The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Terracotta and Terafil water filters planned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Terracotta and Terafil water filters planned

Special Correspondent

‘The device has been used in Orissa for a long time by
a large number of households’

BANGALORE: If things go as planned, Karnataka might launch a pilot project to introduce innovative low-cost water filters made of terracotta and designed by the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, a Bhuvaneswar-based government research institute.

Proposal

Surendra Khuntia, head of the design and rural technology wing of the institute, told The Hindu on Tuesday that the institute is planning to propose to the Union Department of Science and Technology, to take up a pilot scheme in Karnataka to introduce these innovative water filters which have already become a popular household item in Orissa.

Costs

The device, which would cost Rs. 200, purifies water by getting rid of sediments, suspended particles, iron contents and certain micro-organisms which cause water-borne diseases.

The institute has also developed the Terafil water filter, which has a plastic case instead of a terracotta one. However, the actual filter discs are made of clay and sand in both the models. The plastic model would cost Rs. 350.

Attraction

The filter device, which was on display at the Mines and Geology Department office in Bangalore on Tuesday, attracted several industrialists who were curious to know more about the product. In fact, mud water was frequently being poured into the filter device to demonstrate its purification effect.

Mr. Khuntia said both the models are suitable for areas where water from bore wells, open wells, ponds and rivers is used for drinking purpose. The filter discs in these models cost Rs. 15 to Rs. 25, and have a shelf life of five years, he said. He said local artisans can manufacture both the models.

Proven

The device has been used in Orissa for a long time by a large number of households, he said.

Recently, the Orissa government had ordered one lakh filters to be supplied to its schools, Mr. Khuntia said.

Guidance

The Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology provides technological guidance for entrepreneurs to manufacture these water filters by charging a certain amount of royalty.

Interested persons may contact the Head, Design and Rural Technology, IMMT, Bhuvaneswar, 751013, or www.immt.res.in

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