Former U of C professor and inventor of the BioSands Water Filter David Manz can be seen beside one of the filters during a 1995 trip to Nicaragua.
Written by Morgan Modjeski
Published by Metro News on Saturday, February 28, 2015
A former University of Calgary professor is helping bring clean water to the world.
With help from Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, David Manz’s invention, the BioSand Water Filter, has bought clean water to millions of people in developing nations.
Next month, he’s scheduled to travel with the group to Cambodia to see its impact first-hand.
The device is being used by hundreds of aid groups across the globe, according to Manz.
While he self-funded the filter development, he said its wide-reaching effect wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Calgary residents-and that makes him proud to represent the city abroad.
“That association is always there, and I’m really happy to say that,” he said of his connection to Calgary.
“If it wasn’t for the financial support initially of Calgarians-and that continues to this moment-these projects would have never gotten off the ground,” he said.
Calgarians, Manz says, have donated funds to Rotarians, church groups and schools that now use the filter.
“That support is what made this whole thing possible,” he added.
From March 7 to 20, Manz will travel across Cambodia with Samaritan’s Purse to see how the device has improved the quality of life for entire communities.
According to the organization’s website, through the installation of “long-lasting” household filters, they’ve been able to help more than 200,000 families access clean drinking water.
Manz is personally looking forward to seeing and celebrating the evolution of not just the projects, but also the people who’ve come in contact with his filter.
Alongside efforts in Cambodia, Samaritan’s Purse also has clean water projects in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Uganda. In 2013 alone, the group installed more than 27,000 BioSand Filters around the globe.
