By ANEEKA SIMONIS
WHEN natural disasters rip through communities across the world, people have to deal with much more than just rebuilding their homes.
Vital drinking water can become contaminated and according to Disaster Aid Australia, 5000 children die of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid each day around the world.
At their weekly meeting on Wednesday 17 September, the Rotary Club of Berwick unanimously voted to try to provide disaster victims with greater access to drinking water overseas.
“We want to accommodate this when we start allocations” toward the end of the financial year, said the club’s Public Relations Director Sam McCurdy.
Club members have their eyes set on a Sky Hydrant, a mobile, power-free water purifier which provides 1000 litres of clean drinking water per hour.
“To be able to provide clean water from contamination and have it installed within 15 minutes without electrical power is phenomenal,” Mr McCurdy said.
The filtration system has a working life of 10 years and has the ability to be installed into various areas of need across its lifetime.
“What struck us is that it’s so simple to install and doesn’t need power. You can put it in remote places as long as there is a water supply.
“It can provide massive benefit to communities in distress,” Mr McCurdy said.
While the Rotary Club of Berwick have not confirmed they will purchase the Sky Hydrant at this early stage in their year, all 40 attending members have agreed they want to keep it at the top of their list as more funds roll in over the coming months.
The Sky Hydrant is valued at $3000.
