BACKGROUND

8 in 10 diseases and illnesses in Uganda originate from contaminated and unsafe water despite efforts by government through National Water and Sewerage Corporation to provide safe water for industrial and household use. This initiative is centralized majorly in urban areas yet ~80% of Ugandans live in rural areas and therefore do not have access to quality water for drinking.
It is against this background that ASEI engineers Mayanja Andrew and Alicwamu Moses in collaboration with researchers from Gulu University and the University of New South Wales have designed a solar powered UV-C technology to treat water at the point of use to serve drinking purposes. According to a 2018 research by the University of Colorado, Boulder, the UV-C water disinfection technology can achieve a >3 log reduction in E. coli CFUs at a water flow rate of 2 Litres per minute through a reactor which disinfection rate is recommended by WHO.

This technology uses short-wave UV-C wavelengths of light and in the last eight years, the UV-C technology has seen a 10,000-fold decrease in the cost per milliwatt output and ten-fold increase in energy efficiency. These efficiencies in cost and energy now put point of use UV-C LED treatment of water for drinking and hygiene purposes within the reach of poor and disadvantaged communities.
ASEI will pilot the technology at health care facilities in Fort Portal, Uganda and as well continue the collaboration with UNSW and Gulu University to conduct field trials in 2 refugee settlements in Northern Uganda.
Mail us info@aseiug.org to support and collaborate on this project

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