The present study was conducted to compare the performance of a dual-media filter consisting of manganese oxide-coated (MOCS) and iron hydroxide-coated sand (IOCS) with that of IOCS filter and uncoated sand filter in treating water contaminated by microorganisms, heavy metals and turbidity with a view to its use in simple household water purification devices in developing countries. Long-duration column tests were conducted using two natural waters namely, roof-harvested rainwater and canal water. Performance of the filters showed that dual-media filter was more efficient in removing bacteria and heavy metals compared to IOCS filter, while uncoated sand filter showed very poor performance. The average effluent levels for dual-media filter when tested with rainwater were: turbidity 1.0 +/- 0.1 NTU; total coliforms 3 +/- 2 MPN/100 mL; heterotrophic plate count 170 +/- 20 CFU/mL; zinc 0.06 +/- 0.01 mg/L, while that for IOCS filter were: turbidity 1.0 +/- 0.1 NTU; total coliforms 4 +/- 2 MPN/100 mL; heterotrophic plate count 181 +/- 37 CFU/mL; zinc 0.20 +/- 0.07 mg/L Similar results were obtained for canal water also. Up to 900 bed volumes (BV) could be treated without affecting the efficiency in the case of rainwater, while the filter operation had to be terminated after 500 BV due to excessive headloss in the case of canal water. The study thus showed the potential of the dual-media for use in low-cost household water filters for purification of natural waters. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.