Growing up in the forest of Kilgoris and the Kisii rural village in Kenya, where he witnessed many people becoming ill and some dying from drinking contaminated water, Dr. Paul Onkundi Nyangaresi dreamed of someday figuring out a way to bring clean water to his rural home village.
Now, as an Environmental Engineering and Electronic Science Technologist furthering his research in Canada, he has done just that by developing a low-cost, simple water disinfection system fueled by collected rainwater. The system now successfully stores up to 10,000 litres, delivering 500 litres of clean water per day for drinking and cooking to 365 students and teachers at the Rianyabayo Memorial Academy in nearby Kisii County, Kenya.
The first-of-its-kind system has earned Dr. Nyangaresi the Mitacs Innovation Award — Inclusive Innovator of the Year, awarded by Mitacs, a Canadian innovation leader. Mitacs connects businesses and researchers to drive competitiveness and productivity in sectors such as clean technology, life sciences, emergency management, advanced timber, and agritech. The award will be presented at a ceremony at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 19.
Dr. Nyangaresi — a postdoctoral researcher working under the supervision of Professor Sara Beck in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia — is being recognized for working with the local Kenyan community to devise a water treatment solution that suits their culture and way of life, while applying his cutting-edge knowledge of emerging water treatment technologies such as ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) disinfection. His work also has potential applications within Indigenous communities in Canada.
“I lived there for many years, so I was able to understand and work out the unique issues they face,” said Dr. Nyangaresi. “Sometimes projects with good intentions fail because the people implementing them don’t really know what the community wants.”
Dr. Nyangaresi credits Mitacs’s support — in collaboration with enterprise partners Toronto-based Clear Inc. through its CEO Ron Blutrich, and London, Ont.-based MW Technologies through its president Dr. Ted Mao — for helping to make his lifelong dream come true. His next step is to replicate the system in other marginalized communities.
“When I came to Canada to work as a Postdoctoral researcher in June 2021, people in my hometown expected me to focus on earning money for my own family, personal and selfish needs,” said Dr. Nyangaresi. “For me, the aim was always to find a way to help my community and Mitacs helped me do that.”
He knew that any disinfection system he devised for the community’s school couldn’t rely on chlorine, which is widely used for water treatment globally but is costly, has bad smell and taste, and is more technically complex on smaller scales, particularly for rural community members.
Through his Mitacs project, Dr. Nyangaresi was able to install an ACUVA ArrowMax HOME UV LED disinfection system donated by Clear Inc., and then paired that technology with a Kenyan-designed filtration system that uses sand to remove disease-causing microorganisms.
Rainwater is collected in a 10,000-litre water storage tank and then automatically pumped into the filtration unit, while regulated by an automatic control water level float valve. A reservoir holds the filtered water before it flows by gravity to the UV LED reactor, where final disinfection takes place en route to seven taps used by the students and kitchen staff. The UV LED disinfection reactor is powered by a locally purchased photovoltaic system that also provides Rianyabayo Memorial Academy with a light source.
“As long as there’s rain — which is abundant in that region — they have clean water and they don’t need any complex equipment or around-the-clock monitoring,” explained Dr. Nyangaresi, who estimates the cost of the system to be around $5,000. “All they do is turn on the tap.”
Dr. Nyangaresi’s achievement in bringing clean drinking water to the students and teachers is only possible through his continuous engagement with the community.
Understanding the need for culturally competent practices, he actively consulted with the community in research design, used and procured local materials to boost local economic development, and employed local talent to install the system, resulting in a solution that empowers community ownership and sustainability.
The Mitacs Innovation Award — Inclusive Innovator of the Year recognizes achievements that promote social inclusion, incorporate diverse perspectives, and prioritize accessibility. It is granted to a Mitacs program participant who is committed to developing and/or fostering an inclusive innovation ecosystem. Mitacs’s programs are supported by funding from the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments across the country.
Dr. Nyangaresi is one of eight Mitacs Innovation Awards winners nationally, chosen from thousands of innovators who take part in Mitacs programs each year. Additional 2024 categories, updated with a fresh look to better reflect Canada’s innovation landscape, include: four winners for Outstanding Innovation, Canadian Start-Up Innovator of the Year, Canadian Enterprise Innovator of the Year, and Outstanding Research Leadership.
In congratulating the winners, Mitacs’s CEO Dr. Stephen Lucas reflected on the organization’s long history and proven track record as a Canadian innovation leader. “Not only do these awards recognize achievements of exceptional innovators across B.C. and Canada, but they also highlight the infinite potential for impact when creative leaders work together,” Dr. Lucas said.
“As Mitacs celebrates 25 years as a leader in Canadian innovation, we reaffirm our belief that partnerships between research, enterprises, and talent — like the ones we honour with the Mitacs Innovation Awards — are key to a successful, prosperous Canada,” he said.
