Fluoride and arsenic contamination in groundwater has been a cause of concern in Assam for a long time, but not any more!
An Assamese entrepreneur has come out with the right technology to remove the fluoride and arsenic contamination from groundwater as well as to remove metal contamination in the surface water.
“I am settled at Faridabad, but for the last two and half year I have shifted alone to Assam to tackle the Issues of Drinking Water,” said Rajeev Saikia founder & managing director for RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd.
“Our aim is to provide low-cost yet efficient water purification technology that can be used both in drinking water as well as industrial wastewater segment,” he said.
He has successfully treated contaminated water using electrolytic technology in the plant which he had set up at Hatigaon area of Guwahati as a pilot project.
“The best part of the technology is the fact that there is absolutely no use of any chemical. I have treated about 150 litres of water per hour at the plant I set up at Hatigaon,” he said.
“Now I am working on to set up a plant which can treat at least 300 litres of water within one hour,” Saikia further said adding that the state government’s response has been very encouraging so far.
Saikia’s initiative assumes significance considering the fact that at least 24 districts in Assam having the problem of either arsenic or fluoride contamination in groundwater.
Public health engineering department minister Rihan Daimary had last year revealed in Assam legislative assembly that the groundwater of 24 districts of Assam has been contaminated by arsenic and fluoride
Daimary had stated that said that groundwater in at least 6,881 locations of Assam are found to be contaminated by arsenic while there is fluoride contamination in 930 locations across the state.
The Assam government had in the past announced 227 and 40 schemes to remove arsenic and fluoride contamination but none of them has been effective.
Saikia, who had settled in Faridabad since ages, came to Assam to do something worth or the people of his native state.
He said that RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd is a Startup Company Incubated at Technology Incubation Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.
It is certified by the Department of Industrial Promotions and Policy, Government Of India, under Startup India Initiative (DIPP No. – 1979) and MSME registered.
“Our company is actively supported by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait (HOD Centre For Environment & Department Of Chemical Engineering), IIT Guwahati and Prof. Prabirkumar Saha, Department Of Chemical Engineering – IIT Guwahati,” he said.