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Sep 18, 2007 UPFRONT One man's Wish for clean water for everyone By Shobana Kesava BY THE end of this year, 100,000 people in Sumatra's rural communities will have access to clean water, thanks to the efforts of Singaporean Adrian Yeo. It will mark a significant milestone for the 30-year-old, who has been toiling for the past three years to deliver clean water to people who did not have it. He devised an easy-to-use filtration system, set up a non-governmental organisation, persuaded donors that he was worth banking on, and set off with volunteer helpers for the most remote corners of the Indonesian island. The devastating 2004 tsunami provided an impetus for his efforts, but he has since been to numerous other communities as requests for help kept coming in. Now, Dr Yeo is setting his sights on moving beyond Indonesia. He is already making a difference in one village in Cambodia, and leaves for the US today to work on a project to produce clean water for the Middle East. Not bad for a young man who could not get anyone to take him seriously when he talked about transforming lives with clean water not so long ago. 'Nobody would believe in my crazy idea,' he recalled with a laugh. An ex-student of Anglo Chinese School and National Junior College, he graduated with first-class honours in civil engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). A self-awareness programme exposed him to people from all walks of life, including Mr Simon Kudus, 52, a South-east Asia adviser to the World Economic Forum. 'Adrian was hunting around for the right PhD programme in 2003, and I suggested he go into water technology,' recalled Mr Kudus. 'I thought it would make him a financial success, but he would keep going back to how he wanted to help people. It's his basic nature.' While doing his PhD thesis in water-membrane technology - a method of producing clean water using a series of fine filters - he devised a portable filtration unit no bigger than two kitchen gas cylinders and weighing 15 kg. Best of all, it was easy to use: push a hand pump to send filthy water through a pipe into two tanks, and out it comes almost instantly, fit to drink. Filters in the tanks remove dirt as well as particles as tiny as bacteria and viruses. He knew it could make a huge difference to villagers who had no clean water, and the tsunami showed the critical need for clean supplies in wrecked communities and temporary shelters. He approached the Singapore Red Cross for funding from its $62 million Tidal Waves Asia Fund to try out his portable system, but drew a blank. Red Cross secretary general Christopher Chua remembers the young man's first visit. 'He was very green,' he said. 'He didn't even know how to set up an NGO!' But within months, Dr Yeo had set up an non-governmental organisation - Water Initiative for Securing Health, or Wish for short - with the support of Mr Kudus and financial consultant Albert Lim. This time, the Red Cross took him to Meulaboh in Aceh, where Singapore was helping to re-build the seaside community. Dr Yeo set up his first filtration unit at an orphanage. 'First, I burst the pipes,' he said. 'So I drove out to get some glue. Then it leaked - too little glue. So I went out again, bought a saw, cut the joints apart, added more glue. 'All the while, the kids were standing there, just looking at me. But it finally worked. They all watched as I drank the final product.' Their smiles of relief were only the beginning. In a world where over two million people, mostly children, die of water-borne diseases each year, Dr Yeo hoped to make a difference. He began going back with his water filter units, each of which could supply clean water to a village of about 600 to 700 people. News of his efforts reached Mr Suresh Hathiramani, 54, then-president of the Singapore Diamond Exchange. The Diamond Bourses Federation was looking for a worthy cause to donate $30,000 to. 'We went to Bishan Park one rainy morning,' said Mr Hathiramani. 'Adrian just pumped pond water into the unit and it came out clear. Of course I drank it, and I was fine.' He was convinced when he saw how easy it was to clean the unit. 'That sold it for me. Anyone could do it,' he said. By mid-2005, Dr Yeo had set up 16 units, depleted his resources and chalked up debts of about $20,000. He lived off family and friends, and continued doing 20-hour drives and jungle-treks to remote villages. Finally convinced by his commitment, the Red Cross gave Wish $950,000 from the tsunami fund. It enabled Dr Yeo to deliver clean water to 170 villages in all. 'He had a hard time from us, but he was very good, not wishy-washy,' said the Red Cross' Mr Chua. Indonesian NGO Komite Kemanusiaan Indonesia (KKI) has been supporting Wish's efforts, directing Dr Yeo to places of greatest need and supplying local volunteers. 'Those who drank before from wells or rivers don't fall sick as much as last time - especially the children,' said KKI social worker Khairul Rahmi, 44, who has worked with Dr Yeo for over two years. 'Many more units will help a lot. In the coastal villages, where groundwater is salty, fishermen travel very far to the town centre and pay more than double to get bottled water.' Along the way, Dr Yeo got married and, last year, he set up a consultancy to develop water systems. An unexpected outcome has been a one-year contract in the United States with Colorado University, which wants him to join a project to make brackish or salty water in the Middle East drinkable. 'The aim is to prevent disputes over water. This is still linked to my mission to make water accessible. I hope to bring back new technology to help coastal areas in the region,' says Dr Yeo. skesava@sph.com.sg Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access |