Ulta Chaata for Greener Railways
Indian Railways, which is one of the world’s largest railway network, has changed its tracks to move towards the goal of becoming world’s largest railway network with Net-Zero Carbon Emission. For that it has undertaken the initiative of Green Railways. Green certification for installations/stations, Railway Electrification, improving energy efficiency of locomotives & trains and fixed installations, fitting bio toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy are parts of its Green Railways project.
Guntakal station in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, which comes under the South Central Railway (SCR) zone, is one such railway station in India which comes under the category of Green Railway Station. Indian Railways has taken a praiseworthy step to conserve water and to harvest solar power by installing Ulta Chaatas near the railway station. Ulta Chaatas are canopies which look like inverted umbrellas with solar panel fitted on top. Ulta Chaatas serve as shaded shelter for the passengers in railway station. Ulta Chaatas are connected to an underground tank.
During monsoons, Ulta Chaata’s concave canopy captures rain water, which then trickles down to reach a filter. The water is filtered using active carbon filtration – a method that uses a bed of activated carbon to remove impurities. After that, the water flows to a PhiBox where the final UV purification is done to kill bacteria. Then purified water goes to a common tank. So passengers get pure water.
During dry months, solar panels fixed on the canopy harness clean energy that is stored in a battery within every Chaata. This further powers the Chaata and also supplies energy for the lighting system installed in the Chaata. While resting under it, passengers can also charge their mobile phones and laptops using the facility provided by Ulta Chaata.
When we see the physical structure of Ulta Chaata a question may arise in our mind. “Can it survive the strong winds which are common during monsoons in India?”. The answer is “Yes, Ulta Chaata can withstand wind speeds of up to 140 kmph”.
Ulta Chaata is the flagship product of ThinkPhi, a green technology startup situated in Mumbai, led by Samit Choksi and his wife Priya Vakil Choksi. In India, Guntakal railway station earns the credit for installing Ulta Chaata for the first time.
