Partner Organization: Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay

Project Leader : Prof. Bakul  Rao, CTARA, IIT Bombay

Objectives:

  • Design a model WATSAN (water supply, sanitation/drainage, stormwater management and solid waste management) system for a town of 20,000 population based on available data and onground conditions. 
  • Convert this experience/process into an a state of the art IT-enabled design tool for wider application to other locations.

With WIN Support, CTARA selected Vadgaon Maval and Faizpur towns in Maharashtra for the project. The work encompassed:

  • Comprehensive survey of water supply using pipeline mapping, measurement of flow and pressure, and water quality, civil survey with elevations, using remote sensing/satellite data and mapping with open source GIS system. 
  • Social survey of 100% households including water connections, toilet positions with soak pits and septic tanks, willingness of household to join the sanitation programme and perception of residents towards current water supply. 
  • Using above inputs, the team then designed (i) a comprehensive WATSAN system including an appropriate water supply network,  sewerage network, sanitation scheme, stormwater drainage network and solid waste management plan, using tools like hydraulic modeling, GIS etc., (ii) state of the art process and design tool set for wider application to other towns, (iii) training and other support modules to guide implementing agencies.

About  Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay and Prof. Bakul Rao

Project Leader : Prof. Bakul Rao, Professor,  CTARA, IITB. PhD from IITB, with more than 28 years of experience in field of environment which ranges from matrix characterization, technology development for sanitation, waste water treatment, FSM and soil remediation, Life cycle assessments, etc. 

Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, IIT Bombay, works on the perspectives, policies, and practices pertaining to technology, development, and the interrelationship between the two, for development of rural areas and towns, by bringing interdisciplinary capabilities at IIT Bombay, along with close collaborations with various Governmental Departments at the Centre and State; Industrial Houses, Non-governmental Organizations/Community Based Organizations. CTARA also offers M. Tech. Program in Technology and Development,  Ph.D, and Post Doctoral research programs. 

IIT Bombay is the leading Technology institute in the country. In addition to academic departments,  has several interdisciplinary centres, like CTARA, Tata Centre for Technology and Design, Entrepreneurship Centre, Research Park and the Leading startup incubator SINE, to promote technology oriented entrepreneurship and development initiatives.

For more details, visit the IITB website

Publications:

  • Bakul Rao, (2020), “Need for integrated planning of envir. services for small town- a case study” Ist Intl. Conf. on Urban Science and Engg. held at IIT Bombay, 28th– 29th Feb, 2020 (Poster and abstract)
  • Bakul Rao (2020), “Exploring the facts associated with semi urban areas of India by household social survey – a case study, 35th Intl. conf. on Solid Waste at Annapolis (MD), Washington titled. (Oral and Poster presentation)/ Paper being published in conference proceedings

Further Information

  1. Model  WATSAN – Project presentation (click here)
  2. Need for integrated planning of environmental services for small town – A case study (click here)