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Drinking water is supplied through a centralized water supply system and may not be accessed by communities in rural areas of Malaysia. This study investigated the performance of a low-cost, self-prepared combined activated carbon and sand filtration (CACSF) system for roof-harvested rainwater and lake water for potable use. Activated carbon was self-prepared using locally sourced coconut shell and was activated using commonly available salt rather than a high-tech procedure that requires a chemical reagent. The filtration chamber was comprised of local, readily available sand. The experiments were conducted with varying antecedent dry intervals (ADIs) of up to 15 d and lake water with varying initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration. The CACSF system managed to produce effluents complying with the drinking water standards for the parameters pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical …