The sun is saving lives by purifying water in Tanzania

A water-purification scheme which uses the sun's heat to sterilise drinking water, is proving to be a cheap and effective method in fighting water-borne diseases.

The method is cheap and simple:

• bottles of water are put on black-painted roofs, which helps them to absorb the sun's heat
• the combination of ultra-violet rays and heat destroys the bacteria which cause common water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diahorrea
• after eight hours in the sun, the water is ready to drink

Introducing the new system to communities involves showing people the benefits, and discussing any potential problems they forsee.

Plan Tanzania is encouraging and promoting the system across the country, with small-scale education programs which provide opportunities to discuss potential problems or fears about using it: proving to people that it really works, and can be done safely.

A BBC report from the Tanzanian village of Ndolela tells the full story.