Innovative ceramic water filter

1. Small scale water purification system

System operates on gravity and has a back-washable sand filter, activated carbon treatment, Ultra Violet for disinfection and automatic silver/copper dosing to keep purified water safe during storage. Delivers 10 litres per minute. Servicing: two times per year.
Selling for 950 euro, profit 300 euro.

Supply chain in India has been organized. Only imports: UV lamps (Philips) and electronic ballast (USA).

Indian technicians have been trained for manufacturing, installation and maintenance.

Target markets: slum areas (later) and more dense populated areas with specific water contaminants.

Area: First India, later other developing countries.

2. Innovative ceramic water filter for clear water.

Operates on gravity and purifies 5 litres water per hour.
Small in volume (one litres) and weight (350 gram).
Users friendly and very easy to clean, using an innovative cleaning method.
Price complete system: 3,50 Euro, margin 1 Euro.
Replacement filters: 1,20 Euro, margin 0,40 Euro.

Target market: lower income groups and lower middle class.

Area: all developing countries.

Supply chain: Indian companies and one Brazilian company have been selected to deliver basic components. First deliveries have taken place.

3. Innovative ceramic water filter for dirty water.

Same system as 2, with the addition of a washable cloth filter and a low cost coagulation liquid with dosing pipette.

Price: 4,50 Euro, margin 1,20 Euro.
Replacement filters: 1,20 Euro

Target market: people dependent on dirty river and lake water as drinking water source.

The first low cost, easy to use filter in the world. that can treat even muddy water from lakes and rivers.

For the neede addional financing, a proposal has been applied to the Water Fund of SNS Reaal Bank.
Basic Water Needs Foundation (BWNF) has funded the water purification systems in 5 villages. Only the components for 2500 ceramic filters for Tanzania have been sold. At the moment BWNF has no legal entity in India.

1. Water purification system

Having about 10 systems operating successfully for a longer period, we can prove that the system is fully cost covering (including wages for the operator) at 300 or more paying clients/day and can be financed through (soft) bank loans. This will open the markets.
First start-up period will be low-profile.

Competition:
No serous competition found. A comparable system, developed by Nedap, b.v. costs 4200 Euro in India.

2. Ceramic water filter

Making website and demo video. Contacting relevant WATSAN employees from NGO's in developing and western countries (Oxfam, Unicef), offering them the new product.
Followed by sending a few filter samples with video CD. After field evaluation in developing countries, orders can be expected between 6 and 8 months after receiving samples.

Sales through collaboration with specialised social marketing organisations as Entreprise Works.

Competition:
Boiling water (more expensive when wood has to be bought), traditional ceramic water filters (too expensive $ 10 to $ 80 and low output per hour), Biosand filters (expensive and insufficient bacterial removal), home chlorination (not users friendly, bad taste and about same costs/year as ceramic filter), and the SODIS approach (pasteurisation by the sun in used plastic bottles needs all days sunshine).

1. Water purification system

Very low investment and operating costs. Low maintenace.

2. Ceramic filter

Compared to traditional ceramic water filters:

• filters 5 times faster
• easier to clean filter element
• removes all harmful bacteria (silver impregnated filter element)
• much cheaper
• smaller volume (less transport breakage, easier for shops to sell)

Economist: Masters degree (cum laude).
Worked in Appropriate Technology development for a few years.
Worked for some years as advisor for starting companies.
Worked for some years for a company that had developed a new water disinfection technology, with applications for developing countries.
Developed some consumer products from idea till marketable product, sold a lot and sold the company after a few years.
Did R&D during 8 years in the field of small scale water purification and household water purification.
Studied the markets and possible competing products in developing countries.
Started stichting Basic Water Needs Foundation in 2002.
Worked for long periods in India (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007) to build testing purification units, pilot projects, assembling and installing water purification systems in 5 villages, training Indian people, arranging consumer tests with ceramic water filters and will start this year Basic Water Needs India Pty Ltd.

1. Water purification system

In combination with an awareness campaign, low income people are prepared to pay 1 Eurocent (50 Paisa) for 20 litres of safe and good tasting drinking water. A five persons family spends 30 Eurocent per month, 3,60 Euro per year, affordable for most low income families.

Positive: no investment needed for a family.
Negative: Only suitable for larger communities. More complicated implementation (setting up of users group, using money well for maintenance, depreciation, money for woman operator and running costs).

2. Ceramic filter

Components ceramic filter, costing 2,40 Euro, have to be replaced after 5 years. Depreciation costs Euro 0,50 per year.
Once a year a replacement filters has is needed at 1,20 Euro.
When filters will be sold through NGO's, total yearly costs for a family will be 1,70 Euro.
Selling through commercial chains (shops) will add about 50% to total costs.

Positive: ownership of filter, very cheap, more easy implementation.
Negative: lump sum investment (solved by voucher system, micro-credit, etc.)

Manufacturing/assembling these products will create substantial direct and indirect employment. Difficult to quantify at this stage.

Awareness campaigns in India have proven to increase hygienic behaviour and knowledge about dangers of unsafe water.
In villages were people are buying now safe drinking water, people start to experience that they have lower costs for doctors and medicines.
It seems that because of this, families are saving more money than they pay for safe drinking water. No hard data available yet.