A 23-year-old civil engineer from Telangana, Perala Manasa recently launched OPods or micro homes carved out of concrete sewage pipes. The sewage pipes are 2000 mm in diameter. The concrete homes, which are deemed to have a life span of around 100 years, come with all the modern facilities like bedroom, kitchen, washroom and shelves. They also have facilities like electricity, water, and drainage. Above the cylindrical pipe, there is a lounge area too that looks like a balcony. While this unique home is primary offered to the underprivileged, Manasa has 12 different designs of mobile homes that can come to use in various sectors like hotels, restaurants, mobile clinics, guardrooms and more.
Hats off to Manasa, swaero of Madikonda SW School and @lpuuniversity who established a startup and designed o-pod, an affordable housing solution for families living below poverty line in urban areas. @anushabharadwaj @Swaeroes4u #swaero pic.twitter.com/g5DbJ0MHax
— Dr.RS Praveen Kumar (@RSPraveenSwaero) April 7, 2021
This Is The First-Of-Its-Kind Model In India
According to an Indian Express report, Manasa said, “This is a first-of-its-kind model in India. In 40 to 120 sq ft, we can have a customized movable all-weather home with a life span of 100 years. The cost may come around ₹3.5 lakh to ₹5.5 lakh.” She added, “I have seen how people live under thatched roofs in urban slums. And when it rains, they lose everything. The best part of OPod is that it is as good as a regular house and can be translocated.” Speaking about the OPods, Manasa said they are cooler inside and also have a longer life. These OPods are a low-cost housing option for the poor. Manasa added that there are designs for two or three-bedroom homes as well.
Manasa Was A Leader Of ‘Voice For Girls’
Manasa has been an inspirational figure all throughout her journey. She hails from a struggling family in Telengana’s Bommakal village and was brought up by her mother after her father passed away during her third grade. She credited The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) for the education that fulfilled her dreams. Manasa was a part of the first batch of ‘voice for girls’. She was also a trained Sakhi i.e. a leader among the voice for girls campus. She completed her B.Tech from Lovely Professional University in May 2020. After that, she spent six months researching designs prevalent in various countries across the globe. In March 2021, the work on her first model began. We wish Manasa the best of luck in all her future endeavours.