In a report by WaterAid report published in 2016, India was ranked as one of the worst countries hit by a water shortage crisis. An estimated 76 million people in the country do not have access to safe drinking water, compelling many to avail of any tap water they can find.
Being the basic need for every living being, a direct relationship is seen between economically weaker social groups who cannot afford water filters and a high level of diseases like cholera, typhoid, polio and more. That’s where the seed for NirNal was born – affordable and portable water filters that are sold at just Rs. 30!
Compassion leading to Clean Water
Necessity is the mother of Invention. A mechanical engineer in the making, Niranjan Karagi happened to be in a school playground when he witnessed some children collecting water from the playground’s tap, contaminated and unsafe for them.
Coming from a middle-class family, Niranjan had never faced such a situation, and this incident moved him so much that he went ahead to look for ways he could contribute to the school for making the water safer.
Purchasing water filters for a whole bunch of kids and the added cost of the maintenance was an unconquerable challenge for a student. However, the studies made him cognizant of the components of a filter, inspiring him to make his own. After a long trial and error method, he developed a water filter that took four months in 2016.
Difficult the challenge might have been, but the results were amazing. The rural people he initially wanted to help benefitted from the filters that can be fitted to a bottle – turning Niranjan into an entrepreneur from an inventor. NirNal, a water filter that can also ‘fit into your pocket’, both literally and pricewise. It can be adapted to fit water bottles as well, making them easy for kids to use.
In 2017, NirNal developed a more efficient version of the product after taking feedback from users and Niranjan began its commercial production. The filter uses simple materials like cotton, netted mesh, and activated carbon to filter dust particles and bacteria. It gives drinkable water within seconds. In the first year of its launch, around 8000 NirNal portable water filters were bought, mostly for government-school students and local farmers.
Till now, the brand has sold more than two lakh units in India. Moreover, they are exported to different African countries, and nations like Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia, even USA. As a mark of the progress, NirNal also supplies its products to the CRPF India and other Indian military and defence personnel.
Change of streams
“Innovation is one part and business handling is totally different,” says Niranjan recalling the time he had just started selling his newest invention. “They both are separate streamlines,” he adds, as marketing his product and taking care of the business was a challenge for him.
Lack of funds was worrying him till his work got so popular that he started getting funded by big companies and confederations like Deshpande Foundation, Coca-Cola, Startup India, CII and more. Before that, he worked as a one-man army as hiring a team was near-impossible. Niranjan shares, “I only put Rs. 2000 for my brand! But the impressive design of the product has been the reason it has been certified by various government as well as private labs.”
Miles to Go
Being an empathetic and innovative person, Karagi does not think of stopping just here, planning bigger things for his brand and needy people. “During natural events like tsunamis, we see water sources getting contaminated by seawater. So I am planning to develop a sea-water purifier after researching thoroughly,” informs Niranjan.
Whether you are travelling or staying in a place with dirty water, this water filter can be a fool-proof option to make sure you don’t get sick, with NirNal’s travel-friendly option. If you are thinking of bringing NirNal home, you can also opt for the ultra-filtration unit.
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