Santo Domingo.– Insituform TechnologiesR, Inc. is doing its part to bring accessible and affordable filtration systems to the village of Bayacanes and surrounding poverty-stricken communities in the Dominican Republic.

In an effort to provide clean water for the world, InsituformR is donating $50,000 to the Agua Pure project in the Dominican Republic. According to a recent study from the UN, 1.1 billion people across the globe lack access to improved water sources. The same report also says that over a fifth of the Dominican Republic's population lacks access to basic sanitation.

Agua Pure is being implemented by Jesus for all Nations, a missionary group working to distribute water filtration technology to residents of the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic.  

The new filtration method was originally developed in Guatemala in 1981 by Dr. Fernando Mazariegos of the Central American Industrial Research Institute and the further developed for sustainable use by ceramics researcher Dr. Manuel Hernandez from Northern Illinois University. The filter uses kiln-fired clay pots to transform contaminated and turbid liquid into safe, drinkable water.

The pots are made using a mixture of sawdust and clay. During the firing process, the sawdust burns away, leaving the pots porous and suitable for filtration. Field tests have shown that the ceramic pots developed by Dr. Hernandez remove 99.88% per cent of bacteria and microbes from drinking water including coli form bacteria and E. coli.

Volunteers for Agua Pure have built two firing facilities where the pots can be produced. The firing facilities employ local residents to implement and distribute the water purification systems.

The $50,000 donation from Insituform will subsidize the cost of pots produced at the facilities and fund the purchase of educational materials, payment of local residents working at the firing facility, ongoing water testing for one year, and transportation of the filtration materials.  

Tom Rooney, CEO of Insituform, said, "This donation is in line with Insituform's mission of providing clean water for the world. We are always looking for opportunities that bring clean water to the people who need it most."

Jesus for all Nations Board of Directors' member Lisa Ballantine states, "The donation from Insituform will enable us to bring the equipment necessary for clean water to 4,000 households in this part of the world."

"The great thing about this simple technology is that it is sustainable by the very communities to which we are bringing it. Insituform is giving the people in these areas the ability to produce clean water for years to come," says Rooney.

Kofi Annan recently stated that "nearly 2 million children die every year of illnesses related to unclean water and poor sanitation." According to the UN, 53% of children with diarrhea related to unclean water in the Dominican Republic are receiving treatment.