THE SITUATION

The super cyclone Amphan registered a landfall in the Indian state of West Bengal on the 20th of May 2020, ripping the Sunderban Delta and subsequently caused mass destruction across various parts of West Bengal. For a region that is already strained by the impacts of COVID 19 pandemic, Amphan’s landfall came in as the most unprecedented environmental and social disaster leaving a plight of millions stranded.

Hingalganj, a small fishing hamlet in West Bengal, was one among the majorly devastated parts due to the footfall of the cyclone. This village where uninterrupted power supply still remains to be distant dream, access to clean and safe drinking water facility came in as a respite to the locals.

THE SOLUTION

In the year 2017, Grundfos set up a solar pond purification process using Grundfos AQpure system. The surface water and bore wells in the village contained high arsenic and TDS concentration which resulted in high cost to produce treated water. The presence of contaminants caused water borne diseases.

Grundfos AQpure solar powered system with multimedia filtration process removed all physical and biological contaminants from pond, that served as the major source of drinking water for the locals. They were provided with smart card to collect water from the dispenser unit, Grundfos AQtap. The entire setup was solar powered and provided uninterrupted clean and safe drinking water to the people during the calamity.

THE OUTCOME

During the calamity, Grundfos AQpure and AQtap water dispenser unit at Hingalganj, served approximately 2500 locals and also people from adjoining communities, several security personnel and continues to serve the community by producing 10,000 litres of clean drinking water every day. The solar panels and the structure of the system withstood wind speeds of 140-150Kmph and remain unscathed.