Home-made biological filter: Values
Selling things or giving things away for free is not as good as teaching people to make their own.
Apart from the product itself, they can gain:
- a sense of achievement.
- an appreciation for what they already have available to them.
- opportunities to help each other.
- not being exposed to global consumerism that may make them want more and feel poorer, or could open them up to a new dependency on unsustainable exploitative commerce.
This following table shows some of the differences between the the system of teaching people to make their own filters versus the starting of projects to manufacture and provide them:
| Home made | Manufactured |
| Clean water | Clean water |
| Hygiene | Hygiene |
| Taking responsibility for overcoming our problem ourselves | Looking to others to provide solutions for us |
Clay pots:
|
Concrete:
Plastic:
|
| Enjoying what we already have to hand | Looking outside for a better life and better things. Commercialism. |
| Every family learns skills and knowledge to pass on to others.• Development organisation not essential for the use of filters to spread and continue. | A manufacturer and their relationship with development organisations is essential. |
Important note:
This clay pot filter design is meant for educating families who need to make their own filters and is not to be used for manufacturing, distribution or marketing of filters.
Clay pot filters are too heavy and fragile for distribution, though the materials a family needs to make one can easily be transported.
In projects where families don’t make their own, the advantage of the clay pot filter design is lost and it should not even be considered.
For these projects see the excellent work of CAWST and Davnor Water Treatment Technologies Ltd who hold international patent coverage and the best design for manufactured Bio-sand filters.
Note: You can download all of the manuals and files associated with this website on our download page