Natural disasters like floods and hurricanes have generally resulted in contaminated water, which in turn causes the spread of disease.

Researchers in New York have now developed a system that uses a simple water purification technique to eliminate 100 percent of the microbes present in water. The system uses specialized resins, copper, and hydrogen peroxide to clean water. Their findings will be published in the international journal Environmental Pollution.

Though the method doesn't make the water drinkable, it may eventually prove significant in preventing the spread of disease at disaster spots around the world.