Page 357 - AWSAR 2.0

Science department of Pune University, to understand their water testing methods and requirements. I collected water samples from several upstream and downstream locations on Mula, Mutha, and Pavana rivers in Pune, 12 locations on Thane creek in Mumbai, Hooghly in Kolkata, and many other lakes. It was then when I realized the difficulty in sample collection and transportation for laboratory measurements and, hence the importance of using technology to be able to remotely access and measure the quality parameters of water bodies. After a discussion with the officials of the various organizations I visited, I understood that the commercial instruments used by them for remote real-time monitoring of water bodies were very expensive and hence out of bounds for many. Seeking further guidance to identify and frame my research objectives, I arrived at the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Department, IIT Chennai with my research
proposal. The professors not
only wholeheartedly approved
my research topic but also
promised further support. With
all the encouragements and
final discussion with my guides,
I registered myself a Ph.D, a
long arduous journey. Another
issue worth noting was the
accidental release of hazardous
chemicals and toxic materials
by the nearby factories into the
river without any prior warning.
Such anomalies could pose a severe threat to life.
In order to address the above issues and to devise solutions under critical situations, I decided to design and build Internet of Things (IoT) based system for real-time analyses of the various hydrological parameters of the river giving us a fair idea of the pollution, thereby enabling us to report their quality status. The
Ms. Sujaya Dasgupta || 333
main objective of my proposed research work focused on developing a cost-effective wireless sensor node capable of meeting the above requirements. The research would offer a small leap towards providing safe water by updating the authorities through a web-based portal and mobile phone platforms regarding the contamination status so that preventive measures could be devised in time. The system could be revised for sensing the suitability of water for various uses, like drinking, irrigation, recreation. In the second phase of my research work, I worked intensively on the designing of the necessary electronics circuits and performing pilot testing. The major blocks of my system consisted of the sensor assembly and their signal conditioning units, data logger unit for data acquisition and processing, wireless transmission via Wi-Fi and GSM modules. The entire system was powered with a solar rechargeable battery. The major task
involved was suitable selection of the sensors to monitor quality parameters, designing hardware of the embedded system and programming the microcontroller for data acquisition and storage, learning to establish internet connectivity and cloud computing for data storage in a remote cloud server enabling online data transfer and analysis. The first version of the system was designed,
fabricated and assembled in-house. The entire system was calibrated against the standard instruments at CWPRS. Several test cycles were performed and the system displayed measurement results with great accuracy. The next step, and the most challenging part of my research, was to test the set-up in the real field. Security of the instruments was a major concern and seeking permission from the
Another issue worth noting was the accidental release of hazardous chemicals and toxic materials by the nearby factories into the river without any prior warning. Such anomalies could pose a severe threat to life.