Safe and direct drinking water for the staffs and students of University of Civil Engineering

In order to evaluate the new technology in rainwater treatment, together with the purpose of meeting the  water drinking demand  in summer of the staffs and students of University of Civil Engineering, a pilot of rainwater treatment into drinking water with capacity of 5m³/h was installed at the 1st floor lobby of Laboratory building and now it is operating effectively. it is the first time, students and staffs of NUCE can drink water directly from taps.

Picture 1. Direct rainwater to drinking water pilot treatment system

Treatment procedure:

Rainwater is collected from the roof of the Laboratory building, through a first phase rainwater separator tank into a water reservoir with the volume of 50m³. The treatment system consist of a primary filter, a 0.1 micrometers pore size micro-filter, two-phase disinfection with high-density Ozone and UV lighting, allowing the removal of suspended solids, organic matters, heavy metal particles, pathogen and microorganisms. After the cooling process, free drinking water is provided through automated sensor taps at the lobby of the Laboratory building.

Since the inauguration (03/27/2015), the system has been in operation continuously 24/24. The system operation has been regularly monitoring, calibration, maintenance, evaluation by a research group consist of teachers and students from Department of Environmental Engineering.

Picture 2. Students are drinking directly the treated rainwater

(Picture taken from surveillance camera of H.O.P.S)

There are average of 1000 – 2000 uses per day,, especially by the students. Specifically, because of the heat wave in late May, early June of 2015, there are 4000 – 5000 daily usage from students. The monthly operation cost of the system is about 1.2 million VNĐ/month (mainly electricity for water treatment, water pump and cooling, lighting).

To strictly control the quality of treated rainwater, the research team regularly carry out examinations, maintenance, cleanings, samplings and analyzing chemical, physical, microorganism characteristics. Water samples were analyzed at the laboratory of the Institute of Environmental and Science Engineering, as well as reference with the result from an outside certificated lab (Institute of Occupational Health and the Environment, Ministry of Health). So far, after 3 months of continuous operation, all samples have been approved to meet the National Technical Regulation about drinking water quality standard QCVN 01:2009/BYT.

Picture 3. Students drink water directly from H.O.P.S

The initial results over 3 months of trial operation had showed that H.O.P.S was operate stably, and the water qualities always meet the requirements. A fresh, drinkable rainwater, both safe, delicious and cool really have helped to relieve the thirst in the hot summer, reduce tiredness and save water expense for teachers and students of NUCE. Drinking direct treated rainwater have become a routine practice habit for many students. Vu Nhan Hoa, a student of class 58MNE said: "Since the rainwater treatment systems into drinking water directly has been installed, I went there every day to get a drink. I love to drink this water, it is very tasty and cool". "Every time I go through the Laboratory building, I also stop to take a drink. My house is near the university so I also get an extra 5 liters of water per day home to drink" said Nguyen Duc Manh, a student of class 57CD5 share.

To guarantee that the H.O.P.S could work stably, the staffs and students of NUCE, along with the efforts of Department of Environment Engineering and our partners in operate, have continuously maintained and taken care of this system. The research team also want students  to help in the protection and preservation of the system. In summer, with thousands of people using direct drinking water per day, the risk of transmission of infectious diseases like influenza, intestinal, pinkeye, etc is very likely to occur, therefore, each of us needs to keep general hygiene, use separate cups, water bottles to prevent pathogen exposure.

In the current context, when groundwater and surface water resources is increasingly degraded, depleted and polluted, finding alternative sources of water is essential. Research, development and expansion of systems to properly collecting, processing and using rainwater to provide water for urban and rural areas are great models. The rainwater collected in urban areas also contribute to reduce flooding effectively and sustainably. This is the message that the research team of Department of Environment Engineering and our partners want to send to the students of University of Civil Engineering.

Associate Professor - PhD. Nguyen Viet Anh, Engineer. Đinh Viet Cuong, Master. Dao Anh Dung
Department of Environment Engineering, University of Civil Engineering