Can one spell of rain get 225 litres of usable water for a home? Can a simple device fit into a tap and save a substantial amount of water and reduce consumption? These questions become pertinent as Chennai faces one of the worst water crises.

Those living in Chennai have been brought to their knees over the past few weeks because of water scarcity, and in an attempt to make it easier to save and collect water, some residents have come up with ingenious solutions. Among them is 45-year-old Dayanand Krishnan, who has managed to collect 225 litres of rainwater with a homemade contraption; and a company called Earth Fokus, that is selling water-saving devices for homes as well as commercial establishments.

“When I saw clouds starting to accumulate over Chennai skies last week, I decided to set up some pipes from our terrace. These pipes emptied into a barrel which we already had to store water from the panchayat pipe,” Dayanand tells TNM. He managed to save around 225 litres from the rain Chennai received last week. And all that he had to spend to make this setup work is Rs 250 – to buy pipes and some filter cloth.

Pipe-and-barrel dream

Dayanand’s house already has a borewell and a rainwater harvesting system in place, but both were useless for the family as the groundwater table dried up in Chennai. His family depends on private water tankers to get water for domestic use, and they pay around Rs 1,200 for 6,000 litres of water. In such a situation, the rains came as a blessing for the family.

“A major share of our requirement is for house chores like washing vessels, restrooms etc. The water we saved last week was used for bathrooms, washing clothes and vessels, and mopping the house for 3-4 days,” Dayanand says.

A mist opportunity

While Dayanand has done what he can to save rainwater, a Chennai-based company is doing its part to help people reduce their consumption of water while washing vessels, vegetables or their own hands. Earth Fokus manufactures devices that could be fitted to taps to reduce water flow by 95%.

“The devices actually help in creating a misty form of water which, while reducing water usage, gives the same effect as tap water for the user,” says Arun Subramaniam, the company’s founder. The company was founded in 2017 by Arun, who had made the device as a solution to save water in his mentor Najeeba’s kitchen. Though it took months of trial and error to finally perfect the commercial version of the product, he tells TNM that the results so far have been encouraging.

“We have two products – Qua Mist and Eco Mist. Qua Mist is suitable for homes and kitchens while Eco Mist is fitted inside the taps and is better suitable for companies and commercial establishments that place bulk orders,” says Arun.

IT services giant Cognizant has reportedly fitted Eco Mist in all their Chennai offices. “That was a great boost to our company and our product. After they fitted Eco Mist devices in their offices, CTS has apparently reduced water consumption by 7,000 litres per day in each of their buildings.” Arun explains. These devices have also seen a surge in sales in the last three months, he adds.

Both these products are made of brass and are priced at Rs 550 (Eco Mist) and Rs 660 (Qua mist). These can be bought on the company’s website.