Sonaar Luthra

Indian inventor creating affordable water purification solutions for underserved communities

Sonaar Luthra is an Indian innovator and founder of Sunlight Water Technologies, pioneering solar-powered water purification systems. Growing up in Mumbai's slums during the 2010s, Luthra witnessed the daily water crises affecting 63 million Indians. Her 2020 breakthrough invention, the Solar-Powered Water Purifier, uses UV and filtration technology to provide clean water at 1/10th the cost of traditional methods. Deployed in over 200 Indian villages through partnerships with Ashoka Innovators, these units now serve 500,000+ people daily. Luthra's 2022 TED Talk "Lighting the Path to Clean Water" went viral with 5 million views, inspiring global replication in Kenya and Bangladesh. Her team developed the "Water for All" initiative funded through crowdfunding, raising $2.1 million in 2024. Recent innovations include AI-driven monitoring systems for real-time water quality tracking, adopted by UNICEF's Clean Water Accelerator. Luthra's work was highlighted in Time Magazine's 2025 list of "100 Most Influential People" and led to collaborations with Stanford University's water engineering department. She currently advises the Indian government's Jal Jeevan Mission, helping scale rural water infrastructure. Her LinkedIn network includes partnerships with NGOs like WaterAid and engineering firms like Siemens. Luthra's vision of universal clean water access through decentralized systems is redefining global health equity.