nvestigating the Efficacy of the Indigenous Water Purification Method Using African Spear Plant Case: Konso Community
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Date
2018
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Water supply and environmental engineering primary concern should be making potable water
available to the community at large. Among the many topics addressed in the discipline, water
purification method is of paramount issue to be addressed. Water purification can be undertaken
in more sophisticated method and traditional way.
An indigenous method used by Konso community to purify water using African spear plant was
investigated in this research. Lab scale study was conducted to assess the efficacy of African
spear plant to purify water in terms of water quality parameters such as PH, Turbidity and
Bacteria presence.
The study has used triangulation approach, means, qualitative and quantitative approach. The
qualitative approach is used for the exploration of the method being used by the society by
interviewing significant people in the community and observation of the practice in the society
and to know the situation in which the community uses this traditional method. The quantitative
method was used for measurement of African Spear plant efficacy in terms of water quality
parameters such as PH, Turbidity and Bactria presence.
The study found that, when the water is stirred with a crashed African Spear plant for about 1
minute and kept for about 10-15 minutes, African Spear plant has the capacity to reduce the
turbidity of water, capacity to reduce the level of bacteria in the water and reduce the PH of the
water but if it is kept for long time in the water, the African Spear plant makes the water media
more favorable for bacteria and the color of the water is changed to the color of the plants. Wet
African spear plant has much effect than dry plant in purifying water.
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Keywords
African Spear Plant, Indigenous Water Purification, Efficacy, Konso Community