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Project Gilghi started as a conversation among Australian engineers whose goal was to provide remote access to clean water. Those talks lead to a containerized water treatment system that can produce up to 28 kiloliters of water per day using innovative and sustainable technology.
“Water is a precious resource, as we know, and something that most of us tend to take for granted,” said Aurecon process engineer Sachini De Silva, who co-created the sustainable, off-grid solution.
Gilghi’s flexible, modular design and three-step water sanitization system make the innovation unique. Gilghi is housed in a shipping container and operates on solar power and a stand-alone hybrid power supply. Water is fed in from sources, including bores, and stored in an inlet tank before passing through three stages of filtration treatment.
Adopting a “plug and play approach,” Gilghi only requires truck transportation and a forklift to install. Its modular, containerized design makes it easy to use in settings where a cost-effective water solution is required, including areas experiencing drought, local agribusiness, oil, mining and gas sectors, as well as for disaster relief.
The results have been tremendous. Since its installation in a remote Australian community, Gilghi transformed the town’s supply of water for drinking and growing crops. The project has also provided new training and employment opportunities for locals who operate and maintain the unit.
Sachini and Gilghi co-creator Aurecon design director Julian Briggs believe Project Gilghi has the potential to be introduced in various locations and settings around the world and to be scaled internationally to assist in agribusiness and disaster relief. Sachini and the team of engineers behind Project Gilghi are already in discussions with international suppliers to help advance water solutions globally.
Gilghi is just the beginning. “I really do hope that we’re able to roll more units out to other communities in Australia and around the world. Projects like Gilghi are what we hope will make the world a better place,” said De Silva.
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