Organization: N/A

Thetran kottai is a hard white seed which people use to purify water. When rubbed on stone, it produces a jelly-like substance. When this is mixed with water, the water becomes pure. A single seed is claimed to be enough to clean 30 litres of water of all chemical pollutants.

Rediscovering traditional methods of water purification allows people to reduce their reliance on harmful chemicals, which ultimately pollute water sources.

"Moldova is famous for its fruit and vegetables. We educated the farmers about the composting properties of human and animal waste, but they already knew. Their parents used these same sustainable techniques, then people forgot. In the Soviet Union there was ready access to cheap chemical solutions, so people used those.

When the education began, people remembered their parents using the same techniques. They remembered their parents’ generation was healthier. The education helped illustrate that it was the unsustainable fertilizer practices that was to blame." - Natalia Dejean, ORMAX Safe Water and Sanitation for All, Republic of Moldova

Location: Global

Keywords: access to water, food security, water quality. water and health

Corresponding websites: N/A