Hydrodoser Installation, January 2020
AguaClara Reach (ACR) India Program Project Manager Fletcher Chapin arrived in Bhubaneswar, India on January 10th to continue our work with Gram Vikas (GV) to deliver safe drinking water in the Indian communities of Patimul and Majhi Ukhura.
ACR and GV partnered in 2017 to design, construct, and install Hydrodosers in several locations throughout the Indian state of Odisha. The Hydrodoser is AguaClara’s gravity-powered chlorine doser which automatically and accurately provides flow-paced disinfection of low-turbidity water. Ground or spring water enters a building which houses the Hydrodoser, where it is disinfected before heading to the storage tank used for distribution.
Fletcher joined GV manager Joseph Kalassery, GV technician Apriya Maharana, and the rest of the team at their offices in Bhubaneswar. They then traveled to the village of Lahanda to replace a broken design tube in a Hydrodoser system that GV installed in 2018. After working with the operator to replace the tube, the team continued to the next Hydrodoser site in the rural community of Patimul. The Lahanda system operator has since reported that the Hydrodoser is working well following the tube replacement.
On January 17th, Fletcher, Joseph, and Apriya met GV engineer Debashish Mohapatra in Patimul. Upon arrival, excitement grew among community members in Patimul as the ACR water project designed to bring safe water to Patimul was becoming a reality. Community members helped the team unload supplies, and haul tools, pipes, and water system fittings uphill to the building where the Hydrodoser would be installed.
As a nonprofit technical support organization, ACR seeks to promote and facilitate the implementation of AguaClara water treatment technologies around the world. We fulfill this mission by transferring technical expertise to local partners, and with the hard work of GV and ACR team members, work in India has progressed exceedingly well. While in Patimul, Fletcher trained Debashish on the Hydrodoser’s design and operation. GV’s team and Patimul’s community members skillfully constructed and installed the Hydrodoser within three days of the team’s arrival in Patimul. The system was calibrated a week later and began disinfecting the town’s drinking water one week after that, with the system fully functional by January 28th.
Following the Hydrodoser startup, the team prepared to operate the raw water pump, which pumps source water from the well and up to a tank, where it combines with gravity-fed spring water, and is then treated by the Hydrodoser prior to flowing out to the community. The pump operated as intended, water flowed through the pipes and was treated by the Hydrodoser! Plumbing was successful, the team was overjoyed, and everyone celebrated! This Hydrodoser is the first of its kind in Gajapati District, and its completion marks an exciting step for the community of Patimul, GV, and ACR in our joint endeavors to secure safe water on tap.
GV and ACR members with the Hydrodoser installed in Patimul. From left to right: Sudanshu (GV Supervisor), Fletcher, Debashish, Apriya, and John (GV Driver).
Throughout the entire experience of installing the Hydrodoser in Patimul, Fletcher was grateful to experience the generosity of the community. Every day, the team was treated to fresh cups of chai and delicious chicken curry to savor during breaks in the day. Schoolchildren, upon discovering that Fletcher was from the US, were eager to practice their English and converse with him. In the evenings, the team would join families around a fire as they shared stories in Oriya, the native language of Odisha. These evenings became a time for cultural exchange, as Fletcher would share pictures from the US as the community members shared stories of their own.
The next Hydrodoser installation is in Majhi Ukhura, where Fletcher arrived on January 25, 2020. We’ll catch up with Fletcher in our next blog post and provide updates on our work in Majhi Ukhura, India, as we travel on the road with ACR!
Our work in India is made possible by our incredible partners at Gram Vikas and the Tata Cornell Institute. Thank you so much for your support.