On January 15, the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai and its subsequent tsunami left Tonga ravaged by ash which continues to taint the country's water supply.

Four of Howard Mendel's manual purifying pumps will be shipped to Tonga, along with thousands of dollars worth of donated essential items, to help the nation get back on its feet.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Mr Mendel designed the mechanism after a lifetime of working with pumps and water pipes as a mechanical engineer and has sent filtration solutions to several third world countries in the past.

He read these earlier reports within The Daily Advertiser regarding the situation in Tonga but was drawn to the mention of the country's tainted water supply.

"In the article about Tonga, it mentioned the contamination of the drinking water and ash, and I felt that the units we've designed would be suitable," he said.

He reached out to local Tongan man Sione Fekeila who had been actively fundraising and collecting non-perishable donations to send in a shipping container to the Pacific Island nation.

Mr Mendel in partnership with the Grange Lifestyle Village has assembled four tested purifying pumps ready to add to Mr Fekeila's efforts.

"It's a much-needed piece of equipment," Mr Fekeila said.

"Majority of the households use tank water, rainwater, even though it lands on the roof and collects the particles and then passes it on to the tank."

He said that the mechanism, which uses a hand pump rather than electricity, is simple to use and that he and Mr Mendel will be creating a video tutorial to send over with the device.

He also said that Mr Mendel's generosity has be "heartwarming", as well as the generosity of the boarder community during the past three months.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: