With water scarcity plaguing prime regions in India this summer, there is an urgent need to find an affordable solution. One possible alternative that can substitute water sources during the scorching summers in India is Gabrielle Diamanti’s solar powered saline water purifier.

The simple effective device is a personal desalination still that can be designed with expenditure falling under fifty dollars. The ‘Eliodomestico’ work like an upside down coffee percolator and has a simple design that can be achieved with widely available materials.

The desalination takes place in two ceramic pieces that sit one atop the other. In the top piece is a black container where the saline water is poured. The sun heats the container, converting water into steam. As the pressure of the steam builds in the top container, it is forced down a tube into the lower ceramic piece where it condenses and collects in the basin of the container.

The remarkable utility of this device is defined by its capacity to collect and purify about five litres of water per day. The container is designed to be transported on the head- a common practice of water collection in many rural regions in India. This device is half the price of a normal solar still and provides two litres of more freshwater than the normal still.

No fuel, no electricity. and no maintenance make it ideal for usage by people from all walks of life. The design is available as an open-source project for anyone who wants to make one and is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/. This device can be built from readily available materials anywhere.

The design was a finalist at Prix Emile Hermes competition 201 and also received a special mention at the Well-Tech Award 2012. It was also the pro winner of the Core 77 Design Awards 2012 in the social impact category.

As the journalist Jay Syrmopoulos of The Free Thought Project puts it, this revolutionary ceramic solar-powered still has the ability to combat one of the greatest threats to human life in the developing world, that is, water scarcity.

The Logical Indian appreciates the efforts of Gabrielle Diamonti for this innovative design that could be a lifesaver for numerous people from all the developing countries.