• Home

Red Crescent gets 10,000 mobile water purifiers for needy people

DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAERC) yesterday announced that it had received 10,000 mobile water purification devices called ‘LifeStraw’ from BinSina Pharmacy.

It is part of a joint campaign which was launched on December 14 last year to provide safe drinking water to needy people in developing countries.

The donation will enable the UAERC to launch the second stage of the campaign that entails distributing the LifeStraw devices to people who have no access to pure drinking water.

Created by Danish innovator Torben Vestergaard Frandsen, LifeStraw is a simple flute-shaped device which contains a water filter and an iodine chamber designed to purify water instantly.

It can be worn around the neck and requires no electrical power or spare parts and it filters up to 700 litres of water with 99.999 per cent certainty.

Mohammed Abdullah Alhaj Al Zarooni, manager of the Dubai branch of the UAE Red Crescent, said, “The LifeStraw campaign generated enthusiastic response from donors through the efforts of BinSina Pharmacy which partnered with us in executing the programme. Water contamination is a common hazard facing communities in many parts of the world and its effects are as severe as natural catastrophes.

“This silent catastrophe needs the support of local, expatriate and international community, public and private companies and businessmen and charitable individuals to help needy populations which do not have even basic life supports, especially in Africa and some Asian countries.”

Ayman Hanbali, marketing manager of BinSina Pharmacy, said, “The joint campaign is an ongoing initiative to prevent waterborne diseases that kill 6,000 people everyday, mainly infants and children. It is possible to save them through continuous humanitarian and charity efforts. This campaign is a concrete contribution towards that goal.”

• UAE