POLLUTION

NIT Collaborates with TERI to Create Sensor-based Irrigation System That'll Provide Goan Farmers with Clean Water

A farmer pumping low level water for irrigation of land at jerripothulapalem , one part of the meghadri gedda reservoir in Visakhapatnam on Monday. — Representative image
(N. Kanaka/ BCCL VISAKHAPATNAM)

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Goa, has devised a sensor-based irrigation system that uses River Bank Filtration (RBF) technology for providing contamination-free water to farmers in the coastal state while helping save it.

"We installed affordable RBF wells for the treatment of polluted water from the Sal river near Navelim and Nauta lake at Cortalim, powered by renewable energy resources (solar-powered pumps) to provide clean water to farmers in off-the-grid areas. Water, with improved quality parameters — such as reduced turbidity and bacterial load — supplied through systematic pipeline systems, helped farmers to obtain better crop production," the researchers said.

The irrigation system is supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the umbrella of the Demand Driven Mission - Water Technology Initiative.

The system includes a web or mobile app monitoring the river that has prevented wastage of water in the area by assessing the moisture levels and starting the water motor only when there is an actual need. Claimed to be first-of-a-kind in its region, it has made it easy for farmers to monitor the irrigation remotely.

This process prevents water erosion and maintains the soil quality throughout the field. The system has saved time for daily wage farmers by giving them freedom and flexibility to sell their harvest in the market. It has also reduced their labour work and helped the farmers financially as well.

"It provides clean water to farmers for irrigation through River Bank Filtration (RBF) technology, which operates by extracting water from wells located near rivers or lakes. As the river water infiltrates into and passes through the riverbed sediments, contaminants like bacteria and toxic metals are removed by overlapping biological, physical, and chemical processes," the researchers said in a statement.

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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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