Water Sanitation and Health (WSH)

Slow sand filtration

While this document was published in 1974, it is still in demand and much of its content remains valid. We therefore continue to make it available.

Under suitable circumstances, slow sand filtration may be not only the cheapest and simplest but also the most efficient method of water treatment. Its advantages have been proved in practice over a long period, and it is still the chosen method of water purification in certain highly industrialized cities as well as in rural areas mid small communities. It has the great advantage over other methods that it makes better use of the local skills and materials available in developing countries, and it is far more efficient than rapid filtration in removing bacterial contamination.

The present book describes the construction and operation of modern slow sand filters, the latest developments in operating techniques, the theory of biological filtration, and the application of the principle of slow sand filtration to the artificial recharging of groundwater sources.

Publishing information

Prepared by L. Huismans and W.E. Wood
© World Health Organization 1974
ISBN 92 4 154 037 0
Out of print. Available only in electronic form.

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