IIT Kanpur develops web-based ‘green’ monitoring system for Ganga

What is the News?

Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Kanpur has developed an Aquatic Autonomous Observatory named Niracara Svayamsasita Vedh Shala(NSVS) to monitor the “health” of the River Ganga.

This observatory has been developed with the help of the Department of Science and Technology, the Government of India, and the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF).

What is Niracara Svayamsasita Vedh Shala(NSVS)?

It is a low-cost, water quality monitoring platform that would enable in situ monitoring, real-time data transmission and web-based visualisation of River Ganga.

How does NSVS work?

NSVS consists of an array of sensors and auto sampler on a stationary platform that is semi-submersible, all-weather, robust and perfectly stable.

The system can sense three parameters namely, pH (a scale to measure acidity/alkalinity), conductivity and dissolved oxygen capacity of water. This can be further utilised to estimate total dissolved solids, specific gravity and the presence of metallic ions in water.

It can also autonomously collect data every 15 minutes and report it through a wireless network to the institute.

What is the significance of this platform?

With its large riverine network, India battles frequent floods, foam-filled toxic water bodies, unexpected rise in water levels, polluted rivers and so on. Hence, in this context, this river monitoring system is expected to aid conservation efforts.

Source: This post is based on the article “IIT Kanpur develops web-based ‘green’ monitoring system for Ganga” published in Business Standard on 13th November 2021.