Guwahati: Floods in Assam have fouled local water supplies. The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) intervened to help residents in Jorhat district. Officials demonstrated and distributed NEERI-ZAR instant water filters in Jonakimondal village.
These units turn raw water into safe drinking water. Five household and five community-based filters were handed over directly to villagers. The District Commissioner of Jorhat also received 70 household units and 20 community units for wider relief efforts. It works fast. The filters were assembled locally at CSIR-NEIST in Jorhat using available materials in just two days.
CSIR-NEERI Director Dr. S. Venkata Mohan and CSIR-NEIST Director Dr. V. M. Tiwari led the handover. The team included Dr. Paras Pujari, Dr. Atul Maldhure, Dr. Amrit Kumar, Dr. Rima Biswas, Dr. Abhishek Bisariya, Dr. Dhanjit Das, and Dr. Sumit Singh.
The NEERI-ZAR system runs on gravity alone. No electricity is required. This makes the tech perfect for disaster zones where power grids frequently fail. Water passes through graded sand to catch debris, then hits granular activated carbon to strip out odors, colors, and organic impurities. A final stage uses controlled chlorination. It keeps chlorine dosing at 2 ppm, maintaining free residual chlorine at 0.2 to 0.5 mg per liter. This process kills E. coli and total coliforms.
The system is easy to run. It needs only basic cleaning and fresh disinfectant. According to the organization, the technology "can therefore provide a decentralised and relatively low-maintenance option for emergency drinking-water supply." It offers a vital safety net for regions plagued by annual floods and sewage-contaminated wells.
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