Pune-based start-up Anashwar Technologies Private Limited has won the first prize of Rs five lakh in the Grand Water Saving Challenge, it was announced on Monday.
The nationwide competition focused on the development of smart toilets that could clean faeces with minimal water usage and was organised by Hindustan Unilever in association with Startup India, Invest India, Toilet Board Coalition and AGNIi programme of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
Smart toilet design
Anashwar Technologies emerged as the winner with its innovative solution that tackles the pressing issue of water scarcity and sanitation challenges.
"Our smart toilet design not only minimizes water consumption but also ensures effective faeces removal, thus promoting hygiene and environmental sustainability," said the company's CEO Karan Tarade.
The competition, which aims to promote innovation in water-saving technologies and sustainable sanitation practices, saw participation from numerous startups, universities, and research institutions from all corners of India.
The solutions presented by the participants were evaluated by a panel of experts, who assessed the designs based on their technological innovation, feasibility, and potential impact.
Anashwar Technologies' winning solution incorporates intelligent design and physics concepts to optimize water usage while maintaining high standards of cleanliness. "Our smart toilet has a mechanism that uses minimal water to flush and clean," he said.
Tarade, a mechanical engineer, in 2018 won first prize in the 'Smart India Hackathon' promoted by Niti Ayyog for his ultra-portable water disinfectant system project.
Amid a surge in the demand for supplemental oxygen during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Anashwar Technologies had developed a do-it-yourself (DIY) design for an oxygen concentrator by tweaking open-source resources to Indian conditions.
