W.A.T.E.R (Water Analysis Testing Estimation Remotely)

Project Abstract / Summary : In the Environmental Performance Index survey conducted by Yale University (U.S.A), India ranks a lowly 124 in the water and sanitation category with a disappointing score of 26.28. Although India has 4% of the world's water, studies show that average availability is shrinking steadily. The ground reality is that out of the 1.42 million villages in India, 1,95,813 are affected by chemical contamination of water. Drinking polluted water can cause cholera or typhoid infections, along with diarrhea. The consumption of highly contaminated water can cause injury to the heart and kidneys. Toxins within water can harm aquatic organisms, thus breaking a link in the food chain. With advancement in technology and standard of living, urban areas have become almost immune to the hazardous effects of consuming impure water. However the same cannot be said for rural areas. People in rural and suburban areas are used to consuming water from natural bodies directly without any sort of purification, which is why they are the ones that are affected the most. Traditional lab testing methods are tedious, time consuming and fail to provide real time data regarding water quality, hence the need for real time monitoring of water quality arises.

Our project aims at making a portable device that can detect water quality in real time and it consists of three major components, which are-

1. Water sample collection watercraft:
The watercraft makes it feasible for the user to collect samples of water from different regions within a water body, thus eliminating the need for an actual boat and hence saving time and money in the process. Our watercraft has the provision for collecting 6 water samples of 250 ml each in one cycle and is currently completely functional. It is easily reproducible, portable and robust due to the use of C-PVC pipes.

2. On-shore Water quality and bacteria detection module:
- The water samples collected can be placed in this module, which then detects the quality of water using 5 sensors (pH, conductivity, Oxidation and Reduction Potential, Turbidity, Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen) fitted within the module. This whole process of water quality testing takes 15 minutes to complete. The results are then automatically uploaded to a website.

- The bacteria detection module consists of apparatus required to facilitate the growth of bacteria colonies. A drop of sample water is placed on the petri dish and is then subjected to heat to maintain its temperature constant at 35 degrees Celsius for 18 hours. Further a photo of the petri dish is clicked and the bacteria count is found out using imageprocessing

The entire module also has a solar panel over it and can be used to charge batteries in places where power is not available.

3. Website for data visualization:
- A website is used to display the results of the analysis conducted on the water samples. The website is used as the preferred medium for displaying the results as it allows the user independence of platform, time and location to view the results.



Link for image :


Link for video:


Why did you choose to work on this project topic : We chose to work on this project because it has a revolutionary impact on India water bodies, which are getting degraded day-by-day.
Also the unavailability of a product which could test both qualitative and biological parameters of water, pushed us further to take up this project. Furthermore, we were motivated by our college by providing us fund of Rs. 100,000 and components were sponsored by Texas Instruments India.

Such a project if launched in market will have following benefits to the society.

1)Creation of a network to monitor water quality
2) Identify particular pollutants of concern
3)Create awareness regarding pollution of water in the locality
4)Target Sources of water pollution
5) Detect trends in the change of water quality
6) Identify whether the quality of water is sufficient for a particular use

Future Scope:
1) An Android application can be made of the website for the convenience of the user.
2) More sensors can be added to the system to identify more type of pollutants.

Project Highlights : We strongly believe that a best project is one which has huge social impact and can make people's life better. Also a best project should benefit equally to the poor and the rich and should encircle people of all casts, creed and religion. It should not harm the environment and bring balance to this world.
We are confident that our project W.A.T.E.R ha all this attributes in it and hence we deserve to win this contest.


Project Category : Electrical / Electronics / Communication
------------------------------------------------------
Institute/College Name: Sardar Patel Institute of Technology
City: Mumbai
State: MAHARASHTRA
Participating Team From: Final Year