A stakeholder-based survey for assessing the viability of a water biofilter concept in the Philippines

Access to safe water continues to be a serious health concern across the globe, particularly in the rural areas of developing nations. Inadequate standards and practices for treating and storing drinking water have increased the incidences of illnesses and mortalities due to waterborne diseases and contaminants. In this paper, we assess the viability of utilizing the seeds from the Moringa Oleifera (MO) tree as a main component in the conceptualization of a portable water biofilter. There are three major contributions in this paper. First, we performed a review of literature to discuss the risks propagated by unsafe water, as well as various methods and practices for treating and disinfecting water sources. Second, we investigated the extent to which MO could be utilized for the water biofilter concept. Third, we developed a stakeholder survey and disseminated it to the residents of a rural municipality in the Philippines. Results of the survey will be used in assessing community interest as well as evaluating overall viability of pursuing the MO biofilter concept.