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Pokhara, Nepal

Posted on May 28th, 2008 in Asia,Nepal by robjkentjr
After the lowland heat, we wanted some Himalayan cold.  Unfortunately, the monsoon weather followed us but there was no shortage of cheap hotels with A/C and toilet paper to ease our discomfort.
Although the 8-hour bus ride to Pokhara was one of the more arduous since Burma, the views kept it interesting.  It should have been a quick 3-hour ride but because of Maoists, the bus had to backtrack and use the road from Kathmandu.
When we first arrived, there was weather as we strolled along the lake.  We missed the sunset because of a late shower but…
…the sunrise more than made up for it.
It was the clearest morning yet and I finally got my view of the Himalayas.
Rasa got sick from water a villager gave her while looking for our Puja basket (above) so she enjoyed the sunrise from our bed, never too far from the toilet.
Later that day, it rained again but this time we enjoyed it from the restaurant balcony during happy hour.
Luckily, it stopped long enough for me to photograph all the roosting birds.  This is the first shot on the blog with my new zoom lens.
Next, we are off to Corbett in India to see tigers.  There will be more zoom shots coming!
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The SONO Water Filter for removing arsenic

Posted on May 26th, 2008 in Asia,Nepal by robjkentjr
Arsenic contamination of ground water is a serious health problem throughout the Himalayan foothills of Nepal down to Bangladesh.  Fortunately, Filters for Families (FFF) is installing a cost effective filter that uses a Composite Iron Matrix (CIM) to remove arsenic and twenty-two other heavy metals as well as coliform bacteria.
Originally, FFF used a modified bio-sand filter with iron nails and brick to remove arsenic.  This worked but did not meet WHO’s water standards for arsenic (50ppb) and E.coli (0 per 100ml).  The installers also had to replace the nails, which cost an extra $5 per filter per year.
(Creating a plastic version using local materials is a great approach.)
Since the mid-1980s, tube wells have been used in areas with arsenic concentrations as high as 4,000 ppb.  With a lifetime of drinking such high rates, the health effects can become deadly.  Here you see the early signs of hyper-pigmentation and skin lesions (arsenical keratosis), which eventually lead to skin cancer.
Arsenic can also cross the placenta and can cause low birth weight, fetal malformation, and even fetal death.  FFF brought this little girl to the doctor to diagnose the cause of her seizures.  He found that she suffers from drastic reduction of her right brain lobe.  The arsenic in her well is over 900 ppb, from an American water tap it is less than 10 ppb.
Here is a profile view of the SONO filter.  Dr Munir and his brothers developed this filter in Bangladesh as an affordable solution to the arsenic problem there.  If you want to read the development and deployment study, download here.
This was the first filter installed in Nepal.  Feeling a definite improvement in her health, this woman keeps her filter covered as show of respect.  Having used the same media for six years now, the first SONO filters installed in Bangladesh continue to produce water with arsenic levels below 10ppb.
In Nepal, FFF is assembling and installing the SONO filter for $55 each.  They are buying most of the items locally and using common river sand.  The CIM is the only component manufactured and imported from Bangladesh.
On the left is Rajan, FFF’s field coordinator in Parasi.  After we left Nepal, Rajan was in a terrible accident and fell 200 ft down a cliff.  He will miss 6 months of work and has a $1,500 hospital bill.  If anyone wanted to help continue his good work, please contact Dr. Linda Smith (director.linda@gmail.com).
Filters for Families wants to expand in Nepal and create partnerships with other organizations like Rotary International.  We also introduced FFF to Pure Water for the World so they can work with Rotary to promote this technology in regions where heavy metals are a problem.  If you are interested, please email Dr. Linda Smith or Dr. Munir.
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