2019 IEEE Region 10Humanitarian Technology Conference

Depok, Indonesia I November 12·14, 2019

Water Management Through Integrated

Technologies, a Sustainable Approach for Village
Pandori, India
Hem asagar Kad iveti Sahithi Eleshwaram Renj ith Mohan Ar iprasath S
Department ofElectronics Department ofElectronics Amrita Centre fo r Depa rtment ofMechanical
and Comm unica tion and Communica tion International Programs, Eng ineering,
Eng inee ring, Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Amrita Vishwa
Amrita Vishwa Amrita Vishwa Vidyapee tham, Vidyapee tham,
Vidyapee tham , Vidyapeetham, A mritap uri, India Benga luru, India
Bengaluru, India Be ngaluru, India renjithmohan@am .amrit a.e BLENU4MEE I6 0 11@ bl.s
BL EN U4ECEI 6318 @bl. s BL EN U4ECE 16312 @bl.st du tudents.amrita.edu
tudents.amrita.edu udents.amrita.edu

Krishn a Nandanan
Amrita Centre for
International Programs,
Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapee tham,
Amritap uri, India
krishnan and anan@am.amri
ta.edu
Siddha rth B
Div ya Sha rma S G
Depar tme nt ofMechanica l
Department ofMechanical
Eng ineer ing,
Engineering ,
Amr ita Vishwa Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapeetham,
Vidyapeetham,
Benga luru, India
Benga luru, India
BL ENU4M EE 16508 @bl. s
sg_ divya@bl r.amrita.edu
tudent s.amrit a.edu

Abstract- G loba lly there are regions where there is an acute village named Pandori , located in the northern state of Jammu
shortage of water and also regions with water re sources in and Kashmir , India. The purpose of this study was to analyse
abundance. In regions with ample water availability, the effects of uncontrolled flow of water from an artesian well
unrestrained use of water and wastage is very common. W ater in the village, understand its impact on the community and
management is a real challenge, a s there is need of educating the address the challenge with a sustainable technological
community to use water in a thoughtful way. It is difficult to intervention. This study was conducted as a part of Live-in-
control the water pressure in Aquifers as a result of which the
Labs® program [I] .
volume of water that flow s unutilised is high. This paper a im s to
develop a sustainable solution for the management of water in a Pandori is located in Kathua district in the northern state
rural village named Pandori situated in Jammu, India. Pandori of Jammu & Kashmir, India and is in close proximity to the
ha s the presence of artesian well s. Et h nogra ph ic research tool s India-Pak istan border. The total geographic al area of Pandori
are used to understand the challenge of the villagers in this village is 2 km- and has a total population of 824. Table I
regard. Based on the re sults of the st udy, a s usta ina b le water provides the relevant demographic details of the village.
management solution is proposed which is discussed in detail in
thi s paper. The study brings insights into green technologies Of the total population residing in the village, 59.7% are
which can effectively manage the natural re sources. males and 40.29% are females. The village has a literacy rate
of 83.74% among males and 61.3% among females. A
Keywords-i-uncontrolled water flow, artesia II well, Live-ill- majo rity of the villagers belong to tribal commun ities. As with
Labs® any other underdeveloped rural community, this village
lacked in basic facilities and infrastructure that would have a
I. INTRODUCTION
great impact on the lives of the people living there. We got the
Water is essential to our lives and the ever increas ing oppo rtunity to stay in this village for 7 days through the Live-
population is leading to an increased demand for dome stic
water supply. While in some regions the available water TABLE! VILLAGE DEMOGRAPHICS
resources are either getting depleted or contaminated , there are
Particulars Details
othe r regions whe re the problem is quite the contrary. In No of Families 128
regions with ample availabilit y of water resources, Population 824
unrestrained use and wastage of water could be common. Male to Female Ratio 1.48:1
Water management is a real challen ge in such areas, as there Languages Spoken Hindi, Dozri
is a need of educating the commun ity to use water in a Communities Present OC, BC, SC, and ST
Farmers, Daily labour, Lorry
thoughtful way in order to ensure a sustainable supply. In Occupations in general drivers, Electricians, Plumbers and
regions where artesian aquifers and we lls are present, there are Tailoring
scenarios of uncontrolled flow of excess water from the Working population 57.94%
aquifer which is beyond the bound s of possib ility to be SC/STpopulation distribution 60.67%
utilized . It is difficult to control the water pressure in aquifers
as a result of which the volume of water that flows unutilised
is high. Through th is paper, we present a case study of a

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in-Labs ® program where we observed and studied the
pressing problem(s) of this village during our stay there. We
were given relevant training sessions through workshops prior
to our village trip in order to understand and use methodical
approach es that will help us study and identify the challenges
faced by the community. We were then asked to narrow down
and choose one particular challenge that we could consider
workin g with the community to propose a feasible and
susta inable solution.
In this paper we present our experience of using various
tools to study an underdeveloped commun ity facing an
unusual issue of uncontrolled flow of water, coupled with
improper waste management and lack of infrastructure to
utilize the overflowing water efficiently. Through a
methodical approach, that is explained in the methodology
section, we understood the need to bring about an effe ctive
water utilization system in the village that will ensure minim al
or no water wastage scenario. In section 3 we bring out the
results of using the various tools and establish the relevance
or basis for the proposed technological solution.
11. METHODOLOGY
An ethnographic methodological approach was taken in
order to understand the impact of an identified challenge on
the commun ity [2].
By living among the villagers, utilizing various research
tools and structured field work, we gathered fir st-hand data
about the resources in the village, socioeconomic conditions
and challenges of the villagers . It helped us to get a deeper
underst anding of their needs to be urgentl y addre ssed, without
which their quality of lives will continue to remain at risk.
Details regarding the research tools we used is elaborated
in this section.
A. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
In order to identify and understand the challenges in the
village and further rank them based on the impact of the
identified challenge s on the community, we utilized PRA. We
gathered first-hand information from the villagers using PRA.
It also ensured their active participation in the entire process
[3][4]. Other non-participatory research methods weren't
considered as it lacked flexibility, minimal involvement of the
stakeholde rs, i.e. villager s, and couldn't be implemented
within the limited time frame of field research [5].
Due to the constraints in time and relevance to the research
concept, the follo wing PRA tools were used. The outcome of
the tools were recorded by us in the field journals.
1) Resource map: A resource map provided us with an
updated location and distribution of various resource s in the
village, obtained through the active participation of the
villager s. This map detailed useful information relat ing to the
individual, commun ity and the surroundings, i.e., natural
resources [6]. We were taken around the village by the village
guide and where we sketched the identified resource s.
2) Seasons and activities: We had detailed interactions
and interviews with the villagers and documented their
activities in various seasons throughout the year
3) Income Expenditure Matrix: This tool provid ed us with
an overview of the income generated and the expenses
incurred . The data were obtained through interviews and
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discussions with the change agents [6]. This also provided
vital insights into the general economy of the village.
4) Inflow-outflow diagram: The applic ation of this
research tool gave us an idea as to which are the resource s that
come into the villages (basically the materials bought by the
villagers) and which ones move out of the village (materials
sold by the villagers). This gave us an insight into the
resource s which are abundant and the ones that are scarce.
5) Problem tree: This participatory tool aided us in
mapp ing the challenges faced by the villagers through cause
and effect analysis. This also provided us with an avenue to
identify the most prominent chall enges amongst all that were
identified. The cause and effects of each of the identified
challenge s was obtained directly through the interaction with
the villagers.
6) Brainstorming Session: We organi zed a group session
with the villagers where the overall challenges identified in
the village and the most prominen t challenge were presented
and discussed with them. We also documented their thought s
and opinions regarding the same.
The data from PRA tools is synthesized in an iterative
process to rank the challenges according to the severity of the
impact. The challenge which has more profound impact on the
society is chosen for the study. The data obtained from the
PRA tools is then categori zed and sorted for the selected
challenge.
We spent the first 2 days in implementing the PRA tools.
By the end of the second day, the most promin ent chall enge
was identified which enabled us to spend the rest of the days
working in detail to understand the user experiences and
requ irement s associated with the challenge identified. We
established this more effectively using Human Centered
Design tools.
B. Human Centered Design (HCD)
HCD process is guided by the needs of the users or
potential users by taking into account the user experiences
[7][8]. This is typically a compassion driven design process.
Incorporation of such a process would ensure user satisfaction
and user accept ability thereb y leading to a sustainable
intervention . We used the following tools as part of the BCD
process to understand the impact of the uncontroll ed water
flow from the artesian well on the village commun ity.
Observational study of daily water collect ion methods, its
usages, collecti on points, drainage areas, common market
schools, meeting locations were conduct ed. AEIOU
observational framework is used to record these observations
to have a specific understanding of user experiences [9], in
this case related to the uncontrolled flow of water.
In order to get furth er details ofthe experiences of the user,
we incorporated interview sessions with the villagers during
our field study. In-depth interviews were conducted in a semi
structured manner which gave the researchers an insight into
the demographics, technographics, psychographi es, a day in
one ' s life and their pain points related to the uncontrolled
water flow. Interview questions were developed based on the
identified challenge area. Interviews were conducted at the
household level on random sampling basics. Casual talks with
the villagers apart from the interviews enabled us to
understand the lifestyle of villagers and their daily routines.
 •
•
Fig. 1 Resource Map
The data obtained from the interviews are used to create
three personas of the community's experience with the
mention challenges [10]. Scenarios are developed from the
personas to detail the experiences of community [II]. All the
interviews were recorded in the field journals and voice
recordings were also archived. Water distribution. The design
parameters were selected out this study for further evaluation
and process.
III. RESULTS
A. Result I
By utilizing the tools mentioned in the methodology
section, we were able to understand the cultural and social
practices of the village, various resources available in the
village, occupation of the villagers and the challenges faced
by the community from a general perspective and while
performing their daily routine.
The primary occupation of the villagers is agriculture and
the main crops grown are wheat and rice during winter and
monsoon seasons respectively. Villagers who own farmlands
work on their fields while the remaining go to towns nearby
to be engaged in occupations such as carpentry, electrical
work, construction, driving and security guard. Most of the
people in the village are vegetarians. A weekly cleanup drive
"Amala Bharatam Campaign " is conducted in the village [12].
We also observed that the women in the village were skilled
in making handicrafts. Furthermore, the women and children
in the village receive computer training for their skill
development from AMMACHI Labs [13]. The AMMACHI
Labs has established a computer centre to conduct these
training sessions for the villagers. The people of Pandori
celebrate a wide range of Indian festivals such as Baisakhi,
Navaratri, Lohri, Holi, and Diwali.
While mapping the resources of the village, we identified
120 houses apart from 4 temples, 2 anganwadis and I school.
Water sources constitute 19 water outlet pipes and 17
borewells. There is also a water distribution system built by
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in 2017 to ensure clean
drinking water to the community [14]. Among the 17
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Fig.2 Uncontrolled flow of water from a borewell outlet pipe
borewells only one supply potable water through artesian
well. Rest were used for cleaning and agriculture purpose. The
results of the tests conducted on borewell water, which
conforms to IS: 10500-2012, indicated that all relevant
parameters were in permissible limits. Agricultural fields are
spread around the village. The 19 water outlet pipes across the
village (marked by red dots in the resource map in Fig. I.),
through which an uncontrolled flow of water is observed,
causes water overflow, mixing with drainage water and
stagnation.
We found that there was an aquifer basin underneath the
surface of the entire village. This aquifer basin serves as a
constant source of freshwater and ensures abundant water
supply to the community. The continuous flow of water from
the artesian well and the accumulation of waste resulted in the
blocking of drainage water in certain places and overflow of
drainage water in other areas. The impact of the overflow of
artesian well water is experienced by the villagers during the
monsoon season as it leads to flooding of certain areas in the
village. The flow rate of the water, in accordance with the
static pressure of the artesian well, varies with the seasons and
is mapped by the Central ground water department [15]. The
variation of static pressure with seasons is triangulated by
seasons activities of the PRA tools. Furthermore, the general
challenges faced by the community due to the uncontrolled
flow of water is provided in Table II as the results from the
PRA and AEIOU observation framework.
 TABL E II RESULTS FROM TH E PRA AND AEIOU
OBSERVATION TOOLS USED
S.
Particulars Description
No.
The 19 water outlet pipes in the village do not
have valves as it cannot restrain the pressure of
Water outlet
the underground water thereby leading to an
pipes
uncontrolled flow of water. These outlet pipes are
mostly found on either side of the main road.
The drainage pits in the village are open pits
which are located on either side of the main road.
The outlet of water from households and toilets
Drainage pits are lead to these drainage pits. Mixing of
2 Gupta
overflowin g freshwater from the outlet pipes with
the drainage water happens during the rainy
season thereby leadin g to its contamination.
Stagnation of freshwater as well as contamin ated
3 Health water lead s to an increase in dengue and malaria
cases durin g the rainy season.
The school entrance and playground gets
flooded leadin g to the breeding of mosquitoes.
4 School Parents are reluctant to send their children to
school durin g the rainy season due to fear of their
of their ch ildren contractin g dengue and malaria .
The open ground in the village gets flooded with
Village open
5 contaminated water leading to foul sme ll and an
ground
unhvzi enic environment.
It was observed that the excess fresh water enters the open
drainage and mixes with the drain water. The overflowing
drainage water enter s the school, roads and even houses
thereby spreading an unhygienic environment in the village.
Furthermore, there were also situations where the open
drainage s are clogged by wastes further leading to water
stagnation. This in turn provides breeding grounds for disease
carrying vector leading to cases of dengue and malaria among
the villagers. The negative experiences faced by the
community in the villages is presented in Table III in the form
of Personas.
On analysing the entire situation in the village and
understanding the experiences of the villagers through
conducting interviews, it was evident that a sustainable
solution was required to ensu re that the flow from the artesian
well is effectively utilised while also minimi sing the
detrimental impact it can bring on the community during the
rainy season.
Fig. 3 School area flooded bv contamin ated water
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TABL E 1II PAIN POINTS FROM THE CREATED PERSONAS
S. No. Personas Pain Points
Reeta Devi doesn't send her child to school
durin g the rainy season, fearin g that he would
I Reeta Devi
contract malaria or dengue. The child ends up
missing a lot of classes.
Vanshika has been regularly falling ill during
the rainy seas on and this year was affected by
2 Vanshika malaria . Water gets stagnant right outside her
house which serves as a breeding ground for
mosquitoes.
Dharma Pal Dharma Pal Gupta gets a foul odour in his
3
paddy fields as it gets
B. Result If
To mitigate the challenges and reduce the impact of the
uncontrollable water flow, the design requirements of the
system under study is discussed in this section. Prior to
delving into the details of the intervention , some important
resources which are directly associated with the intervention
is looked into detail.
1) The water distribution network : The entire village
depends upon a water distribution network connected to the
core artesian well for gaining access to freshwater. Currently
due the excess pressure of the source artesian well, control
valves at the 19 water outlet points had to be removed . The
design was proposed to ensure that constant water pressure is
maintained at all the points in the network thereby providing
seamle ss access to portable water to communit y. Also the
constant pressure in the network will eliminate the
possibilitie s of either water leaking out of the network or
contaminants seeping into it.
2) Artesian well: The source of the uncontrolled water is
a 150 m deep flowing artesian well with an undefined static
head. The water from the well is the only available source of
water for the community which satisfies the quality standards
required for potable wate r. Arresting the uncontrolled flow of
water at the source and at various points in the network brings
about a list of challenges to the researchers. The Michigan
Department of Environmental Qual ity and Water Bureau cites
the controlling of the existing flowing artesian well as a risky
process. The key parameters in consideration are leakages,
corrosion of casings , high artesian head, a large flow rate and
an unstable confining layer in the well location. The safest
option is to extend the well casing above the available
pizometric head [16]. Since the flowing artesian well in the
Pandori village is a geological and topographically controlled
well, the proposed design should able to control the varying
static head of the well [17][18][15].
3) Community: The village community aspires to be have
clean village free of water stagnation and related risks. They
also required to have the access to portable water at each of
the access point continuousl y at any given time.
Design of water distribution network with smart valve
controller to contro l the flowing artesian well must satisfy the
following objectives
• Acce ss to clean water at all the 19 access points
• Controlled flow in the distribution network
• Protection of the flowing artisan well
• Fully automated operation of the system
• Cost effective

--....A:>"""- -
tOOrTJo:lNI'
1 ' 1,. ~;l JII&
Fig. 4 Solar Powered Smart Artesian Well Controller
The proposed design of a solar powered Smart Artesian
Well Controller is shown in Fig. 4. The photovoltaic solar
powered controller will position the valve in accordance with
the artesian pressure and flow rate of the network. The Smart
Valve (SV) will trigger the solar powered controller. SV
ensures constant pressures in the water network by varying the
flow rate of the source . It is connected with a sensor network
at the source and the at various network nodes .
The component that makes the proposed Smart Artesian
Well Controller a smart techno logy is its Smart Valve, a
crucial component ofthe system . The key design parameter of
the system is the Static Head (Hp) of the artisans well. The
Network Head (Pn) is to be maintained between a minimum
and maximum level in such a manner that the community
requirements are not compromi sed. The Network Flow Rate
(Qs) is maintained throughout the process. The output
variables are the Network Head (Pn) and Static Lin (As). This
will trigge r the opening and closing of the valve at desired
levels. This smart valve will optimize the network
performance of the system at a dynamic equilibrium when the
following condit ion is maintained throughout.
Hp>Ah >Pn
Hp • -C Pn
Valve
Sensors Ah trigger
Fig. 5 Schematic representation of the working of Smart Valve
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IV. CO NC LUSION
Implementing research tools such as PRA have helped us
to effectivel y understand the village commun ity, their
resources and the challenge associated with the uncontrolled
flow of water from the artesian well. Utilising HCD tools such
as Participant Obser vation and creating Personas and
Scenarios helped understand the person al experiences endured
by the community with regard s to the flowing artesian well.
The proposed Smart Artesian Well Controller would rightly
addre ss the challenge by controlling the overflow thereb y
ensur ing a controlled water distribution network for the
community. The proposition is a sustainable one as it utilizes
solar energy for its operation making it an environment
_ friendly solution . Future scope of work will include designing
the Smart Artesian Well Controller by incorpor ating the right
instrumentation in a more cost effective manner and finally
implement the intervention in Pandori. On successful
deployment, the Smart Artesian Well Controlle r can be further
scaled to addres s similar challenges in other villages in India.
A CKNOWL EDGM ENT
This research was funded by Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapeetham and the field implementation was funded by
the UN-recognized NGO , MA Math. The authors express their
immense gratitude to Sri. Mata Amritan andam ayi Devi,
Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, who has
inspired them in performing selfle ss service to society. The
authors also thank the faculty members, staff: and students of
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the government official s ofthe
district of Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, and staff of the
Amrita Self Reliant Villages (Amrita SeRVe) program.
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