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Earthenware Water Filter: A Double Edged Sustainable Design Concept for

India

Chapter · January 2013

DOI: 10.1007/978-81-322-1050-4_114

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Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable
design concept for India

Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M

Design Programme, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Design Programme, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, UP, India
Tel: +919793452233
aravind@iitk.ac.in

Bishakh Bhattacharya
Design Programme, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Design Programme, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, UP, India
Fax: +91 512 259 6617 Tel: +91 512 259 7824/6617/7509
bishakh@iitk.ac.in

Abstract: Approximately 1.5 million children die annually in India, before they
attain 5 years in age. The deaths are mainly attributed to pneumonia and
waterborne diseases like dysentery and cholera. Unavailability of clean drinking
water is the root cause of the problem. Apart from sources of water being equally
available to the masses, unavailability of extensive filtration systems, either at the
point of distribution (POD) or at the point of use (POU), is a reason for
consumption of impure water. An affordable water filter (POU) that can
effectively kill all the disease causing pathogens will help in stemming the infant
deaths.
In India, earthenware pottery dates back to 1500BC. Currently, potters
are almost facing extinction because of changes in society. This paper, explores
the possibility of using the skills of the Indian potter in making water filters out
of earthenware with cheap filter substrate and provisions for germicidal UV
based disinfection system powered through energy harvesting from transducers.
.

Keyword: water filter, potter, earthenware, sustainability, affordability

1 INTRODUCTION

India is home to the largest number of children in the world. The number of live births in
India is estimated to be around 12 million per annum which almost accounts to 20% of
the world’s birth. However, India also contributes to more than 20% of child deaths in the
world. India loses approximately about 1.83 million children before they reach five years
of life [1]. A majority of the deaths are due to preterm births [2]. One of the main reasons
 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

for mothers to bear children before the usual gestation period is because of infectious
diseases caused by unclean environment. Even though preterm birth is a global nemesis,
South Asia and Africa contribute to 60% of the deaths that happen and India’s
contribution to this is 15%. The infant mortality rate (number of children dead per 1000
live born ) in India is 50 [2] The under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) is around 65 and far
ahead than countries like Bangladesh which is supposed to be one of the poorest
countries. 88% of the deaths are due to preventable communicable diseases like
Pneumonia and Diarrhoea [1]. Pneumonia is the primary killer followed by dysentery.
Other diseases like Cholera, Typhoid and Hepatitis A contribute to deaths as well. Most
of these diseases are water borne. Majority of these deaths occur in rural and urban lower
strata of society where the living conditions are very conducive to easy spreading of
infections [Figure 1] [2]. One of the major reasons for communicable diseases to be
rampant is lack of access to clean toilet facilities.

Per
1000
births

Figure 1. Latest Mortality census [2]

Lack of clean portable drinking water is another major reason for infections to
spread. Infected water sources are often shared ensuring widespread infection in the
community. State controlled water supplies are usually guarded against these infections
by having effective filtration systems at the PODs. The reach of these supply lines are not
usually extensive and does not reach to every corner of the populated topography. Urban
population has been on the rise and metro cities have their own pockets of high density
areas where the supply is close to zero. In such places, people are forced to use water
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

from uncontrolled and unmonitored water sources like private suppliers or local sumps
which are open to contamination because of drainage or industrial waste. In rural areas,
the water sources are mostly open wells, rivers or canals which are again easily polluted
and carry waterborne pathogens. It has been observed that either of these households do
not have an effective filtration apparatus or practice at home. The water is consumed
without any effective purification process resulting in the pathogens being communicated
in a deadly manner. The prevailing problem here is that of lack of awareness and that of
affordability. Almost, ninety percent of this house hold cannot afford the contemporary
water filters that are being sold in India. The average water filter is definitely far beyond
the reach of the majority of Indians. It is also notable that the product makers play to the
market rather to the need. This leaves majority of Indian population vulnerable to
preventable diseases. This paper explores the ways of making the water filter an
affordable commodity to the majority of the masses. Contemporary water filter
manufacturers in India are aiming for cost of 10 paisa per liter [13] on the basis of one
single unit output.
The average water needed for a person to survive a day as per WHO standards is
a minimum 7.5 liters [Figure 2]. The minimum quantity of water to be consumed per
person is at 2.5 liters per day [3]. WHO India too recommends the same based on Indian
conditions.

Figure 2. Water needs per person per day: WHO [3]

For Rural India, the water need per capita is as given below [Figure 3] [4]. The rural
average is more than the recommended average of 2.5 liters for drinking water. 3 liters
per day is the stipulated need. The average size of Indian household is 5.3 [2]
(approximated to 6). Based on this, the average need for drinking water per family in
India would be 18 liters per day.
 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

Figure 3. Average water needs per person per day in India

2 SUSTAINABILITY : The need of the hour

Many factors like changes in environmental conditions resulting in skewed monsoon
behavior, increased temperatures, leading to failure of crops and dwindling of agricultural
prospects, economic factors like globalization, open market economy has led to a marked
exodus of people from rural areas to urban cities. This has created an imbalance in the
demographic dynamics of India. The divide between the affected and the not so affected
is widening. The affected people undoubtedly form the majority and are unquestionably
poor. The market driven economic practices mostly concentrate on to the needs of the
affordable masses and price points are fixed based on their purchasing power which is far
higher than the needy majority. This has also given rise to changed lifestyles resulting in
widespread disruption of the basic societal fabric in India. The ballooning urban scene
has given rise to unforeseen contention for resources like water, energy and space,
whereas the rural areas have become further discarded and disconnected resulting in
purification. The need of the hour is to attain sustainability in all possible fronts, whether
be it demographic shifts, or energy consumption, or environmental effects. From a
machinist view, all the events are causal and hence this intertwined complexity can be
solved or controlled, only by adapting little sustainable parts that sum up to a bigger
sustainable whole. This kind of practice had been done in almost all parts of rural India
where the produce of one practice was always the input to the other [Figure 4] This
model is portable and can be replicated in an identical situation, but a radically different
practice. For example, similarities could be drawn between the traditional mud pots
giving way to metal utensils and the dhobi’s services being overtaken by washing
machines that consume and contaminate more water per cloth than the traditional way.
Parallels could be drawn with regard to the plight of the traditional potter and the dhobi.
A sustainable solution that could meet the demand of the changing scene as well as a
sustainable livelihood of the famished potter or the dhobi is the need of the hour.
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

Figure 4. Age old sustainable practices

2.1.1 The case of the Indian potter

Pottery has existed in India ever since civilization could be historically accounted in the
subcontinent. Earthenware pottery has been in existence since 1500BC in India. They had
mostly started from being storage instruments to other artifacts like ornaments, idols and
toys. Pottery in India has been influenced and improved by many influences from Persia
to Mongolia. Some of the artisans who belonged to the invading armies from these parts
of the world made India their home and have enriched its pottery practice [9]. India also
offers wide variety of clay soil which had a big influence in the evolution of pottery in
India. The government of India has also played its role in improving the condition of
pottery by industrializing it. Electrical insulators made out of ceramics [9] were the first
big deviation that was attempted to improve the prospects. Second World War created
new demands and also brought in western influences resulting in mushrooming of lot of
ceramic industries. These industries were able to employ a certain amount of skilled as
well as contract unskilled laborers. However, the plight of the Indian potter took a hit
with changing life styles. The traditional and ubiquitous “matki” gave way to utensils
made of metals like aluminum and stainless steel wares. The potter has been relegated to
cater the needs of traditional occasions like festivals and other obeisance. The potter was
also a vital cog in the wheel of agricultural setup of India, making storage utensils and
also huge terracotta idols which the local farmer revered a lot. The deterioration of
agriculture rendered a telling blow on the potter and has pushed him to dire straits. Many
have migrated to cities in search of other menial labor destroying his family fabric, while
 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

others have made mass migrations to cities and have inhabited metros in group and still
practice their wares earning a meager income. The migrant potters from Gujarat who
migrated to Dharavi slum in Mumbai is an apt example. On the whole, the potter tribe is
on the wane and is losing their identity and so is their skill and art that had been honed
for generations. As an example, the plight of the potters of Warangal, Andhra Pradesh is
a good sample to elicit the tough times the community is going through [5]. The average
salary for a potter’s family per day is around fifty rupees [Figure 5]. This goes up based
on the number of pots produced. But their per capita income with 5.3 as the household
average size [2], are very much below the poverty line by any standards. This has mostly
resulted in the Indian potter moving to urbanized societies in search of employment.

Figure 5. Income of potters in Warangal, AP [5].

The irony is that, with minor interventions and nurturing, a radically different demand
which can use their skill and ingenuity without any modification could be met. This could
make their life more sustainable. Attempts have been made to improve the process that a
potter follows to make his wares, but since the need for his produce has become discreet,
these interventions have not been able make a marked effect. Some of them had not been
economically viable as well. A different product line meeting to the current demand
might be the right panacea for the potter’s woes. Similar practices have been done that
are aimed at traditional forms of cooperation, offering better quality of life. Rural
communities can stay in their rural setup yet get connected to the dynamics of changing
societies through a new product relationship [10].

3 CURRENT POINT OF USE FILTERATION SYSTEMS IN USE

There are a multitude of POU filtration systems that have been put forth in the
market. Most of them use Reverse Osmosis as a means of filtering assuring 99% filtration
from impurities. These setups are augmented with an Ultra Violet chamber in which
most, if not all pathogens are killed. Some of them have additional chemical systems to
soften the water and to improve the taste as well. These are state of the art systems and
would cost on an average, ten thousand rupees [Figure 6] based on the quantity of water
through put. There are other operational challenges that these machines present to the
user. They need to be supplied with a dedicated source of water line and would need
power to run. Water wastage is more here as well. The highly concentrated residual water
which results due to reverse osmosis needs to be discarded periodically by the system.
This system needs to be subjected to periodical maintenance cycles where some of the
filtration parts would be replaced resulting in a cost overhead. From a sustainability point
of view the water wasted and the power consumed to produce one liter of pure water is
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

phenomenal. The capital and operational cost of these systems are not easily affordable
by all.

Figure 6. Comparison of water filters in Indian market

Other forms of filtration like boiling, chlorination are also done. These affect the taste
of the water and also do not ensure suspended impurities to be cleared out. They are very
effective against pathogens though. Old filtration systems use ceramic based filter units
that have fine pores that would allow only water to pass through, but would retain
pathogens like bacteria, virus etc. They also filter suspended impurities that are found in
water. The only pitfall here is that the ceramic candles which act as the filtrate do not
come cheap. Sand bed filters like fast sand filters and slow sand filters have been used
extensively in point of distribution centers. Fast sand filters ensure quick access to water
purified of suspended impurities but not against pathogens, since fast flow of water
disturbs the growth of good bacteria. Whereas slow sand filters ensure almost 99%
filtration of pathogens as well as other chemical impurities as well. The only drawback is
that, they are very slow since time is needed for the good bacteria to set in and might
need multiple cycles of the water through the filter substrate. Most of the water filtration
plants adapt this method of water filtration since they are very effective and can treat
large amount of water.
Innovative affordable filtration systems based on slow sand filtration have been
designed [11] which are gaining ground amongst the impoverished societies of the world
as a household filter [Figure 7]. The benefit of such filtration systems is that they can be
easily maintained and cleaned at the point of use itself. Even the filtrate can be acquired
from the place of use which makes it extremely effective.
 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

Figure 7 Bio sand filter for home use (www.cawst.org)

4 PROPOSED SOLUTION
Design in the context of alleviation of the poor has not received much attention or has
been pursued earnestly by design practitioners both at the industry as well as in academic
levels [6]. The alleviation of poor producers meeting poor consumers has not been a bone
of eager contention amongst designers. States and voluntary organizations have
attempted to find a market for the artifacts produced by the poor by organizing selling
points in the form of national and international fairs. The problem with these
arrangements is that they are not sustainable. Huge communities cannot be satisfied this
way either as a consumer and more as a producer. The fact is that these artifacts produced
have strong cultural identities, since most of them are elements like ornaments, cloths
like scarfs, toys and idols. These have a very sporadic demand. Hence, if consumables
that meet a certain demand and yet use the artisan’s skill can be explored and formulated,
it should become a sustainable solution. Design interventions might have to be made
through out the supply chain, like adding minor additives to the raw materials to improve
the life of the product, making minor changes to the manufacturing process to reduce
wastage of labor and fuel, cutting on emissions, and packaging innovations and transport
of the finished goods to the consumer. Even business wise new markets could be
explored and financial schemes and assistances will greatly help in making it a
sustainable practice [10, 11]. This practice could be effectively done in the case of the
potter looking for the avenues being made to cater to the need of pure drinking water in
the form an earthenware water filter. No modifications or very minor alterations are
enough to produce a tangible water filter from the potter’s warehouse [Figure 8]. The
arrangement could very well turn out to be a very successful sustainable model.
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

Figure 8 Sustainable supply chain: Earthenware water filter

The proposed water filter [Figure 10] will have earthenware shell which could be easily
made by the potter. The filtrate shall be slow sand bio filter that shall be made up of
washed sand at an average of ten micron in size to create a dense filtrate medium. This
shall be rested on a thick and thinner brick chip bed. In addition, the water chamber shall
have a germicidal UV powered by poly-crystalline solar cell array. Ninety nine percent,
disinfection can be ensured by using germicidal UV. The germicidal UV has two single
watt lamps accounting to four watts of power need. These are provided by a solar panel
made of four polycrystalline solar cells. Poly crystalline solar cells are far cheaper as
compared to monocrystalline solar wafers [figure 9]. Also the solar cell need not work
round the clock as well. On an average the water has to be maintained in the UV reservoir
for a maximum of thirty seconds for all the pathogens to be killed effectively. The water
chamber is a twenty liter container and the upper and lower chambers can be detached for
cleaning. These two chambers are appropriately designed to house the UV light tube and
the wiring duct in the middle and are made up of conventional pottery clay by the potter.
A participatory design process needs to be adhered here to enable the chambers being
made as per design and assembly of the electronic elements to be incorporated in the
body. Once the process is matured, the potter would be able to replicate the design.

Figure 9 Preferred configuration for the components of the filter

 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

The filter substrate comprises of sand available at the point of use that could be
washed and used. Initially the filter needs to be curated for beneficial bacteria for a week.
The water would be usable after a week. The sand should not be disturbed or changed
frequently for substantial results.

Figure 9 Earthenware water filter

Since the making of the filter does not involve a modern manufacturing unit, the cost of
production is greatly reduced. The approximate cost of production for the water filter
could be brought near two hundred and ninety Rupees [Figure 10]. The filter could be
priced at Three hundred and fifty Rupees which is very much cheaper than the filters sold
in the market. The cost per liter for the buyer would come to very low as 0.0004 Rupees /
liter of water at the rate of twenty liters production per day.

Cost / liter = total annual cost / total annual liters of water produced.
= 0.00047 Rupees / liter.
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

The filters components can run for a minimum of two years and during the second year
the cost per liter would still come down. On a five year average the water is almost free
for the user. The filter substrate might have to be cleaned if water clogging is observed
after repeated use.

Figure 10 Approximate cost of the proposed water filter

4.1 Sustainability parameters.

The clay to be employed to make the shell shall be low-fire clay needing a
heating temperature of around 1 to 4 cones accounting to 1120 C. The number of
chambers that could be heated depends on the size of the kiln, but it is notable that the
raw materials need no processing and everything can be done manually in a traditional
way. There are no new skills for the potter to be learnt. As compared to a polycarbonate
body of state of the art filters or the stainless steel bodies of yesteryear filters, the clay
body consumes lot less energy to make [12]. The stainless steel and plastic bodies could
be recycled, but that process is energy intensive too. Midrange clay is to be used, since, if
they are not recycled, easily disintegrates into natural elements after life.

4.1.1 Potter’s perspective

Currently the average income of a successful potter family is around thousand

five hundred [4] Rupees per month. They have peak sales during festivals and runs close
to dry on other months. The damages that are caused to his inventory during storage as
well as transport are also borne by them. The new cost of the filter could be around three
hundred and fifty rupees of which he should be able to make notable profit. There is a
steady demand for water filters. Even environment conscious upper middle class families
could be converted to use these filters.

Revenue for the potter from one sale = cost of filter – cost of production
= 60 Rupees.
Sixty Rupees / filter are a sizeable amount that a potter could make as compared to the
old revenues they get from selling a pot.

The loss of chambers during storage and transport could be lessened by adapting
a hexagonal cross section for the chambers [Figure 11]. This helps in packing them like a
 Aravind Shanmuga Sundaram M, Bishakh Bhattacharya

honey comb which ensures better shock resistance. They could be vertically stacked as
well in layers.

Figure 11 Earthenware water filter – top view

4.1.2 User’s perspective

Most of the users were observed to be in single or two room dwellings and their
water containers were kept outside the house in a makeshift veranda or a stool. Hence the
positioning of the solar panel could suit this practice and ensure sure generation of
energy. The use need not alter his daily practices to adapt to a newer device. The water
filter would be a seamless integration to the house hold. It is designed to hold five liters
of water on the account that the average water need for an adult per day would be a liter.
It also ensures Ninety nine percent purity and no post filtration boiling is needed. It is a
low maintenance device since the filter substrate could be gathered at the point of use
itself. The Germicidal UV lamps have a long life of fifteen thousand plus hours. The UV
chamber, by itself being opaque protects the people from direct UV rays.

4.1.3 Designer’s perspective

Such practices are achievable through participatory design process where in

addition to user study to identify the needs, the process of manufacturing needs to be
keenly noted to stem any inadvertent process related losses. The same model and learning
could be exported to other systems as well. When working with a community, designers
should be able to identify all the other peripheral activities as well. Many of them could
 Earthenware water filter – a double edged sustainable solution for India

be made to come under the sustainability dragnet easily. Designers should also pay
attention to the importance of localization, for example, the filter substrate could be
tweaked or altered based on the impurities that are present locally. The findings in the
Indian context can be easily applied across borders benefiting them as well.

5 CONCLUSION

A complete supply chain perspective for water filter design is presented here which will
help identifying a sustainable ecosystem benefiting both the producer and the consumer
very effectively. This might also have a secondary gain on reducing environmental
impact in many ways. Traditional practices have been mastered over generations and
their outcomes are all that we may need as solutions for complex problems of today,
whether it is health, education or food. The task of the designer is to identify these
pockets of important practices and tradition and find ways of retrofitting them with the
current challenges to achieve equanimity and sustainability.

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