A crisis in Chennai inspired a solution in Visakhapatnam. When the city officials declared June 19, 2019, as ‘Day Zero’, the day almost all taps ran dry following a dry spell of two years, the students of Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) in Visakhapatnam began putting together their knowledge of pH, turbidity, TDS and water volume to prevent litres of water going down the drain, literally. They felt that a greywater-filtering device would solve the chronic issue of water shortage that cities face every year. Thus was born Project HydroGravitricity.
While the seed of the project was sown three years ago by the seven-member alumni team of the institution, it fructified into an actionable solution this year. The project, helmed by student Anik Panja, won in the ‘problem statement category’ at the Smart India Hackathon in Chennai this September. The team is also fresh off the podium after presenting their greywater filtration system at International Water Congress in Denmark on September 25.
The device, HydroGravitricity, is a set of micro pipes, which are small enough to be retrofitted into the pipelines of a gated community. “An apartment complex of 25 homes easily generates a few hundred kilolitres of water. Currently, we are working on deploying the device for the water that comes out of kitchen sinks. The entire output can be used to water the plants, mop the floors and wash vehicles,” says Panja, whose team is currently in pre-incubation training with Northeastern University from Boston.
The prototype has multiple stages fitted with filters and sedimentation tanks, with a grease trap. Sand and charcoal filters clean the water, and built-in sensors provide real-time data on water quality, pH, turbidity, TDS and water volume. “Quality and quantity of the water are displayed on a dashboard that notifies customers via app when either of the two is problematic. It can be fitted in the kitchen output pipe of a building and costs Rs 75,644, including maintenance, man hours and raw materials. Whenever the filters get jammed with too much sludge, the sensors initiate a ‘backwash’ procedure in which the water flow is temporarily reversed for the sludge to get removed and the filter to clean itself and start afresh,” Panja elaborates.
While Jeswin GN was the design head, Rabhya Asthana researched the science behind their product. “The prototype works on sludge removal and trapping grease. There are potential byproducts such as biogas, which can be used to produce electricity,” says Asthana.
The team’s coach Vikas Kumar Srivastav adds that they are focusing on installing the products in the existing communities in Visakhapatnam, and common kitchen or dining halls with cooking space. Bollem Raja Kumar, the team’s technical mentor, says the filtration device will be ready in eight months.
A clear solution to greywater seems to have emerged.