Abstract

• The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-6) emphasizes the need for clean water and sanitation by 2030. This research intended to generate freshwater from seawater by desalination process using conventional single slope passive solar still. This work was carried out from 2023 March 31 to April 10 for 11 days. Freshwater 1061 ml was distilled from 2 L of seawater. Average freshwater productivity was 96.45 ml per day. Water quality assessment was conducted using a Horiba Multiparameter U-54G and Portable Multiparameter DO 110 to measure the physicochemical parameters such as temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, ORP, DO, and O2. Additionally, heavy metal constituents Cd, Cr, Pb, As, and Cu were analyzed with a Shimadzu (AA- 7000) Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results were compared with WHO’s drinking water quality standards, specifically National Surface Water Quality Standards in Myanmar, (NSWQS) Class II and Class V. The seawater exhibited all its quality parameters within the acceptable range of Class V. For both seawater and freshwater, the concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Cu fall within the WHO drinking water quality norms, but Pb and As slightly exceed permissible limits. The obtained freshwater meets Class II standards with a salinity of 0.02 ppt and a pH value of 7.41. From the point of view of freshwater quality, it is likely attributed to contaminants from solar still construction and the quality of the original seawater. Despite this, the freshwater parameters remain within class II permissible levels. Those findings contribute directly to targets 6.4 and 6.7 within SDG-6, which focus on efforts and initiatives related to water and sanitation. Consequently, this research can provide important access to fresh water for rural communities, while supporting an affordable and simple technology.