Clear Cambodia Uses CBT Kit in School WASH Project

Clear Cambodia helps rural Cambodian people improve their health through access to safe water, sanitation facilities, and a healthy, hygienic environment.  www.clearcambodia.org

Challenge

Clear Cambodia’s School WASH Project has installed water filters in 91 schools. In addition to water filters, the project also installs hand washing stations, provides sanitation products and conducts workshops on health and sanitation. Because the 91 schools are in rural, remote locations, they need a convenient, portable method to test raw water sources for E. coli bacteria in order to assess the health risk of water.

Solution

The School WASH Project adopted the Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test (CBT) because it is easy to use with little training and does not require electricity, labs, or expensive, cumbersome equipment that is difficult to deploy in rural areas. In addition to measuring E. coli with the CBT, the project also uses other methods to test for total coliforms, pH and turbidity in sources such as lakes, ponds and wells.

Test Results

Quantitative test results obtained with the CBT Kit reveal raw water sources contain varying levels of E. coli bacteria. Water that is filtered through BioSand filters and water accessed through taps test negative for E. coli bacteria and is safe to drink. Clear Cambodia reports the CBT’s color-change test results make it simple to score the Most Probable Number of E. coli in 100 mL samples, and they are a powerful visual tool for school communities to adapt good hygiene practices.

Conclusion

Vann Chhorvy Vanny, School WASH Project Manager, says “The CBT builds trust for our beneficiaries by providing evidence that makes them confident our water filters generate safe drinking water.”

“Because of its efficiency,” continues Vanny, “the CBT enables our staff to test water on-site rather than having to collect samples to be sent to a lab.

“Clear Cambodia will continue using the CBT as our ongoing microbiological water quality test because it helps us guarantee the quality of water and tells us which waters are safe and which are not. Safe drinking water is essential in school environments, and the CBT is a practical way to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases in school children.”

CBT analyzing raw water from water tank after BioSand filtration and before storage

Clear Cambodia’s Battambang staff test open well water with the CBT

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