Title : Fabrication of nanotechnology-based energy-efficient, affordable and user-friendly water filtration membrane
Abstract:
I come from Sindh, Pakistan, where many communities still face serious challenges due to the lack of access to the clean and safe drinking water. Growing up and I am witnessed how vulnerable families, especially in provinces such as Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab, can depend on unsafe water sources for their daily needs. There are many families already facing poverty, expensive purification systems and electricity-dependent technologies are often not realistic for them. This problem became personal to me, and I began asking myself. What can I do to help solve it? My journey started from environmental research to the building of innovative startup (NanoDrop), a climate-tech initiative developing nanotechnology-based affordable, energy-efficient and sustainable water filtration solutions for underserved communities. My experience at PCRWR, together with my research in nanotechnology and water treatment, helped me turn this community problem into a practical innovation. Building a startup NanoDrop has not been easy. I faced technical challenges, financial limitations and failures. But these experiences taught me that innovation is not only about developing technology in a laboratory. It is about understanding communities, listening to people, testing solutions in real conditions, building partnerships and continuously improving. Today, I am working to take this local idea toward wider impact. My startup NanoDrop has received support including the US$8,500 UNESCO × Nestlé Youth Impact Grant, and I have represented Pakistan through international sustainability and innovation platforms. To make this solution a reality, we need research, field testing, funding, strong partnerships and collaboration with communities, governments, researchers and development organizations. My journey from Sindh has taught me that a local problem can become a wider mission and my journey has only just begun.
