Smriti Bhaya

2023 - 2024

From:

India

Sector:

Heathcare/Pharma

Location:

India

Degree:

Masters of Urban Studies and Planning

To cater to the approximately 71 million people in rural India that lack access to clean water, Smriti started Purifyx with her team last year.
Smriti, originally from Mumbai, India has seen the firsthand impact of this in rural villages across the Indian Subcontinent. Without access to tap water these people rely on groundwater and river water which are often contaminated with bacteria and metallic pollutants. She has always been passionate about leveraging nature-based solutions to build scalable and affordable solutions for social impact.

Through Purifyx, she aims to deliver a low tech, passive water filtration system with a local supply chain – made for the household scale. Unlike other domestic water filters, it reaches the rural community with a system made for their lifestyle, while removing even the most stubborn contaminants. The process takes 6-7 hours, and the supply is ongoing. This provides the household with a constant supply of water that they can store in their existing clay vessels. For long term success, they partner with existing community action teams, called ‘paani panchayats/local water councils.

With a degree in architecture, she has worked with private firms, local municipal governments, and non-profit organizations to deliver built environment solutions for communities. This she believes will help her effectively manage the stakeholders involved and address the targeted needs of the communities, adopting a co-design approach to deliver a product that fits within the existing lifestyle of the rural users.