water treatment
Necessary Materials:
Workshop Steps:
During our community workshops, we will educate the local population about the use and care of the Nopales cacti. Through interactive demonstrations, we can teach the preparation and application process which we will be using to purify drinking water.
At this meeting, we will also contact fishermen or other capable residents that would be willing to guide us through the delta to spots that have been particularly affected by oil pollution. At these locations, we’ll spread the powdered form of the cactus mucilage and take water samples in order to gauge the treatment’s efficacy. Using GIS mapping, we will record these locations and return in the next weeks to take more samples in order to measure the remediation progress. If it’s successful, we will contact local leaders to effectively disseminate the mucilage capsules to local fishermen who can target localized oil spillage when they encounter it.
Why Cacti?
Nopales cacti are easy to keep and easy to propagate. They require little water or attention. We will inform community members to keep the potted cacti outside during the dry season and move them inside during the rainy season so they do not rot. When the cactus gets large enough, one can simply cut off a pad, let it dry for a week, transplant it in a separate pot, and another cacti will grow successfully. Alternatively, one can extract the seeds from the cactus’s fruit, let them dry, scratch them with sandpaper, and plant them in covered pot that has a small hole in the top for air. With this knowledge, the community should be able to effectively cultivate cacti for personal use.
The ecological aspect of our remediation process will require more input on PROSPER’s part, and take much more time to produce results. However, we believe that the treatment procedure is environmentally friendly and, as we gradually remediate different areas of the Niger Delta, will greatly improve the health of the river’s wildlife. As many community members sustain themselves through fishing and periwinkle harvesting, ecological health will eventually result in an improved livelihood for local fishermen, their families, and the entire village.
- Starter Cacti (for household use)
- Mucilage capsules (for ecological use)
- Extra pots, soil
Workshop Steps:
During our community workshops, we will educate the local population about the use and care of the Nopales cacti. Through interactive demonstrations, we can teach the preparation and application process which we will be using to purify drinking water.
- Peel, skin, chop, and boil the cactus pad.
- Add concentrated mucilage solution to polluted water.
- The mucilage will act as a surfactant, dispersing the oil and heavy metals so that they sink to the bottom where they can be separated.
At this meeting, we will also contact fishermen or other capable residents that would be willing to guide us through the delta to spots that have been particularly affected by oil pollution. At these locations, we’ll spread the powdered form of the cactus mucilage and take water samples in order to gauge the treatment’s efficacy. Using GIS mapping, we will record these locations and return in the next weeks to take more samples in order to measure the remediation progress. If it’s successful, we will contact local leaders to effectively disseminate the mucilage capsules to local fishermen who can target localized oil spillage when they encounter it.
Why Cacti?
Nopales cacti are easy to keep and easy to propagate. They require little water or attention. We will inform community members to keep the potted cacti outside during the dry season and move them inside during the rainy season so they do not rot. When the cactus gets large enough, one can simply cut off a pad, let it dry for a week, transplant it in a separate pot, and another cacti will grow successfully. Alternatively, one can extract the seeds from the cactus’s fruit, let them dry, scratch them with sandpaper, and plant them in covered pot that has a small hole in the top for air. With this knowledge, the community should be able to effectively cultivate cacti for personal use.
The ecological aspect of our remediation process will require more input on PROSPER’s part, and take much more time to produce results. However, we believe that the treatment procedure is environmentally friendly and, as we gradually remediate different areas of the Niger Delta, will greatly improve the health of the river’s wildlife. As many community members sustain themselves through fishing and periwinkle harvesting, ecological health will eventually result in an improved livelihood for local fishermen, their families, and the entire village.