Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Important Facts and Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Punguza

Punguza is a blend of micronutrients- specifically vitamins and amino acids necessary for the survival and thriving of specific bacteria that degrades waste with reduced production of sludge and no production of hydrogen Sulphide (the gas responsible for the rotten eggs smell in decomposing waste).

Most waste treatment systems are conducive for the “bad bacteria” that produces hydrogen Sulphide and more sludge is generated. Thus these bacteria thrives in pit latrines and septic tanks. Consequently pit latrines and septic tank systems are associated with bad smell and fill up quickly. The bad smell attracts insects like house flies, maggots, bottle flies Mosquitoes and cockroaches in the toilet. Punguza feeds “good bacteria” that do not produce hydrogen Sulphide and that produce less sludge. As the “good bacteria” out compete the “bad bacteria” the bad smell and insects are eliminated as the solids reduce. Note that Punguza does not add foreign bacteria or enzymes thus does not interfere with the natural ecosystem.

For a pit latrine that’s more than three quarter full add one 60ml bottle of Punguza in 20L of water and pour into the pit latrine. After three days mix 2mls (equivalent to half the cap of the Punguza bottle) with a litre of water every day (not necessarily clean water) and pour it down the latrine. If the pit latrine is used by more than twenty people add an extra 2mls in a litre of water for every twenty people. For a septic tank system pour one bottle in the cistern and flush the toilet once every month.

If the dosing instructions are followed strictly, bad smell is eliminated within four days of use and insects are eliminated within a week while solids in the pit latrine reduce by between one and four feet in a month or two. The reduction in solids depends on the types of soils, the temperatures and adequate dosing of Punguza. Loamy and clay soils tend to hold liquids and thus allowing Punguza to spread easily so that it’s more effective. High temperatures tend to increase bacteria activity.

Punguza is a natural maintenance product and thus should be used continuously to maintain the right environment for the “good bacteria” to thrive. The best practice is to dose Punguza during the cleaning of the pit latrine.

Punguza being a natural product that activates naturally and already existing bacteria in the pit latrine or septic tank system does not require an additional product to be effective. In addition, other products- such as bleaches and other products that work by killing bacteria would be antagonistic as they kill the very bacteria that Punguza attempts to activate.

Punguza is not toxic and thus can not cause any harm to the users or the environment. One doesn’t need personal protective equipment such as gloves when handling Punguza. Unlike other products that contaminate ground water, Punguza doesn’t.

One 60ml bottle of Punguza (to be used for a whole month) retails for ksh. 450

Degradation of waste generates methane and hydrogen sulphide as the main gases. Of the two, hydrogen sulphide is more harmful at relatively lower concentrations. Punguza reduces the amount of hydrogen sulphide and increases the amount of methane produced. However, the amount of methane generated in a pit latrine or a septic tank is too little to have any health or environmental impact.

Important Facts and Frequently Asked Questions about Water Purification

This depends on the QUALITY of the incoming water and the QUANTITY of water that needs to be purified on a daily basis.

You take a sample of one litre of water in a clean and sealed bottle to a reliable, registered laboratory in order to have the water analyzed. Only then will you know which contaminants are in the water and only then will you know which treatment steps you need to purify your water.

  1. Physical contaminants (such as silt, odour, colour, dirt)
  2. Microbiological contaminants (such as various bacteria, viruses, cryptosporidium and cysts)
  3. Chemical contaminants – some of which occur naturally (such as fluoride and zinc, etc.) and others which are man-caused (such as cadmium, lead, chlorine, hormones, anti-biotics, etc.).

No, RO is not bad for your health. RO is an excellent technology that removes 95% of harmful contaminants such as fluoride, arsenic, nitrates and many other contaminants found in our waters. Due to its efficiency, RO also removes the useful minerals in water such as potassium, calcium etc. These can be added back to the RO water using a mineral filter if desired. We do get minerals through other food sources, especially fruits and vegetables.

It depends. Using RO as part of your water treatment steps depends on the quality of the source water. If the source water has fluoride or other harmful chemical contaminants, RO is the most reliable option.

RO membranes must discard water in order to remove impurities. This water can be used in other applications such as irrigation.

The frequency of changing the RO membrane depends on the incoming water source. Generally, it is changed between 1-4 years. In Kenya, if the source water is from a deep borehole, the membrane will be replaced more frequently than if the source water is surface water (e.g. a dam).

a.Check the ends of the membrane for the build-up of contaminants in the membrane. A trained eye can see the extent of use.
b.When the pressure of the water coming from the faucet is reducing, check and change the sediment filters and possibly the carbon filters. Once these are changed and the pressure is still low, it is possible that the RO membrane needs to be changed.

We are currently proving the concept that our reverse osmosis water purifiers indeed do not produce tiny mold spores. This is because the reverse osmosis membrane removes small particles up to 0.0001 microns, including spores and molds which are between 4-20 microns.

It does not.

We give life back to people and the environment by restoring water resources, improving sanitation, and providing drinking water.

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