This Simple Water Bottle Innovation Just Might Save Your Life Someday.
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Follow us this month as we highlight how STEM is shaping the culture of NOW.
Check out an exclusive Uproxx video about Yash Balaji along with stories about other STEM innovators here.
An innovator in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) will take a problem and tackle it head on — using innovative thinking to create new solutions.
Balaji invented CleanBottle in 2014, as a way to purify and decontaminate water using only the heat of one’s hands.
The amazing device provides clean drinking water without the use of disposable filters or solar power, and it just might streamline the way we help people access water – from natural disasters to war zones.
“It’s so simple to use,” Balaji says.
His answer was CleanBottle.
By killing the microorganisms present in the water through this simple process, Balaji hopes to save many lives.

Suqia launches water projects in Somalia.
Dubai: The UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia, under the umbrella of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has implemented two projects to provide drinking water to over 90,000 people in Somalia.
Suqia has implemented these projects in cooperation with the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment.
This is one of Suqia’s humanitarian projects to support international efforts to combat poverty and disease by finding sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity around the world.
The projects also support the ‘For You, Somalia’ campaign.
One project, in Ufayn in the eastern region of Somalia, included the building of a 300-cubic-metre water collection point near water springs at the foot of a mountain and 600 cubic metre water reservoirs.
The project also included repairing and replacing the three-kilometre pipeline network.
Solar-powered pumps will be provided to pump water from the ground reservoir to an elevated water tank in the town.
The project will make it easier for residents to access potable water, reducing the distance they have to travel to obtain water.
The project will benefit about 50,000 people in the town and neighbouring villages.

Honeywell India and Safe Water Network on Tuesday launched their 75th safe water station, providing safe water access to more than 200,000 people in Telangana districts affected by groundwater contamination, including from fluorides.
This treated water complies with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ and World Health Organization’s water quality standards.
Unique technology interventions such as solar power, water ATMs, and remote monitoring system ensure uninterrupted and sustainable supply of clean drinking water.
Additionally, pressurised and automated can washer improves can washing leading to water safety.
Kurt Soderlund, CEO, Safe Water Network, said, “We are committed to ensure that communities have access to safe water, especially the poor.
This is an important step towards scaling-up safe water stations in Telangana.” Bharathi Hollikeri, IAS, District Collector, Medak District, Telangana, said, “Safe water stations in Medak district is empowering local community by providing safe drinking water access to over 50,000 people for their good health.
The price is affordable and the program is sustainable.
I appreciate Safe Water Network and Honeywell India for their commitment towards Medak community.” A series of activation events, including door-to-door consumer awareness, village-level meetings, live demonstrations of water quality, and the use of audio visuals, help raise awareness and drive safe water adoption.
Engagement at all levels of the targeted community for social, financial, and environmental sustainability ensure the continued success of the program.
It allows children to go to school every day, parents to work and improve living standards – it can transform lives.” Over the last two years, Safe Water Network and Honeywell India have set up safe water stations across Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal Rural, Warangal Urban, Jayashankar, Mahabubabad, Jagtiyal, Peddapalli, Badradri, Mancherial, Suryapet, Khammam, Medak, and Nalgonda districts.

Steps to water sustainability.
Equality and equity in the distribution of safe water is a basic human right every state needs to protect.
There are an estimated 16 million Pakistanis who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
The country was also recently declared ‘water scarce’ to which the government has yet to take any substantive measures for conservation or sustainability.
Here everyone is in contract with some private water company or another for regular cash on delivery-bottled water.
Much like the ‘milkman’, here in urban Pakistan, households have their very own ‘waterman’.
Our most common source of water exists in absenteeism of strong government legislation or ecological responsibility from individual citizens, naturally paving the way for exploitation from private companies.
In Pakistan, the issue of water is dominated by politics and mismanagement.
There is a dire need for monitoring mechanisms, and conceivable apparatus to ensure every citizen has access to safe water, and learns to use it responsibly in sync with government policy.
If we leave water conservation to the “waterman”, then their modes of extraction will not be based on the building of a sustainable water supply for all, but on the desire to constantly increase profit margins.

Steps to water sustainability.
Equality and equity in the distribution of safe water is a basic human right every state needs to protect.
There are an estimated 16 million Pakistanis who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
The country was also recently declared ‘water scarce’ to which the government has yet to take any substantive measures for conservation or sustainability.
Here everyone is in contract with some private water company or another for regular cash on delivery-bottled water.
Much like the ‘milkman’, here in urban Pakistan, households have their very own ‘waterman’.
Our most common source of water exists in absenteeism of strong government legislation or ecological responsibility from individual citizens, naturally paving the way for exploitation from private companies.
In Pakistan, the issue of water is dominated by politics and mismanagement.
There is a dire need for monitoring mechanisms, and conceivable apparatus to ensure every citizen has access to safe water, and learns to use it responsibly in sync with government policy.
If we leave water conservation to the “waterman”, then their modes of extraction will not be based on the building of a sustainable water supply for all, but on the desire to constantly increase profit margins.

Soak pits to address drinking water problem in villages.
Mahbubnagar: Thanks to the foresight of the district administration and interest shown by the people, especially in the rural areas, who took part in digging the soak pits pits and ground water re-charge trenches, across the district last year.
These trenches have been reaping fruits as they help to solve the drinking water problems during this hot summer.
“Last year , we faced drinking water scarcity problem severely as most of the bore wells in our village dried up.
The situation this year has improved as we had built soak pits at every house hold in our village.
We don’t have water problem this year.
All credit goes to the government officials who have created awareness and helped in the construction of soak pits ,” says Balashivudu of Baswaipally village of Devarkadra mandal in Mahbubnagar district.
Soak pits programme initiated with the support of State Government and the district administration have helped in the recharging of ground water tables in the villages,” said Laxma, Deputy Director of Geology and ground water resources in Mahbubnagar.
All this is possible only because of the soak pit programme which has made every drop count.
Among the successful villages which have constructed 100 percent soak pits in the district include Baswaipally in Devarkadra mandal where almost all the 300 households have constructed soak pits.

Cummins released its water conservation goal in 2014 as part of its 2020 Environmental Sustainability Plan, pledging to reduce water use intensity by 33 percent, adjusted by labor hours.
As of the third quarter of 2016, the company’s water efficiency efforts had resulted in a 42 percent intensity reduction or 18 percent on an absolute basis.
Because the Company achieved the initial goal ahead of schedule, it revised its goal to be more aggressive.
The revised 50 percent intensity reduction goal represents a total water savings of 763 million gallons of water since 2010.
With facilities located around the globe from India to Indiana, the Company has installed low-flow fixtures and efficient equipment, bioswales and regenerative dynos, low water use landscaping, stopped water leaks, and otherwise worked toward efficient processes in its facilities.
The United Nations (UN) estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the world population could be under water-stressed conditions.
To achieve the 50 percent reduction, Cummins will expand the work it does with its sites in water program management, including intensive engagement with higher water use locations, water balance creation and sub-metering.
The bioswales at the new Distribution Business Unit headquarters in Indianapolis, for example, are part of a system designed to keep about 80 percent of rainwater on the site to use for landscaping.
By 2020, Cummins plans achieve water neutrality (offset the water it uses) at 15 facilities in water-stressed communities.
This goal is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 for Clean Water and Sanitation.

75th Safe water station opened in Telangana.
Safe Water Network and Honeywell India on Tuesday launched their 75th water station, providing safe water access to more than 200,000 people in Telangana districts affected by groundwater contamination, including from fluorides.
They also announced that they will add 75 more safe water stations in 2018.
These locally-owned and locally-operated safe water stations deploy state-of-the-art six-step treatment process, including reverse osmosis and ultraviolet to purify water, they said in a statement here.
Unique technology interventions such as solar power, water ATMs, and remote monitoring system ensure uninterrupted and sustainable supply of clean drinking water.
The initiative has generated over 200 local livelihoods contributing to drudgery reduction amongst women.
"Safe water stations in Medak district is empowering local community by providing safe drinking water access to over 50,000 people for their good health.
The price is affordable and the program is sustainable," said District Collector Bharathi Hollikeri.
It allows children to go to school every day, parents to work and improve living standards – it can transform lives," said Honeywell India President Vikas Chadha.
ms/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Graphene Sieve Turns Saltwater into Drinking Water.
This is good news for Coleridge’s ancient mariner and for everyone in need of fresh water.
According to the United Nations, 85 percent of the global population lives in the driest half of the planet, 783 million people do not have access to clean water, and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation.
Desalination, or removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable, is not a new idea.
Speaking of other membranes, yes, there are already several large desalination plants around the world trying to use polymer-based membranes to filter the salt out of seawater, but the process is too inefficient and expensive for widespread use.
Thus, finding a way to turn seawater into drinking water more quickly and with minimal expense has been a key goal in the latest research.Rahul Nair from the University of Manchester is optimistic.
We also demonstrate that there are realistic possibilities to scale up the described approach and mass-produce graphene-based membranes with required sieve sizes.”Graphene oxide membranes have long been considered a promising candidate for desalination, but successfully removing salt requires the holes in the graphene oxide membrane the water passes through to be incredibly tiny.
Even though this new desalination technology is restricted to the laboratory for now, in the not-too-distant future it may be used to change an extremely abundant resource—seawater—into a very rare one—drinkable fresh water.
Tunable sieving of ions using graphene oxide membranes.
doi:10.1038/nnano.2017.21 Featured image: Graphene oxide desalination sieve.

Nicki Minaj Helps Provide Clean Water to Village in India.
According to the post, her contributions have allowed the town to build a computer center, a tailoring institute, a reading program and two wells.
“Blessings to India.
Our work is far from done.
I’ll tell you guys more about my charity work in the near future in case you’d like to be a part of it.
Love” The second image shows women praying, while Minaj wrote the caption, “I’m so proud of our sisters in India.
God is so good.
Their desire was to have water wells & places where they can worship, places where they can learn technology, computers, reading, etc.
We’re just getting started.
These women are us and we are them!” Check out the posts below.