Wello Waterwheel: Wheel Reinvented with a Watery Twist

In my last post, AIRE Concept: Converting Passive Human Energy to Electricity!, I mentioned about the innovations in technology to solve the basic problems of the world brought about by TEDxgateway event which was held in Mumbai in December 2012 partnered by the Franklin Templeton Investments. The last post was concerned with the production of electricity from passive human energy which was brilliant according to me!

This year the Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxgateway event in December 2012. As I mentioned in my last post, I was hugely inspired by the ideas presented by the speakers that I couldn't resist telling the world about it through my blog and doing my bit in spreading the young innovations that we need now. So here's another such innovation to provide clean water to people.

The problem:

One billion people on the planet lack access to safe drinking water. They have to travel large distances carrying a huge amount of water on their heads. This can be observed even in villages of Rajasthan and nearby desert areas. The problems in this process are as follows:

1. Time-consuming. On an average, women have to be spend a quarter of a day in travelling these large distances. 
2. Too Heavy. A person needs 5 gallons of water per day which weighs 20 kg. Now, a family of five will need 25 gallons which will weigh 100 kg! 
3. Large number of trips. As, in India, this work of bringing water is done only by women, the mother and daughter have to together carry 100 kgs for which they will have to undertake a large number of trips or manage with lesser amount of water.
4. Missing out on other opportunities. The girls tend to drop out school at an early age so that they can help their mother in this very necessary daily chore. At the age when they can get educated and a find a job to bring themselves out of poverty and hence, this misery, they lose the opportunities and thus remain entangled in this cycle of poverty-trap.
5. Health problems. Carrying so much weight everyday for almost their entire life, the women suffer from chronic back problems in the spinal cord, become weak and thus, lead a very disturbing life health-wise.

The solution:

Cynthiya Koenig has taken into consideration the problems of these people and worked upon them She reinvented the wheel and created Wello Waterwheel (in the right picture). This water wheel solves almost all the problems of carrying water safely. 

It provides the people with the following features:

1. Convenient. With this, women can carry 50 L water at once - which means more water in less time.
2. Hygienic. It is closed form the top and thus prevents any sort of contamination on the way back.
3. Easy to transport. The waterwheel just have to be pushed and not carried on the head which means no more back problems.
4. Saves time. It requires lesser time and energy and thus the children are not required in the process anymore. They can go back to studying and making a career for themselves and their family. 
5. Affordable and long lasting. By local manufacturing and CSR partnerships, the estimated cost will be between Rs 750- Rs 1000.

Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012. (video)

It's our turn to do my bit for the environment. :)

This post is a part of The Idea Caravan contest organised by Franklin Templeton Investments and IndiBlogger.