OU WaTER Symposium planned for Fall 2021

The pandemic has changed the way many of us live and work and go to school. But one thing has not changed - people across the world still need clean water for drinking and hygiene, and proper sanitation, perhaps now more than ever. Frequent hand washings are a part of daily life in the developed world, but an estimated 790 million people - 11% of the world's population - lack access to clean water and are thus more susceptible to infectious diseases such as Covid 19. 

The mission of the OU WaTER Center also has not changed - to promote peace by advancing human development through sustainable water and sanitation for all. But we are not alone. There are many men and women across the globe who are doing amazing work in the sharing of this mission. 

Dr. Robert Nairn addresses the 2018 Symposium participants at the banquet

in which the next Prize winner is announced. 

The purpose of the OU International Water Prize is to recognize and honor an individual, acting alone or as leader of an organization, who has made significant contributions, either through research or teaching or service activities, in the field of water supply, water resources or sanitation, particularly for small and impoverished villages/communities in rural or remote regions. This next Water Prize will be awarded to someone who has made this contribution in the field of hydrology and/or water security (HWS) for the benefit of disadvantaged communities. 

Martha Gebeyehu (center), sanitation expert in Ethiopia, is the winner of our

2019 International Water Prize.

Martha receives her Prize at the formal banquet that was part of the

2019 International Water Conference in Norman, Oklahoma.

Every two years the WaTER Center assembles a panel of 4-5 jurors who are themselves leaders in the fields of water, sanitation and water security. These jurors each nominate an individual who is making a real difference in the WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and water security sector. 

We are pleased to announce that the Prize jurors for the next OU International Water Prize are:

• Ana Barros, University of Illinois 
• Upmanu Lall, Columbia University
• Aondover Tarhule, Illinois State University
• Callist Tindimugaya, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda

These jurors will complete their deliberations, select a Prize winner, and announce the Prize winner at next Fall's Symposium. At this exciting event, they will also share some of their own research and experiences in the field.

The biennial Prize consists of a $25,000 cash award and a glass trophy developed by a local artist. The winner comes to campus the following year (2022) for the International Water Conference, where she/he will give the Keynote Address and accept their Prize at the formal Banquet. This Prize is believed to be the first and largest prize dedicated to water supply, water resources, and/or sanitation in emerging regions.

Stay tuned for the announcement of date for our Fall 2021 WaTER Symposium!

SPOTLIGHT ON A PARTNER - Covid response from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Each June in normal years, the OU WaTER Center supports staff and students to spend a month in Gulu, Uganda, working on a project or two in support of Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe and her Catholic sisters. Needless to say, the year 2020 has not been a normal year! But the work of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus continues nonetheless.

Sr. Pasqua Binenanena oversees the liquid hand soap that is being made and distributed
by staff and orphans.

The orphan students are sewing face masks and making liquid hand soap to distribute to people in great need during this time of pandemic. In addition to residents of northern Uganda, there are hundreds of refugees crossing the border each day from South Sudan and the DRC. These families need food and clean drinking water, of course. But they also need proper hygiene for protection against the coronavirus pandemic. Uganda's Covid rate is 0.8 per 100,000, far less than the U.S., but the 14-day trend is upwards and the country's health care system might become easily overwhelmed if the rise continues. In addition, there is the ever-present concern about malaria which sickens people and reduces the number of constructive work days. 

Ugandan refugee families wait for need supplies during a time of crisis.

There are around 100 orphan girls who currently live at Saint Monica's Tailoring School for Girls in Gulu. (Because of Covid, the government has strict regulations on housing density.) The orphanage began as a home for girls who had been enslaved by Joseph Kony's army of rebels during the Ugandan civil war of the 1980s. Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe gave the girls a safe place to live while they also earned valuable skills such as sewing, cooking and hair styling. For her humanitarian work, Sr. Rosemary was honored as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2014. 

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are donating much-needed items to the Congolese refugees who are escaping violence and fleeing into Uganda.

Dr. Ann Huynh is a physician in Austin, Texas. Her Foundation, Universal Angels Network, has been very supportive of Sr. Rosemary and her Sisters. This Foundation paid for a water tank last year and continues to support the Sisters through paying for medical training scholarships and providing for mosquito netting and materials for face masks and hand soap. 

Young people are making hand sanitizing soap to distribute to Congolese refugees and others in need during the pandemic. 

According to Sr. Pasqua Binenanena, about 2500 refugees passed into Uganda from DRC in the three months of summer alone. Uganda is known as the friendliest country to refugees in Africa. But even as it is trying to keep its borders closed due to the pandemic, families still find ways to escape the violence in their own country to a land that welcomes them, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Sr. Pasqua says that "their problems have been compounded by the lack of basic things like food. Refugees anywhere are a very vulnerable group because they are usually very exposed in their host countries away from home and they need to be protected."

Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe is seen here at Saint Monica's Tailoring School in Gulu.

Because of the lockdown back in late spring, Sr. Rosemary herself has been "stuck" in the U.S. where she has been earning an advanced degree at the University of Oklahoma. She meets weekly with her staff back in Uganda via virtual meetings and sends her love back, along with whatever donations she can raise for them here from generous friends and benefactors. 

You can support the work of Sr. Rosemary and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by giving to the Sewing Hope Foundation.

AWIA presents deadlines for water supply plans

In a changing climate and a rapidly expanding population, water security will not happen without careful planning. And it won’t be achieved overnight. Planning for water security includes planning for unforeseen circumstances, or hazards, whether from natural disasters or malevolent acts. These hazards could include a sudden natural catastrophe, such as a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or flood. The natural event might also be of longer-term, such as drought or impacts from climate change. There is also risk from human-induced events, both unintended and intentional. These include accidental spills as well as vandalism or terrorism (malevolent acts). 

Water treatment plant in Geneva, Illinois.

The America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 was passed by Congress to ensure that community water systems had plans in place that would help them respond appropriately to such hazardous events. The law required all large and medium-sized water systems to develop risk and resilience assessments (RRA) and emergency response plans (ERP). Any system that serves more than 3,300 people must certify that these plans are in place. 

The process involves four discrete steps:

• Step One: Conduct a risk assessment (RA). The EPA has developed a tool – Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT 2.0) – to assist utilities in conducting their own risk and resilience assessment. With this tool, the utility can identify the highest risks to mission-critical operations and find cost-effective measures to reduce these risks.  This assessment must be completed by a certain deadline (in the year 2020) and then reviewed, updated and re-certified every 5 years.

• Step Two: Identify some strategies to build resilience. The first step has helped the managers prioritize hazards based on likelihood and consequences. For example, the team may decide that flooding, wildfires and water supply management are the biggest concerns. Then, potentially vulnerable assets are chosen, including aquifers, buildings, data acquisition systems, drinking water treatment plant, and forested lands. The manager selects which of these assets are most vulnerable in his/her system. The team then presents a list of strategies based on the highest priorities of their water system.

• Step Three: Develop an emergency response plan (ERP). This plan utilizes and builds upon the risk assessment and selection of resilience strategies already completed. The ERP describes the utility’s strategies to prepare for and respond to incidents, whether natural or human induced. These may be as small as a main line break or localized flooding. Or they may be larger, such as a hurricane, power outage, or a cyber-attack. This plan is due six months after certification of the risk assessment (RA) plan.

• Step Four: Monitor the system. Monitoring activities should focus on both water quality surveillance and security monitoring. Water quality surveillance is done at the treatment plant and in distribution systems. Monitoring is done at various locations and for various parameters. ERP will highlight the key parameters. Enhanced security monitoring uses advanced security equipment and communication systems.

The development of a risk assessment plan involves both an on-site assessment
and meetings with key plant personnel. 

The OU WaTER Center, along with the Oklahoma Water Survey, has personnel that are willing to help low-resource communities develop these plans. This exercise is part of our mission to both educate students in the professional practice of water security and assist rural communities (emerging regions) in need. The deadline for small utilities (3,301-49,999 people) to complete their risk and resilience plan (Step One above) is June 30, 2021.

Testing campus wastewater for Covid-19 virus

Sewage testing has been used in the U.S. for detection of other diseases in the past, such as polio. Since about 80% of households are connected to a central sewerage collection, in this time of pandemic it is reasonable to conduct sewage surveillance in order to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19 illness. The virus is shed in the feces of individuals even before they start showing symptoms. 

A student worker is collecting a sewage sample on the OU campus to test for the coronavirus.

Dr. Jason Vogel, a WaTER Center co-director and Director of the Oklahoma Water Survey, has been collecting sewage samples on the University of Oklahoma (OU) campus for early detection of the virus. The samples are collected downstream of campus student housing during after-lunch hours (12 noon to 2 pm) when the wastewater flow rate is highest. 

Student workers collecting sewage samples follow strict health and safety protocols so that they themselves will not get infected.

OU microbiologist Associate Professor, Bradley Stevenson, is heading the program and studies of the samples, which typically have a 24-hour turnaround time. Dr. Stevenson says that “this (method) definitely can be an early warning....What we’re doing is actually monitoring the levels of COVID-19 in the wastewater,” Stevenson said. “When an individual has COVID-19, they shed the virus through their feces and we can actually detect that.” This is a method that can both show trends over time and provide an early warning system, about 3-7 days prior to a normal detection protocol using onset of symptoms. In addition, the RNA laboratory testing is a non-invasive form of detection as compared to clinical testing. 

Private water providers in rural Ghana

How well does a small privately-owned business provide safe water to a rural community in west Africa? What are the benefits as well as the challenges? These are the questions that led to Philip Deal’s research in the ecologically-diverse country of Ghana. 

Hand pumping of water from a drilled borehole is still a very common method of water acquisition in Ghana.

Governments and NGOs across the world have observed countless handpumps and piped systems falling into disrepair, despite billions of dollars of investment into the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) sector. In opposition to this challenge, Water4 (an NGO based in Oklahoma City) set out to develop a sustainable model of building, operating, and maintaining safe water enterprises through their Numa water delivery kiosks. These kiosks became the product of a private water service company, Access Development (AD), in Ghana, West Africa. 

The water delivery system pumps water to a tank using solar power, disinfects the water with UV and chlorine disinfection, and supplies water to a kiosk where it is sold to local villagers. The borehole is owned by the community, but the pump and treatment center are owned by AD. Customers ‘pay‐to‐fetch’ vendors for their water with cash - 0.20 GHS per 18 L - equivalent to less than a cent per gallon.

Numa piped system network.

This water delivery kiosk provides clean water to Ghanaian villagers for a small fee

The goals of the water delivery system are to:

• increase the reliability and functionality of the systems,

• reduce the time needed to respond to breakdowns, and 

• increase the revenue for these water systems so as to provide more long-term management.

Customers ‘pay‐to‐fetch’ vendors for their water with cash - 0.20 GHS per 18 L, equivalent to about 3 cents, less than a penny per gallon.

Private water service delivery is a result of a partnership between the University of Oklahoma, Water4, and Access Development. Pictured (left to right): Dr. David Sabatini, Mr. Wellington Amankwa, Dr. Philip Deal, Mr. Philip Aratuo

Ghana is a water-rich country and was found to have a sustainable supply of groundwater to meet domestic water supply. However, more mechanized drilling would be needed to make this water available to more people. 

Philip discovered that Access Development was giving equal or superior service to its customers, both poor and rich, compared to traditional water systems. Water had significantly better quality and was consistently available throughout the year. Yet, only about 35% to 40% of the population was using Numa water. With ongoing competition from free alternatives and seasonal challenges of affordability, customers would not always choose to use Access Development’s water service. Low residual chlorine for secondary disinfection was also found to be an area for improvement.

Water queue in Ghana observes social distancing during the pandemic.

As of the Fall of 2020, Access Development has grown to serve almost 90,000 people. The private company has plans to expand to more districts in Ghana in 2021, while other partners in Sierra Leone and Zambia are growing rapidly as well. Philip is now the Director of Community Engagement at Water4, where he is able to continue serving and supporting safe water enterprises in 15 different countries.

 A kiosk vendor is happy to serve you!

Building a wave-powered water pump in Tanzania

John Makonda lives in Geita, Tanzania, just south of Lake Victoria. Since Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa, many view the lake as an economic resource or a local recreation spot. However, John Makonda sees the lake as an experimental playground for the testing of his new wave-powered water pump.

John Makonda is testing his water pumping device on magnificent Lake Victoria.

Beginning in 2014, John has dedicated himself to the careful design and development of the pump which utilizes the upward and downward motions of a buoy connected to a lever in order to pump water as if it were a hand pump being operated by an invisible hand. The following sketches exemplify John’s attention to detail and his well-thought-out design.

Sketch of original design - Leonardo da Vinci would be proud!

These sketches are examples of John's creative impulse.

Since then, John has been able to build a prototype that shows promising results. Without schooling nor training, John gracefully manipulated the concepts of buoyancy, pressure head, and hydraulics in his invention which could prove to be extremely useful in the development of new water distribution systems. Since John’s pump is powered by the constant rise and fall of Lake Victoria, this could significantly decrease the cost and energy required to pump water from the lake to surrounding communities. Increasing populations in not only Tanzania, but Uganda and Kenya, will further expose the significance of John’s wave-powered water pump as the demand for potable drinking water rises.

John builds efficient cookstoves in his outdoor workshop, alongside a treadle pump.

Many who have come before John have tried to harness energy from the visibly powerful waves of the ocean with the likes of underground turbines. However, John Makonda takes a different approach, reminding us once again of the power of innovative thinking. His hard work and dedication will bring forth a new technology that can then be utilized by communities in search of a cost and energy efficient method of pumping freshwater inland.

John Makonda is a designer and innovator of appropriate technologies in central Africa.

Well done, John, and keep up the good work!

SPOTLIGHT ON A PARTNER: Marc and Ann Hall - still changing lives in Cambodia

The WaTER Center was first introduced to Marc and Ann Hall back in 2010 when this young married couple came to give a talk on campus about the life they chose to live in Cambodia. Cambodia is a beautiful land with a people who welcome visitors with a smile. But the country has also been struck with war and corruption resulting in illiteracy, lack of water and sanitation, and disease. These are the challenges that Marc and Ann work to overcome, with the help of Resource Development International - Cambodia (RDIC), as together they create and implement creative solutions for drinking water in the home and in the communities. 

RDIC ceramic water filters are built onsite and distributed to villagers, along with soap and illustrated hygiene information. 

The core of the RDIC strategy is built on local relationships with the Cambodian people. Team members and their families live in the villages and get to know the local people. By doing so, personal bonds are created and friends are made. From these friendships, various projects are implemented to serve the immediate community that the team lives in. While gardening and raising animals as well as working side by side and teaching friends in the villages, the team is able to meet immediate needs while education takes place. 

In pre-pandemic days, Ann Hall shares both her nursing skills and her faith with the Cambodian women.

On a larger scale, the community is served by technology improvements. When the group is asked to help install a water system at a school, or build toilets or sinks, they take the opportunity to offer an education program to the schools as well. This adds an additional personal touch.

Marc Hall instructs a worker at the RDIC ceramic water filter factory in Cambodia.

On the national level the RDIC studio produces TV and radio programming that is released on national television, radio and into the local marketplace. And on the international level, RDIC relies on help from individuals and groups who volunteer from abroad. During these short term trips many people understand and commit to the vision RDIC has developed. In fact, many of the current full-time RDIC staff joined RDIC after a short term trip to Cambodia.

The Covid pandemic has reached remote villages in which RDIC's teams are active, highlighting the need for masking and social distancing.

Mark and Ann are driven by both their love for the Cambodian people and the desire to share their faith in Christ. The couple leads prayer sessions and prepares teams to teach in both the schools and in the homes. Using her training as a nurse, Ann has treated many Cambodians who suffer from waterborne diseases and malnutrition. Much of her work is doing health and hygiene education regarding hydration and nutrition, so essential to these villagers with limited access to medical resources. In past years, the WaTER Center has sent both graduate and undergraduate students to work with RDIC on various projects, including the mitigation of arsenic-contaminated waters and the construction of ferrocement rainwater tanks. 

Ann and Marc Hall are holding a precious newborn baby in Cambodia.

Transition in Leadership for the OU WaTER Center

“Please join me in holding up your glass filled with water”, he would often say at banquets and formal events. “Let us remind ourselves that over 1 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water such as you and I have in front of us.” For Dr. David Sabatini, the mission of the OU WaTER Center was never just academic. It was personal. It was also spiritual. If God created us all equal in His eyes, then we should all have equal access to the basic necessities in life, including clean water and sanitation.

Dr. David Sabatini is the Founding Director of the OU WaTER Center
and has been its vision and inspiration for 14 years. 

In 2006, Dr. Sabatini founded the Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The Center is a grassroots, faculty-led effort whose mission is to promote peace by advancing health, education, and economic development through sustainable water, sanitation, and health (WaSH) solutions for impoverished regions. Since its inception, the leadership team of the WaTER Center has worked hard to tackle both the technical and non-technical issues associated with WaSH for peoples in need.

After 14 years of leadership, David has decided to step down as Director for the remainder of his professorship at OU. (He will continue in a Founding Director role.) Those 14 years have been packed full of research, education and outreach activities! David has directed graduate student research in Cambodia (arsenic mitigation), Ethiopia (fluoride mitigation), Ghana (sustainable water provision) and Thailand (ground water remediation and protection) and has mentored scores of undergraduate students through his teaching and kind support. He spearheaded the development of the WaTER Minor, which includes a curriculum designed to provide the knowledge and experience that students need to succeed in the important work of sustainable development. Both graduate and undergraduate students are being formed as people who are culturally aware and technically proficient. These students have gone on to leadership roles in NGOs, churches, and government agencies and to serve in Peace Corps.

 

Drinking water in Cambodia is scooped from a protective ceramic vessel.

Early on, Dr. Sabatini and the other five Co-Directors felt the need to acknowledge in a special way the people who were doing the hard and often unrecognized work in developing nations. Modeled after the OU Neustadt Prize for world literature, the OU International Water Prize is awarded on a biennial basis to recognize and honor an individual who has made significant international contributions, either through research or teaching or service activities, in the field of water supply and sanitation, with a focus on the world's poorest living in developing countries. Since its founding the Center has awarded six Water Prizes and held six International Conferences with participants from all parts of the globe. Through these outreach and research activities, “Dr. Dave” has acquired scores of colleagues and collaborations which continue to this day.

In 2010, the student organization “Engineers Without Borders” was changed to “Sooners Without Borders”. The move was made to develop the organization into a campus-wide group and invite involvement of all disciplines. With the support of the WaTER Center, undergraduate students have worked in El Salvador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Cambodia, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Pine Ridge, South Dakota. In 2011, the Directors hired Dr. Jim Chamberlain as the first full-time staff member. Jim is now serving as the Interim Director of the OU WaTER Center.

Dr. Sabatini is joined by colleagues, Drs. Teshome Lemma and Jim Chamberlain,

on a trip to the Rift Valley in Ethiopia

David Sabatini is a David Ross Boyd Professor and Sun Oil Company Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma.  After earning a PhD at Iowa State University in Civil Engineering, he joined the University of Oklahoma in 1989.  He is former Editor-in-Chief and current Associate Editor of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Associate Editor of Journal of Surfactants and Detergents and an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development.  He has coauthored or coedited four books and over 200 refereed journal publications. His research funding has totaled $12.8 M (individual credit of $4.3 M) and has included funding from agencies such as NSF, EPA, DoE, DOD, DoEd. He is currently teaching in OU’s new online MS program in Hydrology and Water Security, and is writing a textbook on water security. Among his many honors, he was recently inducted into the 2020 Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.

In 2019, Dr. Sabatini toured the NEWater wastewater reuse plant

and operations in Singapore.

 

 

Thank you, Dr. David Sabatini for your knowledge, experience, and extremely hard work in setting the WaTER Center on its course and steering it to its current success and fruition.

 

But most of all, thank you for your passion for water and for those who are in need!

We life our glasses to you!

WaTER Minor graduate tells of her Peace Corps experience

The OU WaTER Center recently had the chance to visit with Alexis Medina, a recent Environmental Engineering graduate who just spent 18 months serving as a Water Resources Engineer with Peace Corps Panama. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, Alexis’ stay in Panama was cut short with rushed goodbyes and a mandated evacuation. However, during her time in Panama, Alexis was able to provide the small village of San Isidro, Panama with clean water – using the techniques that she learned through completion of the OU WaTER Minor, her fellow Panamanian community members, and the 10-week Peace Corps training.

Coffee was a local crop that was mostly of two varieties - a higher grade Arabica bean, and a lower grade bean grown in the lowlands. 

The community to which Alexis was assigned, San Isidro, had outdated spring boxes and leaking pipes which led to the infiltration of sediments and parasites in their water collection system. If there was a big storm coming, the community had learned over time to gather water in advance in an effort to avoid the “chocolate water” that would come with the rain. With the help of her community, Alexis was able to redesign and update five spring boxes, all of which fed a chlorinated storage tank that distributed water to each home in a tightly knit community of about 150 people. The new spring boxes were constructed using brick and mortar and included concrete lids which could easily be removed for washing out the stones that filtered the spring water.

Spring boxes were built to collect and distribute spring water from a higher elevation.

Besides having the adequate technical skills to manage the project, Alexis understood the social dynamics that must be accounted for to ensure the sustainability of the updated water network. For example, she organized professional WASH seminars for her “Water Committee” composed of villagers in charge of caring for and repairing the water system. At the end of each seminar, she awarded them with certificates and a party for having completed their training. She also made sure to share the important educational materials with the entire community so that everyone understood the importance of the project.

There were two large rivers between the village and the closest town, rivers that had no bridges and were often too high to cross safely in a vehicle. 

Alexis had the fortune of working closely with the landowner who maintains all of the spring boxes, conveniently located on his property. Despite his ability to manage the project independently, Alexis encouraged him to involve younger community members and women in the design/maintenance process because she knew how important it was for more than one person to be responsible and understand the technical details. She understood that they trusted him, a trust that only grew once she and her team consistently produced clean water to their homes and villages.

In addition to her BS degree in Environmental Engineering, Alexis earned the Minor in “Water and Sanitation for Health and Sustainable Development” at OU, which gave her additional coursework and practical experience in these skills - manual and hydraulic well drilling, concrete and sand construction, field surveying, water quality analysis and sampling, and biosand filter construction. As part of her Minor curriculum she spent 4 weeks in Cambodia where she helped to construct ferrocement rainwater harvesting tanks.

Erik and Alexis have a new "family" in Panama.

Overall, Alexis was able to accomplish the work that she set out to do – establishing and ensuring the longevity of the San Isidro water supply. Despite her rushed departure, the community members now have the tools and knowledge that they need to properly maintain their water supply and fix any errors that arise. In return, Alexis has a new-found love for the Panamanian people, their ease of life, their endless kindness, and their abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Alexis and her husband, Erik, will soon be moving to the Seattle area where she hopes to work in river and stream restoration.

To Alexis and Erik – Buena suerte y que Dios los bendiga!

Recovery of phosphate from animal wastewater

An OU graduate student, Nusrat Sharmin, is conducting research regarding the ability of calcium silicate hydrate, synthesized from silica-rich rice husks, to remove phosphorous from ruminal wastewater. The phosphorous can then be used as a fertilizer in place of the typical diammonium phosphate (DAP) which is of vital importance for food production.

The research work of Nusrat Sharmin seeks to recover phosphate from an animal manure waste stream.

Her advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Butler says that "This research is part of a larger project that aims to make phosphorus use more sustainable by recovering it from wastewater using low cost materials made from agricultural wastes such as rice husks.  The project accomplishes several things:

• recovery of phosphate from concentrated animal wastes for use as an alternative to expensive commercial fertilizers;
• recycling and reuse of a limited resource (phosphorus) that is essential for food production; and
• finding a beneficial use for a waste material (rice husks) that can be difficult to treat."

Sharmin’s studies so far have shown promising results with up to 99% removal of phosphorous in low-alkalinity water.  However, the cost of one ton of phosphate recovered from silica-rich rice husks was 6.7-10x more expensive than the standard DAP fertilizer. Therefore, Sharmin is exploring different alternatives to synthesize the calcium silicate hydrate, such as lime, which has an expected cost reduction of 84% from the previous rice husk method. 

Rice husks are the outer hull that protect the interior rice kernel that is the staple food for 3.5 billion people who get 20% of their calories from rice.

If Sharmin’s studies prove to be successful, this could have huge implications for developing countries where farmers often lack the resources to afford adequate fertilizer. Since lime can be extracted from limestone and/or dolomite rather simply, the ability to recycle wastewater and produce fertilizer is both low-cost, environmentally friendly, and would provide small-scale farmers the resource to improve their crop yield. This method would also remove the excess phosphorous from municipal and/or ruminal wastewater, effectively minimizing the occurrence of eutrophication which can be particularly harmful to plant life and aquatic species.

Excess nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorus - that make their way into lake or pond will cause eutrophication, low oxygen levels, and fish die-offs. 

Regarding the application of her work in developing nations, Sharmin says "Disposal of rice residues like husk and straw is a big problem for rice-producing countries as often they are burned in open fields causing smoke and breathable dust containing crystalline silica, that leads to diseases related to lungs and eyes. So utilizing this waste as a water treatment material and generating a high value product (phosphorus fertilizer) would be very beneficial to agriculture industry."

There may be some challenges however. She continues: "One challenge of using rice residues in water treatment is that the potential of arsenic contamination. Arsenic tends to accumulate in rice crops, particularly if the paddy soil and irrigation water (groundwater) is high in arsenic content. It also depends on the nature of rice species. So it is necessary to examine the arsenic content of rice husk/straw samples before applying it in water treatment."

Join Water4 in their "Walk4Water 2020"

For millions around the world, today began with a long walk to collect water.
Mile after mile… hour after hour… 40 pounds at a time…

... to and from watering holes, lakes, and streams riddled with disease.
Every day, they fill their buckets over and over again with unsafe water that brings

sickness and pain. 
Every hour they spend walking for water is one less hour for school, work, or time

with loved ones.

This clean water kiosk was established by Water4 and its local partners in Ghana.

How can I participate in Walk4Water?

Walk With Us (In-person): Join us at Scissortail Park (OKC) on September 19!

Walk Where You Are (Virtual): Rally your family and friends to walk where you are – your neighborhood, a local park or around your church building.

 

When: Saturday, September 19, 2020

Where: Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City

(300 SW 7th St., OKC 73109)

The annual 'Walk4Water' brings local awareness of a global hardship for many people.

Water4 is an Oklahoma City-based international nonprofit using faith, innovation and empowerment to reimagine a world

where all people have access to safe water.

Water4 equips local entrepreneurs in developing countries to provide sustainable safe water access to every home, school and clinic in their communities. This approach puts the solution to local water problems in the hands of local people ensuring safe water access is sustained by local resources.

Since 2008, Water4 and our partners have impacted the lives of over 1.4 million people in more than 30 countries through the power of safe and living water.

Villagers in Kenya practice social distancing while waiting in line at the water point.

Watch the video.

Five students complete the WaTER Minor in May 2020

In May 2020, five undergraduate students completed the Minor in "Water and Sanitation for Health and Sustainable Development", aka "the WaTER Minor". In addition to their degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, these students are now qualified and well-trained to be of great service in the field of humanitarian engineering. Though the pandemic has added some constraints to their possible career moves, these students are not sitting around!

From left: Adella Kuster, Christina Gildea, Duncan Wright, Courtney Vanman, and Diana Phan

Both Adella and Christina have begun work towards an MS degree in Environmental Engineering at OU. Both students worked on water projects in northern Uganda for their intercultural immersion experience.

For her Masters research, Adella Kuster (Env Eng, '20) is evaluating the effectiveness of in-stream structures on reducing streambank erosion and stream migration near transportation infrastructure. She is studying various bank stabilization and river training techniques to prevent these occurrences.

Christina Gildea (Env Eng, '20) has begun her Masters research by studying the water quality effects of compost filter socks (CFS), which are sometimes high in nitrogen and phosphorus. These socks are a commonly-used stormwater best management practice often utilized on construction sites for sediment and erosion control. 

Adella and another student are learning the mechanics of manual well drilling in their Technical Field Methods course.

Duncan Wright (Env Eng, '20) has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will be moving to the Philippines in summer of 2021, once the pandemic is over.  He worked last summer in Uganda on repairing a broken hand pump water well at a clinic and orphanage. Duncan's passion is to serve others across the globe through his engineering knowledge. 

Courtney Vanman (Civ Eng, '20) has plans to return to Burundi where she has worked with an NGO that brings clean water to villagers in need. Courtney learned many of her development skills in the Technical Field Methods course that is offered every May on campus at OU, a course which includes two forms of water well drilling, biosand filter construction, water quality sampling and analysis, household water treatment systems, and field surveying with simple instruments. 

Courtney is mixing concrete in order to build a concrete slab in her Technical Field Methods course, one of the required courses for earning the WaTER Minor.

Diana Phan (Civ Eng, '20) has taken a position as a design engineer at IDS Engineering Group in Houston, Texas. She plans to work towards her P.E. license, while hoping to volunteer with service trips abroad as the opportunities arise. Diana has worked in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she helped assess hygiene and sanitation systems in schools across the capital city. 

Diana is working with local personnel to conduct hygiene and sanitation surveys across all the public schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

We are proud of these five students,

and look forward to hearing about their continued adventures in places near and far!