Half a million mud balls being used to purify water

[KoratCat]

Thailand floods: half a million mud balls being used to purify water

Alarmed by the rising stench of fetid flood waters and the health hazard they pose, Thais are attempting to combat the problem by seeding the polluted deluge with mud balls designed to eradicate the dangerous bacteria.

Thai residents use boats for transportation on the flooded streets in the Bang Kruai district Photo: EPA
By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok 2:47PM GMT 20 Nov 20111 Comment
Tennis ball-sized spheres of mud and organic material, laced with effective microorganisms (EM), are being tossed into the stagnant waters in the hope they will purify it.
The Thai government, private companies and relief groups have been distributing EM balls to the public as well as spraying the flood water with EM in liquid form.
The Japanese company that developed mud balls, EM Research Organisation (EMRO), says they have already been used effectively in ponds and reservoirs. But it is uncertain if they will work with such large-scale flooding, Thailand's worst in half a century that has left 595 people dead.
One charitable group, the Royal Self-Sufficiency Project, has already produced 100,000 mud balls and is one course to make half a million of the spheres which will each purify 4 sq metres of polluted water.
With the help of the Thai army, EMRO is also distributing the effective microorganisms in liquid to anyone who requests it. Twenty thousand litres are being handed out daily to people who turn up with one or two litre bottles.

The mud balls are made up of a culture of microbes that includes lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and phototrophic bacteria, as well as molasses, dried dirt and organic material like rice.
The balls work by establishing a rich culture of beneficial microorganisms, thus preventing the development of large concentrations of bad microorganisms.
However, opinion is divided on whether the mud balls can be effective on such a massive body of water and some are demanding that a study needs to be carried out.
"Some people believe that EM might be most effective used on small quantities of enclosed water," said Pathom Sawanpanyalert, deputy director-general of the medical sciences department at the Public Health ministry. "If it's in a very well-controlled environment, it might be efficacious. But used in a real-life situation, whether it's effective or not, that's a bigger question." But some believe Thailand is in an ideal position to find out if it works or not.
"Thailand is the best place to study this now," said Clarie Quillet, a water and sanitation specialist with UN children's group, Unicef. "It doesn't mean we will have a solution right now. But at one stage it could help countries in other parts of the world."

telegraph.co.uk