Israel Provides Water Purification Units for Cholera-Hit Cameroon
When a devastating cholera outbreak hit Cameroon, Israel’s Agency for International Development (MASHAV) and the Israeli embassy in Yaoundé reached out to Israeli water technology company NUFiltration to share its expertise. In response, the Caesarea-based company donated their patented water purification systems to the central African nation. Each NUFiltration unit can purify eight liters of water per minute—enough to supply clean drinking water to around 500 people a day. One of the advantages of this filtration system is that it can be powered using either a manual or an electric pump, so it can be used to produce potable water even in rural areas where there is limited or no electricity available. It also does not require the provision of any refill parts, as it is a clean, chemical- free technology. NUFiltration’s technology is based on medical dialysis technology developed at the University of Tel Aviv’s Faculty of Medicine. Water is passed through a water-purifying membrane in a similar fashion to the mechanics of an artificial kidney. Upon a tour with the Israeli ambassador, the World Health Organization representatives so appreciated the technology and its efficacy in purifying water in the African nation that they purchased an additional twenty units to distribute to the local government.