Solar water purifiers to be installed in two slums and a school in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Two of Delhi’s slums and a school would soon get solar water purifiers, which is claimed to be the first of its kind.

Developed by a Kolkata-based scientist, SP Gon Choudhury, the device will not just be able to treat water of excess iron, suspended particles and bacteria through filters and solar powered UV light, but can even save at least 30 units of power in a month.

“This is India’s first portable solar water purifier. One has been installed in the Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan’s house. It was decided by the minister that three more would be installed in Delhi — two in slums and one in a school on an experimental basis. The slums and the school are yet to be identified,” said Gon Choudhury.

The purifier comes in two sizes. While the smaller domestic version has a capacity for around 50 litres and costs around Rs 14,000, the larger one could be installed in public places and has a capacity of 300-400 litres and is priced at Rs 40,000.

“Unlike the traditional purifiers, these can even store water which could be used even at night and on cloudy days when the water purifier is not working. Compared to a traditional purifier, the domestic solar water purifier could save up to 30 units a month if operated for around eight hours a day on an average” Gon Choudhury added.

Harsh Vardhan also unveiled a range of other solar powered products developed by Kolkata-based NB Institute for Rural Technology headed by Gon Choudhury.

Among them was a solar-powered dome which can light up houses located in far-flung rural areas where electricity hasn’t reached yet. Around 130 such domes have already been installed in Lalbagh slum of Delhi near Azadpur. A solar powered jacket was also unveiled.

A solar powered biometric ATM was also launched. Two banks including a nationalised bank have shown interest to set up the solar biometric ATM machine in two of their rural banks.

Vardhan was unavailable for comment. However he took to Facebook. “An innovative product is a solar jacket, specially needed for defence personnel, forest workers and people working in remote areas. The jacket has a torch with beam facilities, illuminated identification code, mobile phone charging facility, GPS and pocket fan, which are optional. The jacket has solar cells on the back, which would get charged from solar energy and it has an LED light in the front, which could provide light, whenever required. Besides, the jacket can also charge the mobile phone, link to a GPS system to track the personnel,” Vardhan posted on his Facebook account.