Girl uses hair mesh to clean water bodies

City girl Mannat Samra has come up with a unique way remove oil-based pollutants from contaminated water bodies and drains. Currently studying at Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur, she has taken taken up the challenge to mitigate the impact of water pollution in the Tung Dhab drain in Amritsar. Spanning 44.2 km, the drain ultimately merges with Ravi. However, the drain has off late become a subject of environmental debate due to the presence of pollutants.

Mannat uses human hair to make these mesh tubes that are then thrown into the drain to clean the oil-based pollutants. “For years, the severely polluted water has posed a grave health risk to the local population on both sides of the border, leading to contaminated crops, dangerous level of heavy metals, and even reports of cell mutations in people living nearby. Despite international attention, the situation has remained largely unchanged. As a local resident, I couldn’t help but work out some kind of a solution to mitigate the impact,” said Mannat.

Her method might be unconventional but it’s not unknown. “Hair is an adsorbent, not absorbent, which means that the oil sticks to it effectively, separating the oil particles from water. It is incredibly efficient at absorbing oil pollution owing to its lipophilic properties. One kilogram of hair can absorb up to eight litres of oil. The natural solution is far more sustainable than the synthetic polypropylene currently used, which is non-biodegradable and potentially harmful in the long run,” explained Mannat.

After one month of collecting waste hair, and another to create mesh tubes filled with these hair, she is now busy putting her project in action. “I am set to leave these mesh tubes in Amritsar’s waterways for the next 50 days, after which we will extract these and study water samples from the drain to confirm its efficacy, though similar initiatives in countries like Chile proved the method to be highly effective,” she said.