Tanzanian water filter wins innovation prize
Arusha , 3 Jun - (ANA) - A water filter which absorbs anything from copper and fluoride to bacteria, viruses and pesticides has won a prestigious African innovation prize.
Its inventor, Tanzanian chemical engineer Askwar Hilonga, uses nanotechnology and sand to clean water. He said his invention should help the 70% of households in Tanzania that do not have clean drinking water. The prize, worth £25,000 ($38,348), was the first of its kind from the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering. Head Judge Malcolm Brinded said, "His innovation could change the lives of many Africans, and people all over the world."
He said one filter costs $130 but, after winning £25,000, he will buy materials in bulk to reduce cost. "For people who cannot afford water filters, we have established water stations where people come and buy water at a very very low, affordable price," he added. His family regularly suffered from water-borne diseases growing up in rural Tanzania, so when he graduated from his PhD in nanotechnology in South Korea he started looking at nano materials that would be suitable for water purification, he told Technology4Change. The Royal Academy of Engineering aims to help sub-Saharan African engineers to develop solutions to African challenges into businesses. Mr Hilonga and the three runners-up, who received £10,000 each, have already spent six months developing a business plan. (ANA)

FA/ANA/3 June 2015 ----------------