Four smart ways in which design is helping conserve water, improve its quality and help public health. By S. Vishwanath
We are used to taps of many shapes, sizes and design for
our bathroom and kitchen sinks. A foot tap is a small and friendly
device to operate water flows in sinks which has several advantages.
Famously first seen in the rooms of dentists, who needed to drill and
rinse the mouth simultaneously, this device is now making its way to
many homes and offices and even restaurants.
The
lever is placed as a foot pedal, thus leaving the hands free to soap and
wash. This means one does not have to close the tap after soaping and
potentially pick up bacteria. Also since this is a hands-free device,
things like shaving or washing dishes too become easier.
Foot-operated
taps can be retrofitted into existing sinks but are best incorporated
at the design stage itself. In a day and age when water is getting
scarce and when hygiene and sanitation are increasingly becoming
important here is a device which technologically delivers water wisdom.
Time to install is right now.
Water dispenser
Another
smart device making its way into some restaurants is a water dispenser.
Here you pick up R.O. water which is either cool or normal. The Reverse
Osmosis unit itself is a back-end operation and not linked to the
dispenser. A water cooler is however attached to this unit. Once you
drink from the steel tumbler, there is a drop off slot where you can
push it in for it to be collected and taken away for washing. Design is
entering water dispensing in many ways.
The
traditional pot or ‘Madke’, ‘Ghada’ or ‘Matka’ as it was called was the
best water cooler in the house especially during summer. People still
swear by the exact coolness (not too cold) and the taste of the water
flavoured with an earthy taste. The pot water had problems with
secondary contamination if you dipped a tumbler into it or any vessel to
take the water out. Potters and designers for a long time cracked the
design issue by incorporating a tap into it. Now you draw the cool water
and drink it directly.
SODIS
Then there is
the simple way to purify water using glass bottles or PET bottles called
Solar Disinfection method or SODIS. Especially during an emergency like
the Nepal earthquake, clean water becomes difficult to access and the
spread of cholera is a threat. By placing water after filtering it
through a cloth into a PET bottle and leaving the bottle horizontally in
the sum for 6 hours, much of the bacteria in the water can be
eliminated and the water made safer to drink. SODIS can be a lifesaver.
The foot-operated tap, the drinking water dispenser, SODIS and the pot
with a tap are but four of the smart ways in which design is helping
conserve water, improve its quality and help public health.
This is water wisdom at work.
