Neeri Filters Ensure Safe Drinking Water In Flood-Hit Assam | Nagpur News

Nagpur: When floods knock out water supply systems and leave local sources contaminated, getting safe drinking water can become an immediate challenge. In the case of Assam’s flood-hit Jorhat district, scientists from CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), Nagpur, have taken a low-tech approach to the problem at hand — deploying a gravity-driven water filter that works without electricity and can be assembled locally within days.The institute has deployed its Neeri-ZAR zero-energy water filtration system in flood-affected areas of Assam to provide treated water when conventional supply and treatment infra is disrupted.Developed by CSIR-NEERI, NEERI-ZAR uses gravity to drive the filtration process, eliminating need for electricity. Its household version consists of two 22litre vessels and, when operated for about an hour a day, can meet the drinking and cooking water requirements of five to six people. The capacity is based on an estimated daily requirement of 6 to 10litres per person for drinking and cooking.A larger community version uses two 100-litre vessels and can cater to drinking and cooking-water requirements of around 10 households.The technology was demonstrated and then distributed in Jonakimondal village of Jorhat district, where around five household units and five community-level units were provided to flood-affected residents.An important aspect of deployment was that the filters were assembled locally at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, using locally available materials within two days. According to the institutes, this demonstrated the technology can be rapidly adapted and deployed close to disaster-hit communities rather than relying entirely on transportation of ready-made units from elsewhere.