A team of researchers from Edinburgh University is leading a project to provide remote parts of India with clean drinking water for the first time.

Chemists and engineers are using solar energy and water filtration technologies to decontaminate sewage water in rural villages.

The solar-powered purification system is seen to be a low-cost and low-energy way of creating clean water.

Experts believe the move could also help to reduce the spread of disease in India, where around 77 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.

The Indian government does not treat sewage in rural India, instead focusing on purifying contaminated water in rivers and streams.

The team believes the situation could be improved by tackling the problem at its source.

Its system - which is being trialled over a five-month pilot - uses sunlight to power the purification project, which incinerates harmful pollutants and bacteria.

It is hoped the project can be rolled out on a wider scale to help deal with water contamination.

Dr Aruna Ivaturi, of the university's school of chemistry, said: "We are aiming to provide people in rural India with a simple off-grid water decontamination system.

"This could be achieved by simply fitting our modified solar-activated materials to containers of contaminated water positioned in direct sunlight."

Professor Neil Robertson, of the university's school of chemistry, said: "Working closely with our Indian partners, we aim to harness the sun's energy to tackle a huge problem that affects many people around the world."

The project is being carried out in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.