According to the World Health Organization, at least two billion people worldwide use a contaminated drinking water source, leading to tens of thousands of deaths associated with unsafe water every year.

To help expand access to clean drinking water where needed and save lives in the process, Olivier de Gruijter created JERRY — a water filtration device designed specifically to fit onto jerrycans.

“We have developed a water filter that allows people to clean their water on a daily basis in a simple way,” says de Gruijter, product designer and founder of Studio Forthemany. Acting both as a filter and a tap, once connected to a jerry can, the device eliminates 99.999 percent of bacteria and parasites and over 99.9 percent of viruses from the water. The product can easily fill a glass with only two pump strokes, making it convenient to use for both children and the elderly.

By allowing the filter to be mounted directly onto jerry cans, which most households already possess, the low-cost water filtration device eliminates the need to transport bulky containers, lowering logistical costs.

“In many places, jerry cans are an integral part of the water infrastructure and are used to transport and store drinking water,” says Eise van Maanen, who helped develop the product. “This device enables people to treat water in their jerry cans at the point-of-use, as the water source may be contaminated, or the jerry can itself may not be clean, or both.”

Currently, JERRY is part of a six-month-long pilot project, where 130 prototypes are being tested at a refuge camp in Iraq. Over the next five years, Studio Forthemany plans to provide safe drinking water to a million people worldwide.

Image source: Design Boom