The 2012 Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge winner of the $50,000 first prize is the "Iron-amended Biosand Water Filter in Nepal" developed by Tommy Ngai, Director, Research Learning at the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). Ngai's project modifies conventional Biosand Filters with iron particles to remove all three classes of water contaminants, including viruses, and bring safe drinking water to two impoverished rural villages in Nepal. Over a period of two years 150 filters will be installed, and CAWST will update its educational material and hold workshops to promote the technology. The project will target over 1,000 people in the two villages and has the potential to be scaled to help millions over the next 10 years.

1. Iron-amended Biosand Water Filter in Nepal
Tommy Ka Kit Ngai, M.Eng., Ph.D.
Director, Research Learning
CAWST
Bay 12, 2916 – 5th Avenue NE
Calgary, Alberta T2A 6K4, Canada
Tel: +1-403-243-3285 ext. 225
Email: tngai@cawst.org

2. Team members
CAWST is a Canadian-based nonprofit that provides
education, training and consulting services to practitioners,
including governments, non-governmental organizations, UN-
agencies, to initiate and/or expand their water and sanitation
programs. Since 2001, our clients have impacted 6.0 million
people with better water or sanitation technologies.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a leading
engineering research institution consistently ranked as
having one of the top Environmental Engineering and
Science (EE&S) programs in the U.S.
ENPHO is a nationally-recognized technically-oriented NGO
established in Nepal and operated by Nepali citizens. Since
1991, ENPHO has successfully demonstrated and
disseminated a wide variety of appropriate water, sanitation,
and energy technologies across the country.

3. Project goal
• Provide safe drinking water in two impoverished rural villages in
Nepal where disadvantaged and marginalized households suffer
greatly from water-borne diseases and the associated economic
consequences caused by unsafe water

4. The challenge
• Water source is contaminated by all three classes of water-borne
contaminants (protozoa, bacteria, and viruses).
• Conventional technologies are cost-prohibitive and unsustainable
in this rural mountainous region.
• There is not any low-cost, simple and user friendly technology
appropriate for the region and is capable of removing all
contaminants.

5. The solution
• We recently developed a revolutionary technique of modifying the
conventional Biosand Filter (BSF) with iron particles to reduce all
three classes of contaminants, including viruses.
• Proven success in Guatemala

6. Scientific principle
Iron Particle
• Both viruses and sand particles are negatively charged. Viruses
stays in water.
• Iron particles are positively charged, thus remove viruses from
water.

7. Advantages
• Simple operation & maintenance
• Inexpensive ($30/filter serving a family)
• Long-lasting (15+ years)
• Socially well-accepted
• Constructed by local technicians using
locally available materials such as gravel,
sand, and cement.
• No replacement parts
• No external energy or reagent required

8. Project plans
1. Providing training on iron particle amendment and
entrepreneurial skills to the current network of biosand filter social
entrepreneurs in Nepal.
2. Conduct participatory education workshops in project villages
on water, sanitation, hygiene, health, and filter operation and
maintenance.
3. Construct 150 filters by leveraging labour and material
contributions from villagers.
4. Conduct on-going household visits to test filter performance
and to ensure consistent, correct long-term use.
5. Update CAWST educational material regarding the iron-particle
technique.
6. Share the results through Science Direct and CAWST’s network
of clients in 60+ countries.

9. What the prize means to our team
Winning this award means a lot to our team. We are particularly
pleased that:
•Reed Elsevier is supporting the Government of Nepal and other
development agencies operating in Nepal in providing safe water to
reduce illnesses and deaths.
•Over 1000 disadvantaged or marginalized villagers will obtain safe
drinking water using an improved and sustainable technology.
•The capacity of local entrepreneurs and government will be built.
•Reed Elsevier is recognizing both the potential of the iron-amended
biosand filter to address the technological gaps in household water
treatment, and the proven impact of CAWST’s technology transfer
model to disseminate the technology globally.

10. Your suggestions and feedbacks are highly
appreciated