Murdoch students, together with Moerk Water and students from Carmel College of Engineering, undertook a life changing trip to India as part of the Australian Government's New Colombo Plan program.
Murdoch University environmental engineering students partnered with engineering students from the Carmel College of Engineering, Alappuzha, to bring Moerk Water's life-saving solar powered portable reverse osmosis unit to villages in the Indian Region of Kerala.
Delivering drinkable water to remote communities around the world through simplified desalination technology, Moerk Water offers sustainable, self-contained and integrated desalination products.
According to Dr Stewart Dallas, Research Fellow in Environmental Engineering at Murdoch, the system's reliance on solar rather than an external power supply was not only an amazing experience for his students, but also a game-changer for the local community.
"Being able to work with Moerk Water's technology so easily in a foreign country was a fantastic opportunity for the students of both countries.
"When we demonstrated the unit to villagers everyone could see the real potential of a technology that could provide safe drinking water powered by the sun."
The system's robust design and ease of operation provides communities like those in the remote state of Kerala with a dependable, long-term source of fresh water that can easily be maintained by locals. For villagers who have long struggled with a lack of rainfall and fresh water sources, the visit from Murdoch University and Carmel College students has made a profound impact on their daily lives.
Students change lives of remote villagers in the Kerala Region
Murdoch University and Carmel College engineering students demonstrated the ease of setting up the portable Moerk Water solar powered reverse osmosis units to amazed locals in the remote Kerala Region.
Within just 10 minutes, the units were able to convert water containing bacteria and contaminants such as pesticides from agricultural runoff into drinking water which met World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
Thanks to the accessibility and performance of the desalination systems, Dr Kuruvilla Mathew, Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Murdoch's School of Engineering and Information Technology, has high hopes for the future of sustainability in Kerala.
"Moerk Water Solutions is a very helpful tool to provide good and safe drinking water to the areas where there is strong scarcity of drinking water exist. Our project will have a great future in Kerala."
International experience part of a Murdoch education
Murdoch students were able to undertake the trip thanks to The New Colombo Plan, an exciting initiative of the Australian Government which aims to increase knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting undergraduates to study and participate in internships in the region.
Funding is offered for programs of study of up to one year and includes a flexible mobility grants program for both short and longer-term study, internships, mentorships, practicums and research.
Thanks to being allocated nearly $560,000 in funding for 2019, 137 Murdoch students from multiple disciplines will be able to participate in 12 mobility projects to locations including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore Vietnam, and Thailand.
For Murdoch student Azella Trevenen, the program gave him a glimpse into the struggles of those living in a world far removed from his own, and most importantly, the opportunity to make a real difference.
"The program offered a good opportunity to establish roots in another country which offered a completely different cultural environment and language than my own.
"I think the biggest thing I learnt in the NCP trip was that though India has a lot of water there is a massive lack of fresh water which communities in Kerala are actively seeking solutions for. It was amazing to be able to help."
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