A charity has put together a book that may be the perfect combination of practical and academic advice to save lives.

Non-government organisation Water is Life has produced ‘The Drinkable Book’, a manual which provides safe water tips printed on paper which can actually be used as a water purifying filter.

The tips are printed in non-toxic ink onto paper imbued with silver nanoparticles, which are capable of killing water-borne diseases like cholera, E. coli and typhoid.

The pages can be pulled out and placed in the book’s container, turning it into a highly-effective water filter which can purify supplies for up to 30 days.

Each book has 20 pages, giving those who receive it tools to clean their water for over a year.

The water filtering pages are extremely cheap to produce, and the entire book could be made for just a few dollars each.

“Technically, you can make this in your kitchen,” Professor Theresa Dankovich, who developed the paper, said.

The Drinkable Book will go with Water is Life teams to parts of Africa, China and India, where they hold educational sessions on maintaining a clean water source.

The books will then be handed out to attendees, ensuring the vital advice and technological help goes where it needs to be.

Water is Life is the same group behind The Straw – a similar device which can purify water as it is being drunk.

More details are available in this video;