WaTER Float

The Water Treatment and Edible Reticulated Float (WaTER Float) is a low-tech floating garden and canal cleaner for Bangkok’s canals. The WaTER Float provides a sustainable source of income and access to food whilst also addressing public health and pollution of aquatic environments.

The Water Treatment and Edible Reticulated Float (WaTER Float) is a low-tech floating garden and canal cleaner. It produces drinkable water, supplies of clean nutritious low-carbon food near the point of consumption, a sustainable income source and addresses water pollution. The WaTER Float works in two ways, firstly it treats the canal water using a microbe filter to remove waterborne pathogens and heavy metals, irrigating a garden of edible produce that can be sold locally at markets using existing supply chains and markets or eaten. Microbe filters have been proven in the field as an inexpensive, effective, and suitable method for water purification. The second function remediates the canal water in-situ through a process called phytoremediation (remediation through plants), the WaTER Float uses plants known as hyper-accumulators to absorb heavy metals present in the water. Systems such as the WaTER Float have proven to be effective in the removal of nutrients and heavy metals and have been implemented in aquatic systems around the globe and currently used by the King of Thailand to remediate a wastewater in Bangkok.

As a floating garden, the WaTER Float is not effected by flooding, during a flood event, an annual occurrence, they can also provide a source of clean water and food as well as act as a moveable raft. The construction, management and operation of the WaTER Float uses existing governance structures and key actors including the community builders network, savings groups and residents.

Bangkok’s morphology and way-of-life was defined by the Chao Phraya River delta and network of 2,280 kilometres of canals. Scaling up this project globally to similar environments could not only provide city wide access to clean water and food but address environmental degradation and sustainable sources of income.  

1. Bangkok’s canals are heavily polluted with waterborne pathogens and heavy metals. Communities living alongside them consume or sell food grown in contaminated soil which accumulate in plants causing diarrhoea, vomiting, severe illness and in some cases death. The WaTER Float produces clean water and food.
2. Annually, Bangkok’s canals flood, significantly effecting the informal settlements living along them, this will only get worse with rising sea levels. The WaTER Float provides clean water and food, and acts as a floatation device during such events.

This Swiss Army Knife of solutions combines proven technologies in phytoremediation, edible floating gardens and water purification using existing construction methods, urban farming practices and supply chains. Improved access to water, food and income to informal settlements along Bangkok’s canals means that they are better equipped to access improved housing, education and employment opportunities.

The impact of the WaTER Float will be to provide informal settlements along the Bangkok’s canals with improved access to clean water, clean food, contribute to remediation of the canal and provide several opportunities for reusing the waste generated, as illustrated below. 

The initially, project will be deployed in partnership with the savings groups established along the Klong Bang Bua (south east of the international airport) through the Baan Mankong programme. The construction and farming skills area already present in these communities and there are already trialling environmental remediation initiatives.

Number of litres of clean water produced per day. Amount per person in participating household left over after irrigation. - Clean water for irrigation and household

Measure how often participating households ate in the last week and what they ate. Measure the frequency of meals and the diversity in diet.  - Produce enough edible food to support a household's weekly needs

Samples of canal water over time near deployment of Float. Number of contaminants removed from canal by plants - Localised improvement of canal water

The WaTER Float is a low tech, affordable, and easy solution using proven technologies and exiting systems and knowledge in a novel way.

The Float is built, maintained, farmed, used by and benefits underserved communities. The human element of the WaTER Float is its raison d'être.

The solution will be deployed in partnership with the established canal based saving groups participating in the Baan Mankong programme (managed by the Community Organization Development Institute). One particular community located along the Bang Bua canal would be suitable for the pilot. The community originally formed a collective around the issue of environmental remediation and the WaTER Float will build on this. Using cheap and accessible material such as bamboo, plastic drums and low cost microbe filters combined with simple construction methods and local skills present in this community will ensure the Float remains affordable and accessible.

Not being on the ground in the country, however, by partnering with local organisations such as Community Architects Network could help with this.

The WaTER Float offers a low-tech solution to address several problems that apply to cities in the Global South. However, the solution requires a broader team to assist with the design and implementation to ensure that it works and implemented effectively. Through Solve, I hope work with others to develop an open source guide to construction and implementation of the WaTER Float, suitable for deployment in aquatic environments around the world.