MANN+HUMMEL - Cleaner drinking water in Peru
Currently, in more than 180 countries, a supply of clean drinking water from the tap is questionable or impossible. The impact on people's health and quality of life is tremendous. The WHO estimates that drinking water-related diarrheal diseases alone kill around 830,000 people every year.
For MANN+HUMMEL, access to clean water is a human right. This is why the MANN+HUMMEL Group fully acquired the ultrafiltration expert Seccua in September 2021 following a two-year strategic partnership. This expanded our portfolio in the field of drinking water treatment.
Seccua UrSpring BeWell is a highly effective water filtration system installed at the main water line’s point of entry, hence treating the water for every tap in the house from one central point. This means, clean drinking water for everyone is possible everywhere. As, for example, in the small town of Curahuasi, at an altitude of over 2,600 meters in the Peruvian Andes.
In 2020, emergency physician and urologist Benjamin Zeier, MD, emigrated to Curahuasi with his family of seven to work as a doctor at the "Diospi Suyana" mission hospital.
The problem: Peru ranks first in the world when it comes to the spread of infectious diseases through contaminated drinking water.
While the mission hospital had clean water from its own well, the supply of clean drinking water outside the mission hospital was very limited. The water in Dr. Zeier's family's home was contaminated. Because of the bacteria and especially parasites, it was necessary to boil the water for at least 15 minutes or treat it with chemicals before any use or ingestion. But despite this the family kept getting sick or requiring medication for parasites.
The solution: an ultrafiltration system from Seccua.
The pores of the Seccua UrSpring BeWell filter membrane have a diameter as small as about 20 millionths of a millimeter. By comparison, a human hair is 60,000 millionths of a millimeter thick. The membrane forms a safe barrier against pathogens: up to 99.99% viruses are removed, along with up to 99.99999% bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms. Turbid material, rust discoloration and other particles are reduced to below the visibility limit (<0.15 NTU). After ultrafiltration, the water is in perfect microbacterial condition. The system will filter up to 900 liters of raw water into clean, hygienic drinking water, every hour.
"Since installing the ultrafiltration, the whole family drinks the water without any fear of diarrhea or fever. We don't boil water anymore."
Dr. Zeier installed and configured the ultrafiltration system himself.
"The system is easy to install. With the detailed and understandable manual, I could easily install and configure everything myself. There was also free support via telephone from Seccua."
The result: The test report clearly showed that the values of the ultrafiltrated water were flawless. As a consequence, the family's quality of life has improved significantly.
"We are very satisfied with the filtration system and can only recommend it. With everything we have, which is a piece of quality of life, the ultrafiltration system is the most valuable tangible asset we have here in Peru."
We are proud that Dr. Zeier has chosen reliable ultrafiltration by Seccua UrSpring BeWell*. Would you like to learn more about the important work MANN+HUMMEL is supporting with the Seccua UrSpring BeWell? Dr. Zeier reports on his experiences in Peru in books and on the web. You can discover patient stories as well as other fascinating information at www.missionsarzt.de. You can also financially support the work of the doctors at the mission hospital "Diospi Suyana", which is 100% donation-financed.