Project Concept

Access to safe drinking water is a major challenge in Kenya, especially in Kisumu, where pump-based systems often deliver contaminated water. This project presents a portable, modular purification system for boreholes, rivers, wells, and tanks, using electrocoagulation and filtration, with sensors and a microcontroller to ensure water flows only when safe. Electronically controlled valves and a dashboard provide transparency and control. Affordable, locally manufacturable, and scalable, the system improves community access to safe water and supports Sustainable Development Goal 6.1.

14/02/2026 Team Conversation

Key Points Discussed: - Proposal Content: Must include technology explanation and application in Kenya.
- Sustainability: Focus on ensuring the project is practical and long-lasting, avoiding failures seen in similar projects.
- Value Addition: Ensure project is chemical-free and possibly provides cold water treatment.
- Team Expansion: Include members beyond the design team, e.g., village beta tester representative.
- Prototyping: Develop a smaller scale model of the system.
- Modularity: Ensure universal connectable parts for flexibility.
- Testing Requirements: Identify or acquire a water quality testing device.

Business Model

To make the project more fabrication-friendly and reduce reliance on 3D printing, the design focuses on custom-designing only the inlet and outlet. The filter itself can be any container of preferred size. This approach ensures easy maintenance, such as replacing charcoal, pebbles, or other filter media To ensure continuous water availability during system maintenance, a water storage unit should be incorporated. The disinfection chamber must be able to supply water to users even while maintenance is ongoing.

For easier maintenance of the electrochemical (EC) chamber, it is recommended to place it after the filtration unit and turbidity sensor. Additionally, a storage unit on top of the EC chamber is suggested to facilitate operation and maintenance.