Bangladesh
According to a study by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, about 28 million people in Bangladesh, or just over 20% of the population, are living in harsh conditions in the “hard-to-reach areas” that make up a quarter of the country’s landmass.
Safe drinking water is disappearing fast in Bangladesh due to extreme weather patterns increasing the salinity of water in coastal areas like Jabusha. Salinity in the water of these coastal areas has now reached over 20 parts per thousand, but the human body can only tolerate five parts per thousand. However, thousands of people in Bangladesh have no choice but to resort to drinking unsafe, impure water. This is resulting in many water borne diseases. In fact, over 7,000 children die from diarrhea every year in Bangladesh, and water-related diseases cause nearly a quarter of all deaths.
In addition, the amount of arsenic in the groundwater is extremely high in the areas near to the Bay of Bengal. Arsenic contamination has spread to more than 1/3 of the country with varying severity. This problem has affected approximately 80 million people in Bangladesh.
In order to obtain arsenic-free water, people in these regions must dig deeper. Filtration and desalination plants also help and experts say they offer the only chance to avert a looming crisis. According to Ainun Nishat, a climate change expert in Bangladesh, the best option for drought- and saline-prone areas is to preserve rainwater in artificial ponds and distribute it to communities through sand filter systems in which hand pumps are used to suck water from artificial ponds through a filter that makes the water potable. Installing deep tube wells with water reservoir offers another solution to this dire problem. Implementation of these solutions has become a matter of urgency, however these solutions are too expensive for the local people in these regions to obtain.
The Turf Pride Lawncare Service is currently working in conjunction with iKormi, an organization that is helping to implement tested solutions for clean water. Dallas SMF volunteer and founder of iKormi, Thabit Pulak, developed a water filter that removes arsenic from water. This filter is made up of nano iron particles that can be synthesized using regular household products. This filter has helped many people in Bangladesh in regions affected with arsenic water. Since October 2014, this unique water filter has helped purify water for thousands of people to use in their daily lives.
Kenya
Kenya is currently facing water crises. Due to the nation’s overuse of land and increase in community settlement, clean drinking water has become difficult to find. The destruction of land that paved the way for soil erosion led to water pollution. More than half of Kenya’s population does not have access to clean water, leading to many deaths.
In August 2014, the Turf Pride Lawncare Service embarked on a project in Kenya to dig boreholes to provide safe drinking water. With all thanks due to God Almighty, 2 boreholes are now complete and are already being used to benefit many people. Two more boreholes are currently being worked on to help more people taste the sweetness of water.