Technology to remove iron, arsenic and fluoride in water to help tide over crisis

Kolkata: Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has invented new technologies of purifying water contaminated with iron, arsenic and fluoride.

On Tuesday two private companies were handed over the technological details using which they will manufacture water purifiers for commercial and community purpose.

Professor Harish Hirani, Director of CMERI on Tuesday stated that keeping the water crisis in mind, their institute had taken up the project long time ago. After long research they have found the way to serve quality of drinking water. He said: "In India ground water is a major source of drinking and agricultural use. At a number of locations in rural as well as some urban India contaminants like arsenic, iron and fluoride in groundwater exceed the permissible limit causing health hazards.

Also, there is continuous depletion of ground water."

According to Hirani apart from purifying iron, arsenic and fluoride contaminated waters, CMERI has also invented technologies to recycle and purify sewerage water with intention to reuse for daily purpose other than drinking. But that technology is yet to get commercialised. Also installing the purifier is very easy with hand pumps in rural belts as it needs to be attached

only. Hirani expressed his hope that in future these technologies will be popular and effective for water conservation across the country.