Bhabha Atomic Research Centre device to make dirty water potable

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) has invented a device that will ensure safe drinking water for victims during natural calamities like floods.

It has developed a ‘Dip n Drink’ pouch that fills with safe sterile water when dipped into contaminated water.

The pouch also contains nutritional benefits of the oral rehydration salts (ORS) mixture, a treatment for anyone suffering from dehydration due to diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and similar waterborne diseases.

What looks like a small plastic square sheet starts ballooning when it comes in contact with water. Clean water slowly starts seeping into its multi-layered membrane. In about 3-3.5 hours, the pouch fills with 200 ml of sterile water.

The technology works on the principle of osmosis. The water soluble substance in the pouch and the contaminated water are separated by a membrane. This allows water to pass through after rejecting the contamination, including microbes like bacteria and viruses. The membrane is made of polymers with a supporting cloth made of polyester.

“We anticipate that the pouch will be useful in situations like floods, earthquakes, tsunami, etc. The water is free of bacteria and viruses,” said Pradip Tewari, head of the desalination department.

The water that is filled inside the pouch is better than the chlorinated water that is provided during disasters. The manufacturer can also add substances apart from ORS (like milk powder) depending on the kind of disaster or emergency.

As per Barc policy, the technology is ‘transferred’ to a private entrepreneur, who then uses it to manufacture the product, making it financially viable. While scientists price the pouch at Rs20 per piece, it may go down to Rs10 per piece if a manufacturer produces them in bulk, said a senior scientist.

“In disaster situations, cost-effectiveness is not the criteria. The pouch barely weighs 7-8gm and can be transported easily. They can be thrown off helicopters,” said a scientist who developed the technology. They can even be used by doctors in rural areas to feed children or by the army in case of suspected biological contamination of drinking water.

The department came up with the idea when scientists read in medical literature about the use of milk powder in a similar pouch which fills with milk when put in contaminated water. The technology has been developed a couple of months ago and has been advertised.