https://medium.com/thenextnorm/what-am-i-doing-f476b72db86

The Sehgal Foundation efforts are focused on one of three different areas, Good Rural Governance, Water Management, and Agricultural Development. I have been assigned to the Water Management Department specifically under the Bio-Sand Filter Project. The Bio-Sand Filter is a structure that consists of a cylinder that holds layers of sand and gravel that can filter out biological impurities, iron, and arsenic. This contraption has been around since the 1980s and was invented by a Canadian researcher. In the original designing, the unit was constructed of concrete, but this caused some problems with field use as the outer shell were prone to cracks and the unit was often too heavy to survive transport in difficult terrain. In response to this problem, Lalit Mohan Sharma Director of Adaptive Technologies at SM Sehgal innovated on the design and constructed a model out of stainless steel. This not only made the unit cheaper to manufacture and thus could be sold at a cheaper price, but it also had increased durability in field use. This filter is more than 90% effective in removing bacteria and viruses, and more than 80% effective in removing heavy metals like iron and arsenic. Both of these metals are found in groundwater in certain parts of India and without proper removal, drinkers can develop cancer and other health problems. So this filter in short….is literally amazing.

My first exposure to the BSF was in 2017 in my Iowa World Food Prize paper. I was analyzing the prominent health issues in Bangladesh due to the high levels of arsenic in their water. I specifically cited the Sehgal Foundations invention as a viable and affordable solution to help combat this issue. Little did I know that a year later I would actually have conversations with the inventor himself.