Ever since the discovery of microscopic life, man has always been weary of bacteria in water. And rightfully so. Microorganisms in water are associated with a number of severe to deadly infections such as cholera, dysentry and typhoid. Since many water microrganisms succumb at a temperature of around 80 degrees celcius, boiling has been employed… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: ENTER DISINFECTION
Category: Water is Life
Water realities, pollution, treatment & remediation strategies
WATER IS LIFE: A GEOLOGICAL ‘RAW DEAL’
The descent into Kenya's Rift Valley is a scene to remember. The escarpment abruptly lets you into an open space with your eyes wandering tens if not hundreds of miles away through the plains with volcanoes protruding from them. Kenya's Rift Valley is the country's food basket inhabited by hardworking people. But sections of them… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: A GEOLOGICAL ‘RAW DEAL’
WATER IS LIFE: ACIDIC WATER
From the first day I tasted hot lemon water, I have always ensured that I take it religiously every evening before retiring to bed. Several things are appealing to me about it... Its bitter- sweet taste... Its citrusy texture... But above all, its acidic nature that corrodes our throats in a 'friendly' way... No wonder… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: ACIDIC WATER
WATER IS LIFE: NOT YET PLASTIC FREE…
I walked calmly into the hardware shop and ordered for a PVC conduit pipe for electrical installation... Kariobangi is well known for its industrial exploits supplying the city of Nairobi with all sorts of products... From plastics conduits to metallic parts for windows... From pharmaceuticals to paints and pigments... As a student of electrical installation,… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: NOT YET PLASTIC FREE…
WATER IS LIFE: WHEN AIR MEETS WATER
I stood there staring at the overflowing mound of rubbish in my kitchen. I think I had not thrown rubbish for ages. I was a bachelor then and I couldn't care less... Life was to be lived on the free lane... No worries... No sweat... Just enjoying the moment. But I knew that this carefree… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: WHEN AIR MEETS WATER
WATER IS LIFE: ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’
Rarely are nicknames used when describing serious pollutants in our water. But 'forever chemicals' attract a nickname for a couple of reasons: Firstly, they are so many in number (some estimates put them at around 5000 or so). It is therefore simpler to lump them together using an attribute they have in common: Their inability… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’
WATER IS LIFE: THE MESSY SYNTHETIC CONCOCTION
Arguably, no other type of pollutants create such a mess in our drinking water like synthetic stuff... Man-made chemicals used for different purposes but which somehow end up in our drinking water without our knowledge. Yes, some of these chemicals are useful in agriculture, medicine and even at home. However, the major problem with by-products… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: THE MESSY SYNTHETIC CONCOCTION
WATER IS LIFE: WHEN CHLORINE BRINGS PROBLEMS
Irresponsible human activity never leaves our environment the same. Though man-made, synthetic chemicals useful in industry, agriculture and medicine have made our lives better, they have adversely impacted on the quality of water we drink. Perhaps that's why most of us are obsessed with treating our water using chlorine before drinking it. Chlorine is not… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: WHEN CHLORINE BRINGS PROBLEMS
WATER IS LIFE: THE UNEASE ABOUT ‘RACE’
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minessota precipitated a global movement with a life of it's own. Before this event, Black Lives Matter was just an amorphous conglomeration of Black (and a few White, Native and Hispanic) activists agitating for justice for unarmed Black men killed by the police. With the brutal death of… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: THE UNEASE ABOUT ‘RACE’
WATER IS LIFE: WASTEWATER AND THE ENERGY/AGRICULTURE NEXUS
Wastewater in many ways is not a waste but a resource. And the difference is how we choose to look at it. For the most part though a filthy sewage river is repulsive to the common person it holds answers to some of the most pressing problems we face daily. ENERGY Wastewater teems with bacteria… Continue reading WATER IS LIFE: WASTEWATER AND THE ENERGY/AGRICULTURE NEXUS
