Solinas Integrity, founded by Divanshu Kumar and Moinak Banerjee, has been working tirelessly to inspect, maintain and digitise underground assets such as water & sewer pipelines, septic tanks and other hidden infrastructure, using state-of-the-art technology. We bring their story to light.
While most of us don’t spare a thought to the world under our feet, there’s a Chennai-based company whose full-time occupation involves underground water and sanitation assets. Presenting Solinas Integrity – an IIT incubated start-up that has been rallying forces to manage the operation and maintenance of water pipelines, sewers, stormwater drains and other underground units, using the latest technology. Divanshu Kumar, CEO and Moinak Banerjee, CTO of Solinas are leading a much-needed transformation in the dark and murky world of manholes and septic tanks.
Matching Mindsets
It all began when two supercharged youth were introduced through a mutual friend. Moinak was working in Stockholm, the hotbed of European startup ideas, after his Masters in Machine Design at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Divanshu was completing his Masters at IIT, Madras and already trying to solve the problem of manual scavenging. Though there were multiple options available and technology was being applied in many spheres, things had not changed much since Independence in this space. The idea appealed to Moinak as this was a neglected area and it had huge potential for social impact, so he started focusing on water and sanitation assets. Within 6 months of research the purpose-driven duo found that the problem was far more complex than they realised.
Cleaning Up Their Act
It was clear that Solinas needed help to acquire funds and gain the discipline and knowledge required to kickstart the business. “It was not just about making the product. There is so much more to running a business – like understanding customer painpoints, securing investments, business development and building teams. With help from Divanshu’s professor, Dr.Prabhu Rajagopal at IIT Madras, we got incubated and gained access to valuable mentorship,” explains Moinak. The duo worked hard to understand the problem they were trying to solve. There was not much technology being applied in this area and manual scavengers were still being used to assess leaks and clean underground sewers!
Tricky Terrain
“After consulting with multiple stakeholders including utility companies, we realised we needed to have equipment that can be sent inside the manholes to inspect. It was then that we realised that we could use robotics. So we had started with a problem and then looked at which technology solution could help us. Products available in the market were addressing only 40 to 50% of the problem and that too in parts. A manhole is a 60 feet deep cylindrical structure and machines are unable to efficiently enter to detect faults. And it’s not safe. Though laws are in place, 377 people have died due to manual scavenging from 2019 to 2023 alone,” he explains.
Robots to the Rescue
“Luckily both of us have a background in robotics! So it was much easier to start ideating along those lines to build the product solution.” Soon they launched Endobot, a platform of robots for navigating inaccessible water and sewer pipelines, and pinpointing defects with precision. These bots deliver sharp imaging through HD cameras and can measure pipeline inclinations using laser profiling. The advantage of these bots is that they can access pipelines as narrow as 90mm! And the wheel options provided allow them to negotiate tough conditions too. “Customers have options to choose from according to terrain and size of pipelines that need to be assessed!” Once Solinas had built the technology to inspect pipelines, it applied it to the inspection of manholes more effectively using robotics.
Inspection, Cleaning & Digitisation
Their quest for improving and expanding their services led them to another technology application – AI. “When we use our technology to access pipelines using robotics, we collect a lot of data. Take Chennai for example. The city has around 2000 km of water pipelines. By deploying around 15 to 20 robots around the city we can collect a huge amount of data! This data is valuable and when analysed and arranged properly it delivers actionable intelligence that could be of great help to decision makers. But the manual analysis of that data would take thousands of man hours. So AI came into the picture. Using an AI based solution we can generate a report much faster.” Solinas then started developing cloud-based solutions to manage data and AI to analyse and generate reports.
Downward and Upward
Being based in Tamil Nadu has simplified life in many ways for Solinas and made a huge difference to their growth. “Our operations are at the cusp of technology and manufacturing. So access to a ready manufacturing supply chain including machines and components has been a huge help for us,” says Moinak. Apart from the Endobot series they offer two other products – HomoSEP Sewer and Swasth AI. HomoSEP helps in liquefying hard sludge and converting it into slurry for easy extraction. Swasth AI helps with quick detection of defects in pipelines and network mapping.
Uncovering Clientele
Given the nature of their work, Solinas started with local municipalities and then expanded their clientele to private organisations and utility companies. “Underground pipelines in most regions is managed by municipal corporations. Some city corporations have outsourced their subterranean assets to private companies. In this case we work with companies like Wabag, L&T, Suez and Veolia and others in the infra space. Apart from this segment we provide our technology to utility companies that manage the assets of large format urban properties,” says Moinak on their client segments.
Navigating Murky Waters
Solinas is proud of its purpose-driven work today which naturally aligns with Social Development Goals. For starters, their products and solutions offer an option to the inhumane practice of manual scavenging. While that itself is a huge change, they also clear stormwater drains of debris, silt and waste to prevent flooding. And through the regular inspection and maintenance of water and sewer pipeline, they extend their longevity, prevent mishaps and save money. Though India has a surplus of fresh water, inefficient distribution has led to the shortage of potable shortage. Water that’s not used or Non Revenue Water is a reason for huge water stress and loss of $39 billion worldwide. Solinas is in the business of solving all of these complex issues through simple, techdriven products.
Purpose-driven Products
The gravity of the problem they were trying to solve hit home for Divanshu and Moinak right at the start of their journey when they started researching in earnest. “In a country with surplus fresh water, low income families spend 40% of their earnings on tank water. Even after 75 years of independence we were not able to efficiently distribute water to where it’s needed. This hit me hard. We realised that the government alone cannot be expected to solve this problem. Just as ecommerce has simplified life for us, we thought we should also play a role in ensuring everyone has easy access to good water by applying the right technology. We were building a business that’s impact driven and that is what has kept us alive and focused on our mission, through the years.
Entreating Entrepreneurs
India holds a unique position. It stands out as a land of opportunities for entrepreneurs and start ups. “While most developed countries are saturated with solutions, we have plenty of problems that need to be addressed. That’s a huge opportunity, especially now when we as a country are moving at a fast pace and there’s money coming into the market. And impact driven business will always be supported. So I urge entrepreneurs to create a push in society to make a difference!” concludes Moinak on behalf of Solinas Integrity.
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