SAVING WATER. SAVING LIVES
Indus is a wall that cleans polluted water using natural processes.
get involvedlearn moreOur Vision.
“Indus is a wall assembled from biologically designed tiles that are layered with a novel microalgae gel that removes toxins from wastewater.
Beautifully designed tiles are layered with a special microalgae gel that removes toxins from wastewater.
- Empower local artisans to clean and reuse water locally
- Help companies to adopt greener practices in their supply chain.
- Support governments and NGOs in their efforts to raise the standards of living and improve health conditions in their communities.
Design.
- Indus can be installed on existing walls of dense artisanal industrial clusters or can be free- standing.
- Indus tiles are manufactured using locally available materials and traditional techniques, such as clay and laterite.
- Indus can be tailored depending on the site available and the amount of polluted water to be treated.
“Indus can be tailored depending on the site available and the amount of polluted water to be treated.
Design 2.0
Indus 2.0 was designed to further increase the water flow and distribution throughout the wall.
It was designed and fabricated using the locally available clay materials in the UK, with the aim of demonstrating the adaptability and versatility of Indus.
Indus 2.0 has been nominated for the Beazley Designs of the Year and is currently on display at the Design Museum, London.
Watch the new Indus project video!share your ideas
Circular Process.
“Indus breaks down heavy metal contaminants in polluted water to create less harmful substances.
TED Talk
BioArchitecture: Designing Living Systems to Clean Polluted Water TedxGateway, Mumbai, 2020
The name INDUS.
Indus is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan plateau, historically, the river acted as a node for the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The versatile trajectory, history and the various roles Indus has played over the centuries is representative of the changes we all need to make globally, in order to preserve the most precious resource of life - Water.
Our Story..
In 2017, we travelled to India to visit small-scale artisans in Kolkata, India. We realised that millions of artisan workers within the textile industry, leather tanning and manufacturing of ornaments had no facilities to treat their polluted water.
“Indus was designed to help artisan communities treat and reuse the waste water by themselves.
They do not have the space, money or energy to install high-tech water treatment systems. Poor water hygiene has a huge detrimental effect on the artisan communities’ health and living standards.
Along the way, we’ve also discovered that companies also want to work with Indus to improve their manufacturing processes, transitioning into a circular economy.
By Saving Water, we save Lives
Our mission is to help communities, companies and governments across the world to improve their water treatment infrastructure.
Empowering
Artisanal
Communities.
Indus can be constructed and maintained locally by the artisans.
Indus conducts community engagement workshops, with the help of NGOs and the governments where we educate the users with the techniques of fabricating and constructing their own Indus wall.
We also teach them techniques of preparing their own algae-gel solution, allowing them to independently maintain Indus.
“Indus is designed for the millions of small-scale artisan workers across the globe.
Services for Companies.
Integrating Indus into existing manufacturing processes allows companies to meet sustainable development goals. Indus breaks down heavy metal contaminants in polluted water to create less harmful substances.
Shneel Malik.
An Architect and a Biodesign researcher at the Bio-Integrated Design Lab, UCL. Indus grew out of her PhD Research positioned at the intersection of Architecture and Biochemical Engineering.
Bio-integrated
Design Lab.
Bio-ID is an interdisciplinary research lab based at the intersection of Architecture and Biochemical Engineering at University College London (UCL) in the UK. Influenced by the possibilities of biotechnology, more powerful computation and the urgent need to find workable solutions to climate change. Bio-ID develops novel and sophisticated design solutions to help shape the future of our cities.
We’re looking for change makers like you!
Indus is a social enterprise that uses design & science to tackle the global crisis of water pollution.
If you are interested In helping Indus to save water & lives around the world, we’d love to hear from you.
If you are a corporation, NGO, government or a small scale artisanal enterprise and are interested to become a part of the Indus movement. Please contact us
Indus is immensely grateful to:
EPSRC Global Challenges Research Fund Project, 2017.
Water Futures Research Program, A/D/O, BMW, 2018 - 2019.
Newton Bhabha Research Fellowship, 2018.
University College London, UK