“Can water be really created from thin air? And if so, will it help solve the issue of declining water table across the city of Bengaluru? More importantly, will it help the immediate needs of a hospital which is already struggling to address the medical issues of our fellow citizens from the low-income strata of our society?”
These were the questions that had started bothering Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central (RBWC) of District 3190 a lot. RBWC under the leadership of its Water Warrior – S.Sridhar took upon itself not only to find the answers but also to take out this nudging item from a community hospital’s issue backlogs.
The paradoxical question – Provide medical treatment or drinking water?
Government Hospital at KR Puram is a major hospital in Krishnarajapuram Area of Bangalore, serving the community in that location. Most of the patients who visit the hospital for treatment and surgical procedures are from the lower strata of society. It is a multi- speciality hospital with 100 beds, and 11 speciality departments. The hospital also treats 300-400 out-patients every day.
To meet the drinking water requirements of the patients, staff and the doctors, the hospital currently has a RO based water kiosk on the ground floor- but the source of water is from a borewell. The yield of water from the borewell was uncertain and there were days when enough water was just not available. The hospital had two floors and the patients and staff from the first floor need to come to ground floor for their drinking water needs.
RBWC starts the exploration.
Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central (RBWC) had been working closely with the KR Puram Hospital in improving the infrastructure in the hospital, and after they realised the issues faced by the hospital with respect to drinking water, they started co-ordinating with their technology and implementation partner ATFSC Foundation.
The team from ATFSC discussed with the administrative staff of the hospital and identified the need for providing 2 atmospheric water generating units of 150 litres per day capacity- one in each floor. ATFSC also discussed with their technology partner, Maithri Aquatech to understand the feasibility of the solution planned. It was decided to configure the unit planned for the ground floor to be equipped with hot and cold-water dispenser as it was planned to serve the needs of the patients in the maternity ward.
RBWC Water Warrior S Sridhar meets Minister Baswaraj to brief on the project
The technology behind the miracle
The Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) uses the cutting-edge technology to convert water vapor in the air into fresh and clean drinking water that is 100% microbe free. AWG is optimized to perform between temperatures of 18°C- 45°C and relative humidity of 25% – 99%. The technology uses green concept and hence does not affect the environment, it’s clean and green!
The device is equipped with an Air Filter which removes any suspended particles (up to 12 microns) present in the air, the clean air is then passed through the cooling chamber where it comes into contact with a cold surface. On contact with the cold surface the water present in the form of vapor in the air is condensed and the water droplets formed are collected into a Stainless-Steel water tank.
The water is then passed through a Sediment Filter where any water-soluble particles up to 2-microns are filtered out, the water then passes through Activated Carbon Filters to mitigate any smell and bad taste that may be present in the water. Finally, the filtered water is passed through a mineral cartridge to impart essential minerals into the water and then through a UV lamp to kill any bacteria present in the water. The water generated is now free of all micro-organism, is remineralized and is ready for consumption!
Image and Literature source: Maitri Maithri Aquatech -” How does Meghadoot work”
Funding and Collaboration
Based on the techno commercial proposal received from ATFSC Foundation, RBWC entered into an MOU with ATFSC Foundation to source the appropriate technology and also implement the project and support the installation for five years. RBWC also signed an agreement with one of their corporate partners to utilise their CSR funds for this purpose.
Rtn. Mr. Mohan Ramanathan with the Hospital Staff after installation
Project Execution
Along with the technology partner Maithri Aquatech, ATFSC ensured the readiness of the site for installation of the equipment and the first machine was installed during the first half of November 2020, and the second machine during the first week of February 2021. ATFSC worked closely with Maithri Aquatech and the Hospital Administration to overcome some of the challenges in terms of stable power supply and other logistics, and both the machines were successfully completed and operationalised. To ensure the quality of the water, the output water was tested in a Government accredited laboratory and the report was submitted to the Hospital authorities. RBWC worked closely with ATFSC to ensure successful commissioning.
Monitoring the performance of the Equipment
The performance of the equipment is continuously monitored by RBWC and ATFSC teams. Quarterly testing of water will also be done to ensure the quality of water. The teams are also periodically reviewing with the Hospital Authorities to get their feedback, and a social impact study is planned in collaboration with the volunteers from the Rotaract Club of Shishu Mandir (RCSM), K R Puram.
The next set of Questions
As with all projects, what matters at the end is what does our final beneficiary feel. It has been encouraging to see positive responses and the solution helping the needs. At the same time, it starts off the next series of questions –
Can we replicate these solutions elsewhere? Is there more we can do to help our society? What can we do to scale up these solutions at an optimal cost?
These are the questions that Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central (RBWC) has now started seeking in its mission towards restoring clean source of water back to nature!
For more details and feedback, please do contact us : president@rotarybwc.org