An award-winning app, developed by student Prosper Ukachi from Nigeria, aims to change people's perception of water conservation.

The BlueHub app helps users calculate their water usage and provides solutions to reduce usage, gain rewards, and connect with other water-conscious individuals. The app inspires people to value water preservation and combat wasteful habits that harm ecosystems.

Ukachi's app has recently won a global student innovation challenge award for its innovative approach. Earlier this month , his work was recognised and acknowledged in the Xylem Ignite Global Student Innovation Challenge, together with his team collaborator, Gabriel Portas from Spain.

The annual competition invited students from around the world to submit their projects that help conserve water. Students from different expertise levels united to compete for eight cash prizes from the US$20,000 prize pool, including US$5,000 grand prizes for the top high school and tertiary (university) projects.

BlueApp won the Awareness to Action award for tertiary student projects.

How does the app work?

BlueHub combines conversational information with a usage calculator to calculate average water usage, track consumption, and connect users through forums and private messages - enabling them to create water-saving communities. The app also uses gamification to reward users for improving water usage and sends push notifications.

“The UK’s environmental agencies estimate that people there waste up to three billion litres each day," said Ukachi. "Much of that is lost through simple things like inefficient handwashing. We created this app to encourage individuals to conserve water by observing how their behaviours affect water and by providing them with actions to follow to enhance water conservation."

Trial to triumph

Ukachi studied civil engineering at a private university in Nigeria, but had to drop out due to a family tragedy. This did not stop him from completing various technology courses.

His ambition and passion for water conservation led him to collaborate with Gabriel, based in Spain, to create the winning app concept.

Prosper’s triumph exemplifies the power of determination even in the face of significant obstacles. This sentiment also resonates with the critical issue of water conservation, as the world faces pressing water scarcity and pollution challenges.