U.S.-based aid group introduces water purification solution in Afghanistan
A U.S. based non-governmental organization has introduced a new water purification solution in Afghanistan it hopes will save tens of thousands of lives by providing cheap, clean drinking water. The Washington, D.C.-based Population Services International, or PSI, is helping market the product called Clorin, in the capital, Kabul.
Clorin was produced by local plastic and pharmaceutical manufacturers with technical assistance from PSI, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and UNICEF. The U.S. Agency for International Development also provided funding.
«Clorin kills germs which cause diarrhea – the leading cause of death among children under five in Afghanistan,» PSI said in a statement.
Diarrhea kills about 85,000 Afghan children a year. It also accounts for about 53 percent of deaths among children under five.
One bottle of Clorin costs about 17 afghanis (30 U.S. cents) and will last 45 days for a family of six.