The Chulli Water Purifier: Acceptability and Effectiveness of an Innovative Strategy for Household Water Treatment in Bangladesh

Abstract. To evaluate the effectiveness of the chulli water purifier, a new household water treatment strategy in Bangladesh that relies on passing water through a stove, we interviewed persons who had this water purifier. From households using it regularly, we tested untreated water, sand-filtered water without heat pasteurization, sand-filtered and heat pasteurized water, and household stored, treated water. Reasons for discontinuing use among 80 of 101 persons included mechanical problems (49%), inconvenience (35%), and high cost (10%). Only four households were regularly using the purifier. Three (19%) of 16 heat-treated samples were positive for Escherichia coli. The median log reduction from source water was> 5. Nine (56%) stored water samples were positive for E. coli, indicating recontamination. Poor durability, inconvenience, high cost, and post-treatment contamination limit the usefulness of the purifier. These issues, which are relevant for other household water treatment strategies, should be resolved before further implementation. BACKGROUND Diarrheal disease kills approximately 23,000 children in Bangladesh annually.1,2 These deaths peak during Bang-ladesh’s annual rainy season from June to September, when widespread flooding predictably amplifies microbial contami-nation of surface water.3 Although most of the population ha