Water purifiers developed during Rajasthan deluge delivered to flood-hit Assam
Scientists from CSIR-NEERI have deployed 100 portable water purification units to flood-affected districts in Assam. The gravity-based NEERI-ZAR technology requires no electricity and aims to provide safe drinking water while reducing plastic waste from relief bottles.
Why it matters
This provides a sustainable, low-cost solution for disaster relief in flood-prone regions, addressing both immediate health needs and environmental concerns.
A set of specialised water purifiers developed during the 2006 deluge in Barmer, Rajasthan, has been delivered to the flood-hit districts of Charaideo, Jorhat, and Sivasagar in eastern Assam.
On Sunday (August 9, 2026), two scientists from the Nagpur-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) began distributing 100 units of the emergency insta-portable water purification system. The system is called NEERI-ZAR.
CSIR-NEERI’s Atul Maldhure and Kumar Amrit assembled the filtration units at the CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology in Jorhat. These will be distributed by Monday (August 10).
“Of the 100 units, 25 are community-based, and 75 are household units. Collectively, they can produce 2,500 litres of purified water per hour, require no electricity, and have no operational cost,” Mr. Maldhure told The Hindu.
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