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Coast Guard commissions device which extracts drinking water from atmosphere

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The Times of India      22.11.2013

Coast Guard commissions device which extracts drinking water from atmosphere

PUDUCHERRY: A device which can extract pure drinking water from atmosphere was commissioned here by the Coast Guard as part of the World Fisheries and Fishermen Day celebrations on Thursday.

Puducherry district collector S B Deepak Kumar inaugurated the facility at the fishing harbour in Thengaithittu.

N Somasundaram, commanding officer of the Indian Coast Guard station in Puducherry, said the coast guard would pay Rs 4,000 per month to Chennai-based Akashganga AME India Pvt Ltd which developed the device.

The equipment, Akash Ganga, yields roughly 160 litres per day after processing moisture content in the atmospheric air. It sucks atmospheric air with the help of a fan and condenses it to extract water from moisture. It has a 12 micron air filter to filter impurities and suspended particles in the air. Apart from the filter in the suction, the equipment has three more filtration processes to ensure that the water is free from bacteria and microbes.

"Akash Ganga is a perennial solution for water crisis. The equipment, which has excellent filtration techniques, yields drinking water free of any microbes or bacteria. Contamination occurs only when water comes in contact with the earth. The equipment sucks atmospheric air, filters it at different levels and condenses it to extract water," Akashganga managing director T M Shyam Sunder told TOI.

Explaining the advantages of the technique, Sunder said the equipment does not leave any effluent. Moreover, it does not require any major source of water, and the high quantity of moisture in the air serves as the source of water. The equipment is eco-friendly as it consumes very limited ground water resource.

"It is an effort to address the over reliance on depleting ground water resources. There is no dearth of atmospheric air and humidity in any part of the world. Higher the humidity the equipment extracts more water. Even in places where the relative humidity is as less as 25%, the equipment extracts water from atmospheric air," he said.

The first unit was commissioned in the country at the Punjab Regiment Centre, Indian Army, in 2004. Akashganga AME India Pvt Ltd commissioned 16 units at the centre followed by four units at the Indian Coast Guard station in Chennai, 10 at Indian Council of Medical Research in Chennai and 12 at the Port Blair centre of the Pondicherry University. The firm has sold more than 1,000 units to individuals in several parts of the country, besides in foreign countries like Oman and Dubai.

The equipment, which costs Rs 1.6 lakh, will last for a minimum of seven to 10 years. It extracts water at destinations less than 150km to 200km from the coast. 

Last Updated on Friday, 22 November 2013 10:38
 

CM inaugurates low cost eatery at Govt general hospital

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News Today       22.11.2013

CM inaugurates low cost eatery at Govt general hospital 

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday inaugurated popular low-cost eatery 'Amma Unavagam' at the Government general hospital here. The Chief Minister launched the initiative through videoconferencing from the state Secretariat. 

Spread over 5100 square feet, the eatery can accommodate 300 persons at a time, a government release said, adding it has been designed to accommodate persons with disabilities, with ramps and low-raise tables provided for their benefit.

Amma Unavagam named after Jayalalithaa (addressed as Amma, meaning mother, by her followers), serves breakfast and lunch at low prices, mainly targeted at the poor and middle class workers and others.

The Chief Minister had launched the effort in February this year and all 200 wards of Chennai Corporation have these canteens even as it is being expanded to some other parts of the state.

Further, she launched the first phase of Corporation of Chennai's scheme to provide five lakh mosquito nets to persons living on the banks of river Cooum. A total of 78,184 nets have been procured for the first phase. She launched the scheme by giving away nets to four beneficiaries.

 

Awareness march for World Toilet Day

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The Hindu             22.11.2013

Awareness march for World Toilet Day

Students of various schools in the city participated in an awareness march taken out in connection with the World Toilet Day observation, in the city on Thursday. The students, carrying placards highlighting the importance of using toilets, marched from Ponnagar to the St. John’s Vestry Higher Secondary School Junction. Mayor A. Jaya flagged off the march in the presence of V.P. Thandapani, Commissioner, and R. Gnanasekar, K. Abishekapuram zonal chairperson. Later, a seminar was also held at the St. John’s Vestry School.

 


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