Have you ever wondered how our planet provides us with pristine drinking water?
This week our students at the E-Base found out just how their water gets purified before it reaches them. The planet has an intricate and complex system of purification and filtration which we imitated with our charcoal, sand, grass and pebbles. Our students learnt how to filter their water by running it through layers of the material they were provided with.
To begin with, our students were asked to dirty the clean water we had put in a bucket. At first, they were hesitant, but with a little coaxing, we had all the children running around trying to gather all the dirt they could find to dump in the bucket of water.
Next, they were each given their equipment- plastic bottles, a collection pot and the likes. They were meant to use all the materials- charcoal, pebbles, hay and sand- and somehow clean that dirty water from the bucket. The students initially stared at their equipment and materials with bewilderment, but eventually started trying different things out.
Before we knew it, the students had filtered the water by almost 50% of the dirt. With a quick comparison of the filtered water from different groups, the students learnt the best arrangement of the layers of sand, hay, charcoal and pebbles which they related to the different layers present in the soil between the Earth’s surface and water tables.
To impart to the students some brief survival techniques, the Curiouscity team showed the students the sailor’s method to purify water on a boat.
They also purified inky water by heating it in the pressure cooker and letting the steam condense in a glass!
So what’s the message to take from the all this purification of dirty water?
The Earth takes centuries to purify the water we so easily and irresponsibly pump out in a few seconds. After having done the purification physically, the students understand the value of this brilliant system our planet has in place. If we do not use our water responsibly, we are the only ones to lose.