water reuters
Illegal immigrants who were abandoned by traffickers in a remote desert area drink water as they arrive at a military base in Dongola town, after being located by Sudanese and Libyan forces, May 3, 2014. The desert area between Sudan and Libya is a major route for illegal immigrants trying to escape Sudan's war-torn regions, with many of them transiting in Libya before trying to flee to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. REUTERS/Stringer

Recently, "WATERisLife" foundation, and researchers from Carnegie Mellon at the University of Virginia invented the first ever water filtration system that comes in the form of a book, called the "Drinkable Book." The "Book" aims to solve the problem of contaminated drinking water that causes diseases in impoverished areas around the globe.

According to statistics, 3.4 million people die every year from water-related diseases. More people around the globe are in danger every year as 780 million don't have access to clean drinking water.

Providing a solution to the problem, Dr. Theresa Dankovich, a chemist at the University of Virginia, invented a piece of paper that can filter unsafe water into a drinkable one. The paper is infused with silver nanoparticles that kill 99.9 per cent of harmful bacteria.

Aside from being a water filter tool, the Drinkable Book contains in its pages, lessons about water hygiene and safety. The Book has 20 silver nanoparticle-coated pages (each page has two separate filters) which can be used for four years of use as each filter lasts 30 days.

The "Book" is packaged with a 3-D printed box that also serves as the filter container. The Book is easy to use. Tear one filter from a page and slip it to the box container, pour the water, and clean drinking water is right away available. To make it easier, the filter can just be placed on top of a glass or cup, and pour water in it.

The Drinkable Book is very cheap as it only costs pennies to produce.

CREDIT:TheGiftOfWater/YouTube