Gravity-Powered Surface Water Treatment
Fulbright scholar and water researcher William Pennock conducted a masterclass on AguaClara - a gravity-powered, electricity-free water purification system. He started the session by talking about the history of water purification - how cholera and typhoid epidemics in the past reduced after the implementation of filtration and chlorination. He then presented the challenges of designing water filtration systems - poor feedback mechanism, conservative designs and various stakeholders. He later spoke about how AguaClara plants overcome the above constraints, and also costing a fraction of conventional mechanized systems. It’s easy to maintain and sustainable, therefore a viable option for rural communities that are resource limited.
About the Researcher
William Pennock is a PhD candidate at Cornell Engineering and a Fulbright scholar. Since 2019, he has been working with Gram Vikas in Bhubaneshwar India. Gram Vikas is a not-for-profit, development organisation that helps improve the quality of life in the villages of Odisha and neighbouring States. He was awarded the 2014 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He completed his undergraduate studies in 2013 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he was named the CEE Department’s Outstanding Senior.
Connected Exhibits and Programmes
Street Puddle Fountain by Oren Ailam - an exhibit which turns urban problems into a playful performance
India’s Water Problems have Simple Solutions by Mihir Shah - a public lecture on a new approach to water management