AUTARC|ON GmbH

With the spin-off of AUTARCON GmbH from the University of Kassel in 2010, the company set out to solve the problem of contamination and thus the greatest challenge of drinking water supply in rural developing regions. For over 12 years, AUTARCON has focused on the concerns and needs of the local population. Thanks to AUTARCON, around 100,000 people worldwide have already been supplied with safe drinking water on a long-term basis, thus improving their health in the long term.
As part of numerous development projects and the experience gained there, the technology was developed from pure water disinfection to a platform. AUTARCON can use it to solve site-specific challenges in a targeted manner. In addition to the actual drinking water treatment, a user-oriented solution that takes into account the socio-economic conditions on site also includes suitable operator models.
The Kassel-based company supplies the necessary components and know-how for this. The systems are adapted to the specific conditions on site and otherwise use locally available components wherever possible. This saves a considerable amount of material and transportation costs and transfers the added value to the respective region.

In many regions of the Global South, the lack of germ-free, quality-controlled drinking water is the cause of diarrhea and other illnesses. AUTARCON has developed a method to reliably supply people in rural areas of India and Africa with germ-free drinking water. Around 100,000 people, 30,000 of them in India alone, are already benefiting from this. The water is disinfected using a chlorine solution generated on site using solar energy. Other pollutants such as arsenic can also be removed. Consumption-based payment models cover the operating costs of the installed systems in the long term. Training courses for local staff ensure the operation of the systems.

With the help of the prize money, AUTARCON was not only able to build water disinfection plants at two locations in the Indian states of Assam and Maharashtra, which now provide around 5,000 people with clean, germ-free, drinkable water. The company has also gained valuable experience in plant construction for India and in working with Indian manufacturers, which in turn is driving the construction of further plants and facilitating joint ventures between Indian companies and AUTARCON.

PHASE 1 – Assam
AUTARCON used the prize money to build water disinfection plants in India to supply rural communities with germ-free, clean drinking water. The first plant was built in Utta Dottma in the Indian state of Assam. It can treat up to 60 cubic metres of water per day and has been supplying around 2,000 people with drinking water since January 2024. The plant consists of a newly drilled well with a well pump, buildings for the technology, an aeration and filtration system that removes harmful substances from the water, and a water tower with a storage tank. After completion, the plant was handed over to the responsible local authority. AUTARCON trained the people responsible there, who are now taking over further operations.

PHASE 2 – Maharashtra
Based on this initial practical experience in the state of Assam, AUTARCON selected the Pune region in the state of Maharashtra for a second plant of comparable size. The plant includes the disinfection system adapted to the location, new pumps and a new water pipe system. It was handed over ready for operation in March 2024 directly to the municipality of Yelse, which not only actively supported the construction but will also take over its operation. In addition to receiving clean, treated water, the approximately 3,000 inhabitants also benefit from the fact that a new water catchment on the River Pawana has improved the overall quality of the raw water. A small solar system bridges the periods when there is no public power supply in Yelse.

OUTLOOK
Both water treatment plants were planned in Germany and meet the needs of the respective region. For the installation on site, AUTARCON made sure to use components from Indian production as far as possible and worked together with manufacturers from New Delhi, Maharashtra and Kerala.

The regulations of the region also determine the payment for water usage, i.e. how and by whom the tapped drinking water is paid for. Unlike in Germany, where every household has to pay fixed fees to the water supplier depending on the amount of water consumed, there is often no control over water consumption in households in India. AUTARCON therefore offers metering and different consumption measurement models that can be used according to the wishes of the responsible operator or the municipality.

The newly constructed water supply system in Utta Dottma (Assam state) in India supplies around 3,000 people with clean drinking water. The inauguration in December 2023 took place together with local representatives of the health authority and plant operators from the community.

The newly constructed water supply system in Yelse, Maharashtra, India, has been supplying around 2,000 people with clean drinking water since January 2024. The water meter was installed by some of the dedicated villagers. The disinfected water is channelled into the water towers and distributed to the village from there.
(c) AUTARCON

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