Insituform donates $50,000 to clean water project in the Dominican Republic: Donation to Agua Pure Project will fund 4,000 reusable water filters, water testing equipment and educational materials

Insituform Technologies, Inc. is doing its part to bring accessible and affordable filtration systems to the Cibao region in the Dominican Republic. In an effort to provide clean water for the world, Insituform donated $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 Reserach Institute and then further developed for sustainable use by 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.

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.


If you would like more information on how you can get involved or to make a donation, visit Agua Pure's international site here.