as a water bottle. Main advantage is not only the fact that it purifies water with efficiency but also that, it does this in a fraction of time.

LifeStraw is now used as a survival equipment in the above-mentioned things. It is widely distributed in the disaster struck areas. It was distributed in Haiti earthquake, Ecuador earthquake, Pakistan floods, and Thailand floods. Apart from being a personal use equipment, it is also used as a modified large purifier in some rural areas.

Working

  1. Person sucks dirty water from the top of the tube as low pressure is created in the straw.
  2. The water passes through the Hollow fibre membrane.
  3. Hollow fibre membrane has microscopic pores to handle microscopic impurities like bacteria and parasites.
  4. Bacteria and parasites stop there and water is able to pass because bacteria and parasites are bigger than pores.
  5. Carbon capsules absorb macroscopic chemicals like chlorine and parasites.
  6. More filters like LifeStraw flex are designed to stop lead.

Features-

  • Contains microbiological-hollow fibre membrane that filters to 0.2 microns.
  • Contains mouthpiece cap, bottom cap and detachable lanyard.
  • Removes 99.99% of bacteria, parasites and protozoa.
  • Filters micro plastics.
  • Filters up to 4000L of water (enough for one person for 5 years).
  • BPA free.
  • Recyclable.
  • Durable.
  • Net weight 0.10lbs (43g).
  • No electricity required.
  • No battery backup required.
  • Ultra-light weight.
  • Easy to clean.
  • Easy to use.
  • Cost-friendly.

The only disadvantage is that it does not purify salty water.

Pic Courtesy: LifeStraw by VESTERGAARD

Writer & Editor: Venus Kohli

Do you think it is a good purifier and an efficient one?

You can buy it from here:

http://shorturl.at/cglF4

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