Rajesh Maurya

Indian innovator who developed affordable water purification systems for rural communities

Rajesh Maurya's 2021 invention of the Swacch Jala filtration system has transformed access to clean water in India's remote villages. His low-cost device uses graphene-coated sand filters that require no electricity, providing safe drinking water for 1.2 million people across 8 states by 2024. The technology won the Water Innovation Prize (2022) and the UNESCO-Japan Prize (2023).

Founder of PureH2O Technologies, Maurya designed a decentralized distribution model where local women's collectives operate and maintain the filtration units. This approach created 3,000+ micro-entrepreneur roles while reducing waterborne illnesses by 65% in implementation areas.

His 2023 partnership with UNICEF expanded the initiative to Bangladesh and Nepal, treating 500,000 liters daily. Maurya's open-source blueprint has been adopted by 23 countries through Global Water Hub's network.