The Kenya Clean Water Project, initiated by US-based Native Energy in collaboration with Triple Quest, has started generating carbon offsets. The project is part of a large-scale clean water project covering several African countries, like Ghana and Ethiopia, apart from Kenya. The Kenya Clean Water Project will generate 100,000 carbon credits while the total carbon offsets from all projects are estimated to be more than 500,000.
These projects generate carbon offsets by reducing the amount of wood used by the locals to boil water. In order to make the water suitable for drinking, the locals have to use wood, many times sourced unsustainably. Viability Africa, the project implementing agency, has distributed Hydraid® BioSand water filters to the locals. The filter uses the slow sand filtration principle to filter-out the impurities in water.
“The Hydraid® filter is a simple, lightweight household-sized unit powered by gravity. Users can reduce biological contaminants by pouring surface or ground water through the filter to obtain water that is safe for drinking, food preparation, personal hygiene, and sanitation. With no moving parts to replace, the filter is extremely durable and lasts beyond 10 years, making it the most sustainable filter available today.
“More than 55,000 Hydraid® filters have been distributed in over 35 developing countries worldwide. The low cost filter significantly improves water quality and has demonstrated reduction of diarrheal disease by 59%. Diarrheal disease caused by the lack of clean water is one of the leading causes of death in the developing world.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vV0qYWbK0E]
Several companies have implemented similar projects across Africa, as availability of potable water is a crucial issue in several poor and developing countries across the continent. Such projects are highly beneficial, as they have multiple advantages. The water filters reduce dependence on wood, thereby checking the unsustainable use of wood; they provide potable water to the communities where waterborne diseases have been prevalent; they generate carbon credits which can be used by large emission producers in developed countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Since this particular set of projects planned by Native Energy is certified under Gold Standard, they also provide an assurance that the projects are satisfying some of the highest standards of sustainability.
Image Credit: Hydraid
The views presented in the above article are the author’s personal views only.
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