Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: Water
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Kehinde Ayomipo Adekoya - Hillsborough Community College
Co-Author(s): Allie Foster, Brad Smith, and Morgan Alexander
Water pollution can occur anywhere in the world especially in developing countries. Water pollution is caused by a plethora of things such as sewage, animal wastes, deforestation, and heavy metals. Haiti has experienced increased water contamination since the 2010 earthquake due to water pollution. Haiti is affected by water pollution because it lacks sanitization policies and materials to reduce water pollution and its waterborne diseases such as cholera. Water purification can be practiced in developing countries such as Haiti, by using various physical and chemical water purification methods such as boiling, ultraviolet filtering, and chlorination. The types of water purification methods that are needed in Haiti are the cost efficient, sustainable, and time efficient methods because Haiti does not have a large source of income. Several water purification methods were compared and contrasted, to indicate the method that can be efficient in Haiti regardless of the country?s economy. The results indicate that the solar disinfection (SODIS) water purification method will be most beneficial in Haiti. The SODIS method removed all forms of Escherichia coli(E-coli) and other waterborne bacteria using the sun?s ultraviolet radiation. The rates of illnesses and deaths caused by water pollution in Haiti will decrease by more than 70% due to the SODIS method without placing Haiti in a state of financial debt.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National science foundation, grant 1659754
Faculty Advisor: jennifer collins, collinsjm@usf.edu
Role: I gathered water samples around University of South Florida for water quality analysis and also researched the ways to purify water.