Kagoshima: Ash to bring clean water to Indian children
10:46 JST, October 3, 2022
KAGOSHIMA — Southern Kyushu is covered in a soil called “shirasu,” which is composed of fragile volcanic ash that often gives way to landslides. Taking advantage of the characteristics of shirasu — specifically its high water permeability — Halvo Holdings Co. has developed a coagulant to improve water quality that it will use to help ensure a clean water supply in India.
The coagulant, which allows for water to be purified without large equipment, is easy to employ: one simply adds it to a tank and stirs the solution. The company has partnered with Save the Children Japan, an organization that supports children around the world, to provide drinking water to an elementary school in Delhi using the coagulant.
According to the company, groundwater in Delhi is contaminated mainly by industrial wastewater. Corporate representatives already visited Delhi in July to conduct a water quality survey. Thanks to the coagulant, the company will be able to provide about 220,000 liters of water per year, or enough for about 3,000 people, starting from next spring.
The coagulant is created by imparting an electric charge to shirasu, which has countless microscopic holes. It is already used to treat factory wastewater and purify rivers, as well as for international cooperation, such as the purification of water from the Mekong River in Vietnam.
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
-
Famous Weeping Cherry Tree in Full Blossom in Fukushima Pref. Town
-
Furano Increasingly Becoming the Cool Place to Be for Foreign Skiers; International Visitors Drawn to Powder Snow
-
Traditional Japanese Knife Store in Tokyo’s Ningyocho District Dates to Edo Period
-
Tokyo Cherry Trees Declared to Be in Bloom; Someiyoshino Sakura Blossom 15 Days Later than Last Year
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years