Dubai teen's solar water plant brings safe drinking water to UP village

An 18-year-old Dubai student, Vehaan Subramanian, has funded and built a solar-powered water treatment plant in a Uttar Pradesh village to combat arsenic contamination, using his birthday savings and fundraising. The plant serves over 3,000 residents in Parsiya village, Lakhimpur Kheri. Project ARUNA treats around 2,000 litres of groundwater per hour, reducing arsenic levels from 0.026 mg/litre to below 0.005 mg/litre. Vehaan financed half the plant's cost personally, with the rest from a reading club he ran. The system was designed for easy maintenance by villagers without specialised skills. The project was developed with UP Jal Nigam and district authorities, who provided government land. Vehaan was inspired after watching a video on arsenic contamination, and his research identified Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal as affected areas. Jal Nigam is considering permission for a second installation.