Redesign Disaster

Abstract

This graduation project has the goal to improve the living conditions of rural African communities by showing them how to construct off-grid, self-sufficient, and what is most important affordable clean water, energy, and sanitation system. I believe it can be easily adapted by communities of poor regions. Those communities struggle with poor quality water for living which is the cause of many deaths. To change it, a solar-based system is proposed to purify any kind of input water. Widely known simple solar stills are typically designed as single units serving only individuals, moreover, its efficiency is usually low. Therefore, an improved solar still concept is adapted in this research, and its principles are used in the roof system to produce water for the basic living needs of 50 people daily. Providing clean water to rural communities without access to the national grid is crucial and the most important aspect of this project. Based on the research elaborated in Phase I of this report, the most adequate to both climate and the economic-social situation prevailing in Beira, way to provide water is to purify raw water on-site using the energy of the sun. This solution not only does not require the construction of additional infrastructure outside the site but has a chance to be developed and multiplied in the least urbanized areas - often inhabited by a significant part of the region’s population. Due to the situation in the region, the use of only low-tech solutions and very cheap materials for the entire project is very important. This report aims to draw attention to two faces of disaster in Mozambique: consequences of climate change and poor living conditions.