16 Dec Canadian filters help Typhoon Hagupit victims access safe water (PRESS RELEASE)
Rainfresh water purifiers help thousands avoid waterborne diseases
RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – When disaster strikes, safe drinking water is the most essential, yet scarcest resource available. Disaster survivors rely heavily on water treatment systems to avoid waterborne diseases and dehydration. Envirogard, creators of the Rainfresh home water purification systems used by thousands of Canadians daily, recently partnered with GlobalMedic to supply hundreds of water filtration units to Typhoon Hagupit survivors in the Philippines.
After last year’s category-5 Typhoon Haiyan hit the area, GlobalMedic distributed thousands of Rainfresh gravity bacteria filters, which are still used by Filipino communities on a daily basis. Although Hagupit is a category-3 storm, it still flattened hundreds of homes across the country.
“Communities facing natural disasters like Haiyan and Hagupit are in immediate need of clean and safe drinking water,” said Scott Macdonald, President of Envirogard. “GlobalMedic is a fast-reacting and very competent group. They are routinely the first Canadian, and often the first international, organization on the ground delivering drinking water aid. As a result, we’re committed to supporting their relief teams by making sure they have the right water purification technology on-hand.”
Envirogard started participating in disaster relief initiatives 10 years ago, and supplies NGOs with technologies designed for both first response emergencies and ongoing communal use.
“Envirogard continues to provide our water purification group with equipment that allows our first responders to effectively deliver safe drinking water,” said Rahul Singh, GlobalMedic’s executive director. “We also appreciate that they have shown an ability to adapt their equipment to our particular field requirements for disaster zone work.”
In the past four years alone, Envirogard has participated in disaster relief activities in Pakistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, the Philippines, Somalia, Japan, and Haiti by sending thousands of gravity filters to affected areas. Alongside gravity filters, Envirogard also provides multi-stage filtration devices that purify enough water to hydrate over 55,000 people in just one day. Using sophisticated ultraviolet technology, the AquaResponse units are capable of making water from virtually any water source safe to drink.
Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ont., Envirogard is a lead ing water purification system manufacturer for residential, commercial and disaster relief applications. Founded in 1958 and incorporated in 1970, Envirogard has been providing Canadian families with purified, chemical-free tap water through its imaginative Rainfresh products. Its domestic and disaster relief technologies are used by millions of people in over 40 countries worldwide. Envirogard products are certified by CSA international and the Water Quality Association to meet various NSF/ANSI standards.