Palestinian engineer uses innovative approach to purify water

GAZA, Palestine (AA) – The international community marks July 28 as World Nature Conservation Day to acknowledge that a healthy environment is the foundation for a stable and healthy society.

According to the American forester and politician Gifford Pinchot, “conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.”

Inspired by this philosophy, Palestinian engineer Salah Al-Saadi from the Gaza Strip has devised a chemical-free, environment-friendly method of purifying groundwater of nitrates and salts by using natural elements such as plant seeds.

More than two years passed involving research, resulting in the creation of a method of filtration called the “Blue filter,” which involves treating groundwater that is polluted with high concentrations of nitrates in the Gaza Strip.

According to Al-Saadi, his project aims to maximize the ability to be able to provide families and farmers with usable water, particularly since more than 90% of the families in Gaza receive polluted water. The research illustrates that the level of nitrates in the water in the Gaza Strip is 10 times higher than the international average which was determined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Al-Saadi accomplished the project with dozens of farmers in the Gaza Strip and he is still working to give the chance of expanding and make his method viable for farmers and families.

He emphasized that the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip in 2007 has made life harder and led to a lack of equipment for water management and purification.