In Madagascar’s remote areas, bacterial water pollution causes numerous deaths and contributes to chronic child malnutrition. In bush medicine, access to uncontaminated water is essential not only for hydration but also for cleaning wounds, sterilizing equipment, ensuring minimal hygiene conditions, and limiting infection risks. This is why the Medicaéro teams are delighted to bring aboard their next flight the very first BOXAO, donated by the company TUBAO. Its CEO, Edouard Péninque, tells us more…
Your company, Tubao, specializes in water storage and management. Why did you decide to develop a water filtration solution?
The idea came about when Cyclone Chido devastated Mayotte last winter. While access to drinking water was a vital emergency, authorities transported and distributed plastic water bottles to the population. Not only were they rationed, but we all knew they would end up in the ocean… Our R&D teams then got to work, and last spring we were able to test our first BOXAO prototype.
How is this solution different from others?
From the outset, we wanted to design a product intended for use in humanitarian emergency conditions. It had to be very simple to use, with minimal maintenance, ultra-robust, and completely autonomous. Our Boxao is therefore compact, solid, and transportable in a pickup truck or a small plane. It operates 24/7 thanks to a solar panel connected to a battery. The filters are changed every 5 years, and maintenance is made easy by a sliding drawer. But most importantly, one Boxao can produce 3 cubic meters of clean water per day, equivalent to 2,000 bottles!
How does a Boxao actually work?
It’s simple: on one side, you connect a hose to the available water source. This could be seawater or brackish water pumped from a polluted stream or a swamp. The water is filtered by an activated carbon filter and a one-micron filter, then purified by a UV-C diode. You press a button, turn the tap, and immediately get perfectly clean, purified water. Our primary goal was to simplify it as much as possible so that even a 5-year-old child could use it safely and independently!
How do you envision the future of Boxao?
Our priority is to disseminate this solution to all humanitarian emergency zones by creating an endowment fund that will finance production to equip numerous NGOs worldwide. Ultimately, Boxao will also be accessible to communities wishing to invest in ensuring continuous access to drinking water in the event of floods. Tomorrow, water will be a vital issue in all countries, and we want to participate in raising awareness that it is essential to preserve it…
