| dc.description.abstract | The high availability of fluoride in surface and groundwater in the East African Rift Valley
was documented during the colonial period. Since the early 1960s, many studies have been conducted
to solve the fluorosis crisis in this region. At present, no cost-effective solution to mitigate fluoride
contamination is available for the large majority of the population. This situation prompted a process
analysis of commonly used technologies. Results revealed that the geochemistry of fluoride is the
main problem. Fluoride is very difficult to remove from the aqueous phase. Thus, eliminating the
need for technical water defluoridation is an excellent way out of the fluorosis crisis. This goal can be
achieved by harvesting fluoride-free rainwater. Harvested rainwater can be mixed with naturally
polluted waters in calculated proportions to obtain safe drinking water (blending). This paper
presents a concept to transform the Kilimanjaro Mountains into a huge rainwater harvesting park for
drinking water supply for the whole East African Rift Valley. However, blended water may contain
other pollutants including pathogens that are easy to treat using low-cost methods such as metallic
iron based-filters (Fe0 filters). The proposed concept is transferable to other parts of the world still
enduring fluoride pollution. | en_US |
