Sindhuja Sathasan

Indian engineer developing low-cost water quality testing devices for rural communities

Sindhuja Sathasan, a chemical engineer from Tamil Nadu, created the WaterGuard Tech system in 2021 to address India's water contamination crisis. Her portable device provides real-time water quality analysis at 90% lower cost than traditional methods. The solar-powered unit uses AI-driven sensors to detect 12 contaminants, sending results directly to mobile apps. Over 300 units have been deployed across 50 villages, preventing waterborne diseases for 50,000+ people.

After witnessing water scarcity during her village's drought in 2018, Sathasan developed the prototype at IIT Madras' innovation lab. Her YouTube channel documents field-testing in Odisha and Rajasthan. The device's design won the 2022 Global Water Innovation Award and UNICEF's Tech4Dev Prize. She co-founded the Clean Water Collective to train local technicians, creating 70+ jobs for rural youth. Current projects include a blockchain-based water quality database used by 15 state governments.