With access to drinking water limited amid coronavirus lockdown, LifeStraw offers solutions

Chennai: Several communities across the world whose women have had to walk several kilometres everyday to fetch water for daily use would now be struggling for drinking water as their movement is restricted by the coronavirus lockdown. Offering a solution is Lifestraw, which turns dirty water drinkable.

LifeStraw technology gets rid of parasites, bacteria and metals such as lead and chromium to make contaminated water drinkable. 

Most importantly, some LifeStraw solutions get rid of viruses. Although the coronavirus is not known to be waterborne, it’s reassuring to know that there is a water-purifying solution that kills viruses too.

A collaboration between Vestergaard and The Carter Center, headed by former United States President Jimmy Carter, has been able to nearly eradicate the water-borne disease guinea worm in West Africa by providing 38 million LifeStraw filters to The Carter Center since 1994.

Perhaps, in a similar manner, local governments, NGOs or corporate companies using their corporate social responsibility funds could provide this essential tool to remote communities with no access to clean water. The cost of a long-lasting, high-capacity water purifier such as the LifeStraw Community is USD 395 (Rs 30,000), which is hardly the cost of a mid-range smartphone.

For home use, a 7-cup water filter pitcher made of BPA Plastic is available for USD 39.95 (Rs 3,000). For outdoor use for health workers in remote areas, or anyone who after the coronavirus lockdown wants to go camping, one can buy the LifeStraw advanced water filter bottle for USD 31.96 (Rs 2,400) or the LifeStraw Steel Personal Straw Filter for USD 43.95 (Rs 3,350).  

With every LifeStraw product you buy, the humanitarian arm of the company provides safe drinking water to a child for a school year, the website says.