BARC’s clean water system, blessing for Kotagiri hamlet

The project has completed one year and hopes to spread to other villages once the pandemic settles.

The UF membrane water filtration system is an eco-friendly replacement to conventional RO filtration systems. Additionally, the membrane technology preserves nutrients in the water and it does not use electricity. The units were established by all-women NGO JCI Kotagiri Nilgiris Adiwasi Welfare Association last March.

The purifiers have been a blessing during the pandemic. “This system does not use electricity, saving us on money from electricity bill during the initial months of the shutdown. There is also very little water wastage, but it produces enough water for me and my family of four,” said R Vishwanathan, a resident of the village.

According to Dr Daniel Chellappa, a Chennai-based nuclear scientist, the water filtration systems are easy to maintain and adhere to laws on water conservation. “RO systems waste about two times of the water, but the membrane system has no wastage. They also do not require a maintenance contract and the villagers are intimated on how to replace the UF candle used in the system, further reducing costs,” he said.