NIRANJAN KARAGI WHO DEVELOPED THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST WATER PURIFIER

Niranjan Karagi of Karnataka who has developed the world's cheapest water purifier. Karagi has developed a pocket-sized purifier that provides cheap, clean drinking water for just Rs.20. Who was a student of fourth year of engineering.

 

 

Seeing school children drinking contaminated water, Karagi decided to develop a water purifier. To further his unique and noble idea, Karagi did some research after which he made a purifier for himself and named it Nirnal. Karagi kept Nirnal's design simple. 

 They used activated carbon, cotton, mesh netting and a secret ingredient. Karagi said the purifier, which is a pocket-sized contraption, fits most regular PET bottles, with each sterilized filter having the capacity to purify about 300 liters of contaminated water. It kills 99.9% of bacteria. Describing his dream project, Karagi calls it 'purity in your pocket' as it can be used anywhere and anytime. To popularize his product, Karagi went from school to school and farmer to farmer in rural areas of the country. Within the first year, Karagi reportedly sold around 8,000 units and so far, they have supplied over two lakh units in India. Apart from this, it is exporting it to 15 different countries including America, Qatar, Singapore and Malaysia. Karagi's efforts were recognized by the Karnataka government and he received a grant of Rs 20 lakh to increase production. It is also supplying Nirmal to the Central Reserve Police Force, Indian Army and Indian Navy. Currently, Karagi is working on a project to convert saline water into clean drinking water.

 

Speaking on the future plans, Karagi, recipient of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Award said, “We are already working on 6 different variants of the filter. But its goal is to filter ocean water into potable drinking water."

Some of the suggestions by Karagi for sustainable use of water include:

•     Fix drips by replacing worn-out tap washers.
•     Incorporate water conservation into your landscaping.
•     Minimize the amount of water used by flush toilets.
•     Consider the shower head labeled Water Sense.
•     Install a rain barrel.