UK engineer's low-cost washing machines to help many, head to India soon

To reduce time and energy, a London-born Indian-origin engineer's proposal to sell low-cost washing machines to nations such as India has gotten off to a strong start. The engineer has been identified as Navjot Sawhney, who founded the Washing Machine Project three years ago to offer energy-efficient manual washing machines to low-income communities. The organisation has also established a Just Giving crowdsourcing campaign to raise 10,000 pounds to help with the delivery procedure.

Explaining the project, he said they designed an off-grid, manual washing machine that saves 60-70 per cent of the time and 50 per cent of water for individuals with low-income.

Sawhney was on leave from his engineering job in the UK when the idea for a hand-cranked washing machine hit him. Speaking to the media, he informed that he stayed in a tiny hamlet named Kuilapalayam in Tamil Nadu. The neighbourhood had intermittent access to power, and water was turned on twice a day.
He further added that his neighbour (Divya) would hand wash her clothing while we spoke and was usually astounded by how long and how much work it took to do the relatively pointless activity.

This motivated him to create the "Divya 1.5" variant of his manual washing machine, which was inspired by a basic salad spinner. With the assistance of the organisation Care International, 30 Divya 1.5 will now be utilised at the Mamrashan Refugee Camp in Iraq.
It is projected to benefit 300 people and save up to 750 hours per year per family, which is comparable to two months of daytime hours. 

Sawhney intends to travel to Iraq in early September to assist with the distribution of the equipment.
The Washing Machine Project hopes to fulfil orders to Jordanian refugee camps later this year. It would be eventually be shipped to other parts of the world, including India and Africa.

• United Kingdom
• Engineer
• washing machine