When potable water is ‘worth its weight in gold’, NEERI-ZAR comes to rescue in Assam

A gravity-based, zero-energy water purifier developed by CSIR-NEERI is providing relief in flood-hit Assam’s Jorhat district, where potable water is scarce. Officials distributed 100 NEERI-ZAR units, including household and community systems, designed to supply drinking and cooking water without electricity

Jorhat (Assam): In flood-hit Jorhat district of Assam, potable water is worth its weight in gold. Coming to people’s rescue is ‘NEERI-ZAR’, a gravity-based, zero-energy water purifier developed by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute of CSIR.

A total of 100 units of the water purification system were distributed in the district on Saturday, with 75 of those meant for single households and the rest for larger communities, officials associated with the endeavour told PTI. “Today, we handed over five units each of household and community-based units at Jonakimondal village under Titabor block. The remaining 90 were handed to the Jorhat district commissioner. His office will ensure their further distribution,” an official said.

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CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, Director S Venkata Mohan, and his CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, counterpart V M Tiwari were present at the distribution programme. A water treatment unit with two 22-litre vessels for a small household can serve five to six people when operated for one hour a day, based on the assumption of six to 10 litres per capita/day for drinking and cooking.

One community-level water filter with the two 100-litre vessels can serve the drinking and cooking water needs of around 10 households. Officials said that these purification systems come in handy in emergencies such as floods. “The unit is designed for easy operation and does not require electricity. It is also easy to transport and install, making it extremely useful in emergencies and flood-affected regions,” another official said.

The technology was developed in 2006, during the floods in Rajasthan that swept through Barmer. It was improvised over the years and deployed during natural calamities, most recently during last year’s flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir.