Overview of the low-cost technologies for household water treatment in developing countries

Abstract

This study explored various low-cost water treatment technologies that are used to minimize levels of pathogens and contaminants in raw water. The paper focused on techniques such as cloth filtration, boiling, chlorination, and solar water disinfection. In the communities, cloth filtration is applied as the initial step of treating raw water with the proper choice of cloth fabrics followed by either boiling, chlorination or solar water disinfection. In low-income communities with unclean burning fuel sources, boiling was found to be the preferred method. Chlorination was also a popular technique associated with the challenges of low or high levels of free chlorine at the point of use and disinfection by-products. Solar water disinfection required optimal residence time and detection sensors for microorganism inactivation. Overall, the paper provided valuable insights into the different low-cost water treatment techniques that are commonly used for household applications, particularly in developing countries.