Tripura startup’s mobile water purifier brings safe drinking water to flood-hit Assam villages

Amguri: Each monsoon, swollen rivers in Assam submerge villages, displace families, and damage homes and infrastructure. This year has been no different. Beyond the immediate damage, a second crisis emerges when the waters recede: access to safe drinking water.

Floodwater contaminates wells, ponds and community sources with sewage and waste, raising the risk of water-borne diseases. With supply chains cut off, finding clean water becomes a daily struggle for affected families.

To help bridge that gap, InstaWater, a startup incubated at Tripura University, has deployed its patented mobile water purification technology in flood-hit areas of Assam.

The team recently reached Amguri and supplied more than 2,000 litres of purified drinking water to around 30 affected families. Instead of trucking in bottled water, the portable unit treats contaminated floodwater on-site and converts it into safe drinking water.“By providing clean water at the point of need, we can address an urgent requirement and also reduce the risk of disease outbreaks that often follow floods,” said InstaWater founder Prof Harjeet Nath. He led the effort along with M Tech student Ashim and technician Santanu.

InstaWater’s mobile unit draws from available local sources and purifies them directly in the village, making it viable for remote locations where conventional supply is difficult.

The intervention highlights a growing role for indigenous technology in disaster response. As climate-related floods become more frequent, solutions like this can complement rescue and relief work by government agencies and NGOs.

“For vulnerable communities, access to safe water is the most basic need after a flood,” the team said. “Locally developed innovation can help communities recover faster.”With the monsoon continuing across the state, InstaWater plans to take the mobile purification system to more flood-affected villages in Assam.