Govt greenlights Kerala scientist's chlorine dioxide-based water cleanser

By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) When the annual monsoon fury hits the country, thousands of rivers, lakes, ponds, wells and reservoirs overflow not only with water, but also with dirt, silt, muck and massive invisible armies of bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa, streptococci and other complex micro-organisms -- forming a 'deadly cocktail'.

After undergoing a series of treatment and filtration processes by the local civic bodies -- using specific levels of Chlorine as the chief ingredient -- and running through domestic water-filters, the apparently ‘crystal clear’ drinking water finally reaches your glass.

Doctors, however, still advise people to “always boil water for 8-10 minutes before drinking”, especially for kids -- as 80 per cent of all diseases are water-borne.

“The water, including the so-called bottled mineral waters, that we consume is not entirely safe as widely perceived. Despite clearing all types of processes, the final outcome still teems with many invisible micro-organisms that play havoc with public health, plus, Chlorine is worldwide known to cause or aggravate cancers,” said hydro-scientist Ranjith P. Dinesh, Managing Director of GeoBlue Water Technologies Pvt Ltd.

In a chat with IANS here, the Kerala-based expert termed unsafe water as “a very grave health problem for humanity, virtually left ‘untreated’, with massive repercussions on people, countries, economies and the global health-care network”.

As per WHO figures, Dinesh said over 2 billion people are forced to use unsafe or contaminated drinking water, polluted with chemicals, arsenic, fluorides/nitrate, emerging contaminants, invisible faeces or microbes that cause diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio, respiratory infections, neglected tropical diseases, etc, claiming over 10 lakh lives annually.

To counter this grim scenario, Dinesh has come up with a tested and approved formula, 'GeoBlue', that ‘medicates’ and ‘treats’ water, with technical collaboration from Japan, Scotland, China and India - right from your domestic pots to water-bottling plants to massive natural or artificial reservoirs storing billions of gallons of the life-giving liquid.

“Our water ‘treatment’ is approved by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, FSSAI, National Sanitation Foundation, and meets WHO standards. The water treatment industry in India stands at a staggering Rs.35,000-crore, and worth billions of dollars globally. Yet, health costs and fatalities from water-borne diseases continuously shoot up,” Dinesh said.

Elaborating on GeoBlue, he said a small 1-litre 'dose', costing around Rs 240.00, packs a big punch to ‘kill’ all microorganisms in up to 60,000 litres in 30 minutes flat.

This is sufficient to provide ‘clean, disease-free’ drinking water with enhanced taste, to a large-sized metropolitan housing complex with 200 flats, big and small hospitals, schools, colleges, factories, corporate houses, railways, airlines, malls, small towns, villages, huge religious or political or social gatherings, et al.

“GeoBlue is a Chlorine Dioxide (CLO2) formula, with a higher oxidation capability than the dangerous Chlorine used to disinfect water. It is even five times more powerful against complex micro-organisms which escape from Chlorine,” said Dinesh, citing latest scientific studies.

CLO2 is a small, gaseous and very strong molecule with one atom of Chlorine and 2 atoms of Oxygen, exists as a free radical in dilute solutions, is odour-free and is a hugely different oxidising agent compared to Chlorine, he explained.

“Our GeoBlue is the only water disinfectant with so many approvals, it is economical, eco-friendly, totally harmless to humans and animals, and kills all types of deadly complex microorganisms, including Streptococci which is rid only after boiling water for minimum 8 minutes, so saves huge fuel also,” Dinesh said.

Currently available in bags or pocket-pouches (to disinfect water even on the move), the GeoBlue Water Technologies Pvt Ltd will soon launch it in even cheaper, easy-to-use transport and capsule form, he said.

Presently, the company is tapping various states, district and civic bodies, water authorities, along with international organisations, to popularise GeoBlue and ensure people drink ‘fully disinfected water’ -- at a fractional extra cost, slashing huge medical bills and saving millions of human lives.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: [email protected])