Reports of contamination of water supplies in towns or finding dead pests in residential water tanks are quite common now. This persistent threat to public health - which was recently debated in the Kerala Legislative Assembly - raises a fundamental question: How safe is the water stored in our homes? While local municipal corporations and water authorities treat water at centralised plants, the safety equation changes dramatically once that water enters overhead and underground domestic tanks. Left stagnant for days, chlorine levels drop. Damaged lids, vents, nesting insects, and soil seepage soon transform these reservoirs into breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens. Thus keeping stored water continuously safe remains a major engineering challenge for decades.

A relentless six-year quest for pure water
Driven by a World Health Organisation report stating that contaminated drinking water causes 1.4 million deaths globally each year, mechanical engineer and inventor Nikhil Somanathan set out to find a permanent solution. After six years of rigorous research and development, his efforts culminated in a groundbreaking device. Initially experimenting with water turbines and LED-based systems, Somanathan faced practical limitations. Supported by an incubation programme at Christ University in Bengaluru, he initially drew towards eco-friendly water treatment, but global supply chain disruptions forced another rethink. Refusing to back down, he envisioned an underwater reactor that could continuously sterilise water directly inside the tank using targeted radiation.

The brilliant minds behind Candela UV
This innovation is the result of a collaborative partnership marketed by Candela ME Consultancy WLL in Bahrain and its parent company, Candela Research Centre Pvt Ltd in India. The venture brings together three uniquely skilled individuals - founder and inventor Nikhil Somanathan, Major Prince Jose (Retd), and production specialist Aji Kumar. Somanathan, who relocated to Bahrain in 2004, is an experienced industrial engineer with over 20 years in manufacturing and holds several patents, ranging from dental devices to low-cost single-bed air conditioners.

Major Prince Jose, a Kargil War veteran and health and safety expert, coordinates the operations. Their shared passion for deep-sea diving sparked the collaborative journey that took this technology from the workbench to full commercial incubation. Production support is overseen by Aji Kumar. Together, the trio successfully tested and refined the device over two years at Janadriya, a plumbing and firefighting firm in Bahrain, alongside rigorous evaluations at the Bahrain Medical Laboratory.

Revolutionary underwater double-quartz technology
The product of their labour, Candela UV, is the world's first underwater double-quartz glass UV reactor designed specifically for domestic water tanks. Placed directly inside the water tank, the plug-and-play device continuously recirculates water, using germicidal UV-C radiation to neutralise bacteria and other micro-organisms. Certified testing by the Bahrain Medical Laboratory confirmed that the device successfully destroys 98.5% of waterborne bacteria.

Operating on a modest 85 to 90 watts of electricity, it can run on standard domestic grids or solar power. Crucially, the system reduces a household's reliance on heavy chlorination and significantly extends the intervals required between manual tank cleanings. Easy to install, the device is ideal for homes, villas, and apartments, as well as high-traffic institutions like hospitals, schools, hotels, and industrial complexes. Patent processes are currently underway, and the Candela team is actively establishing a distributor network to bring this life-saving Indian innovation to homes and institutions worldwide.