‘Drinkable Book’ Created to Purify Water All Over the World

A researcher from the United States has come up with an innovation that will help poverty-stricken areas access clean drinking water. The 'Drinkable Book', created by Dr. Theresa Dankovich of Carnegie Mellon University, contains pages that help filter bacteria and, in turn, makes contaminated water safe for consumption.

"The Drinkable Book is both a water filter and an instruction manual for how and why to clean drinking water," pAge Drinking Paper states on its website.

"The majority of people affected by a poor water supply and inadequate sanitation and hygiene are located in developing countries," according to the website's FAQ page, when discussing the book's practicality.

Dr. Dankovich says the idea come from a doctorate thesis. She assures that the invention won't cost people (in developing countries) too much, since the materials used are inexpensive.

"The first part was just developing the filter paper and testing it in the lab and showing 'Oh look, it really works', it kills greater than 99.99 per cent of bacteria," she says.

"Then the book idea came around after I graduated... somebody from an ad agency contacted me and said 'I think this is going to be a really great product someday,'" Dr. Dankovich adds.

DDB New York, an ad agency, shows interest in the filter papers. They would like to bind the pages in a book, when it's available for the public.

With the help of a non-profit organization, WATERisLIFE, the filter papers have been tested in five countries - Bangladesh, Ghana, Haiti, India and Kenya - so far. The results have been successful, killing 99% of the bacteria present in the water samples.

"The information that is printed on the paper is edible ink, so it doesn't hurt anybody but it teaches about taking care of clean water, sanitation and hygiene and gives them some things that continue to education them," WATERisLIFE founder and chief executive officer Ken Surritte says, as stated in an article posted Thursday on AccuWeather.com.

Dr. Dankovich also says that her invention aims to provide clean drinking water to millions of people around the globe, especially those who do not have easy access to it. She adds that 'Drinkable Book' is "directed towards communities in developing countries."