Ceramic filter manufacturing in Northern Ghana : water storage and quality control

Abstract

In 2009, Pure Home Water (PHW), a Ghana based non-profit organization working to provide affordable and safe drinking water to people in the Northern Region of Ghana, began the construction of a ceramic pot filter (CPF) factory near the city of Tamale. By 2011, the factory had the molds, supplies, and kiln necessary for large-scale filter production, but needed to both increase its own water storage capacity, and to implement quality control standards. This thesis documents elements of PHW's efforts to bring household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) to scale through local manufacturing of ceramic pot filters. Specifically, it records work done between January and April 2011 to build water infrastructure for the PHW factory and to improve quality control for CPF production. Detailed documentation of the design and construction of an underground water storage system, observations about the iterative process of establishing standardized quality control procedures, and recommendations for additional research, are provided to serve as a practical guide for PHW management and others who may engage in similar work in the future.