|
Jamie Macken, Westmeath Independent, 5th April 2008
A young Athlone man is currently working on revolutionary technology to help bring clean water to poverty stricken people in Kenya.
28-year-old Colin Price, a Civil Engineering student, jumped at the chance earlier this year to work on cutting edge revolutionary water purification techniques in the poor African country.
"When you're young you have to grab chances like these," said Colin, who is currently completing a Masters qualification in Civil and Environmental Engineering in Trinity College Dublin.
Luckily for him, his lecturer and mentor pioneered a new technology to help bring water to those who need it most. Senior Lecturer and Engineer Laurence Gill, who himself has spent time working with aid-agency GOAL, has helped to develop a water purification system so simple and effective that GOAL is undertaking to implement the first project of its kind in Africa.
Selected by the college and the well known NGO, Colin is now working to bring the new technique to Africa. Although it is not being implemented in Ethiopia as originally planned, the Athlone man will be hoping to supply fresh water for up to 500 people in Mutomo, 250 kms east of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
For Colin, the project has provided an opportunity to combine study with the experience of working in a developing country; essentially suppressing his appetite for travelling while benefiting others. A fully qualified engineer, he received his degree from Trinity College before spending four years working with Malachi Cullen and Partners, an engineering firm based in Athlone.
Although this environmentally sustainable water purification process has been specifically for the African continent by Laurence Gill this will be the first time it is put into practice. GOAL, which currently has 20 projects in Kenya and has been operating in the country for the past 16 years, hopes to have the project up and running by early July. The new technique has the potential to expand on a much wider scale providing clean water, employment and hope to many poor people. The idea is for GOAL to develop another system in Kenya using locally resourced materials. Local fabrication of the system would provide employment in a country where unemployment stands officially at 40% but is likely to be much higher in reality.
GOAL has been working since 2006 to improve access to water in the most severely drought-affected regions of Kenya, including Mutomo. In total the NGO hopes to benefit over 150,000 people in the region with the construction of dams, hand dug wells and provision of water tanks.
In basic terms, the technique works after contaminated stagnant water has been filtered by sand, then through a system which uses natural sunlight to purify the water. The process doesn't depend on electricity or chemicals making it ideal for rural Africa and for responding to emergencies. The project aims to harness the abundance of the sun's natural energy to disinfect water supplies. The sun's UV rays serve to purify the water for drinking purposes. It is as simple as that.
In a country where water-related diseases account for the majority of premature deaths a simple and innovative system providing an adequate supply of clean water is critical. "Women are an essential part of the process," explains Colin, "they know the places to source clean water, it will be very important to involve women on water committees so they will have confidence in this new system."
Interestingly Colin is doing all of this as part of a Masters Qualification. Earlier this week the Government announced funding of more than EUR4.5 million to encourage collaborative research between higher education institutions in Ireland and their counterparts in the developing world. Announcing the fund, which has a budget of EUR20.4 million over five years, Minister for Overseas Development, Peter Power praised the level of interest in and commitment to development co-operation within the higher education sector.
What is so remarkable about Colin Price's case is that GOAL has brought him to Africa to implement the innovative technique as part of his studies, something that could a welcome development for third level institutions and NGOs alike. Through such initiatives talented students, like the Athlone native can make a real difference to hundreds of people in developing countries.
If you would like to find out more about GOAL'S work in the developing world or if you would like to volunteer yourself then please visit www.goal.ie
|
