There's a beautiful invention emerging in India, and it's not yet another technological gadget of dubious utility. It's called Ulta Chaata, and it's a sort of inverted umbrella that collects rainwater and turns it into drinkable water, with a bonus: it also produces electricity thanks to solar panels. Columbus' egg, right?
To spread the idea, Priya e Samit Choksi, husband and wife with a passion for nature and the environment, founded the start-up Thinkphi. Their goal? Create products that favor an intelligent use of natural resources. And Ulta Chaata is the first product which they patented.
An umbrella for water and sun
A large inverted umbrella 4 meters high, 4 meters long, 4 meters wide. Stop. When it rains, the water is collected and channeled to a filter system in the ground. Activated carbon filtration makes the water drinkable and compliant with WHO standards. Only one Ulta Chaata can collect around 100.000 liters of water per year!
And the icing on the cake? THE solar panels that cover the umbrella produce electricity which allows rainwater to be transformed into drinkable water.
Incredible that it's not everywhere
Too simple and beautiful to be true? Not at all. The invention is not only true, but has already made its appearance. Thinkphi's incredible commitment (halted only by the pandemic) has resulted in the installation of as many as 200 Ulta Chaata from 2018 to today. Even a train station shelter!
Of course, compared to the Indian population it is like saying nothing. Yet, this “umbrella” recovered almost 50 million liters of water per year and generated 337.500 kWh of energy.
It is not clear how this startup will progress in the coming years, but one thing is certain: Ulta Chaata is a brilliant idea that in its own small way could change the lives of many people.
