Freshwater is under threat from:
- urbanisation
- agricultural runoff
- industrial waste
- climate-driven drought flooding
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Government of India brought together leading researchers, scientists and engineers under the UK-India Water Quality Programme to reimagine freshwater systems.
Innovative UK-India collaboration
A collaboration between the University of the West of England, Bristol and the Bose Institute in Kolkata, developed a novel approach, exploring both real-time sensing technology and community-scale water treatment.
The proposal was funded by:
- UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- the Newton-Bhabha Fund
- the Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology
Delivering real-time data
Researchers collecting water samples along the Ganges River. Credit: University of the West of England, Bristol
The UK-India team embarked on the largest sampling programme ever conducted, taking samples at more than 100 sites across 2,500km of the Ganges River system in northern India.
For three weeks, researchers used a fluorescence-based sensor technology to target amino acids in the water with ultraviolet light.
It provided real-time data on microbial contamination, making it easy to identify sources of pollution.
Piloting community scale water treatment solutions
In parallel, the team piloted two community-scale treatment systems that could deliver safe drinking water to areas without reliable water infrastructure.
They tested the systems in a school and two rural villages in the Telangana region of India.
Dr Gillian Clayton, Lecturer in Environmental Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland, explained:
We saw an immediate real-time improvement of the water.
Monitoring and improving water
Both the sensing and treatment technologies are already being used to monitor and improve freshwater supply in the UK, India and Europe.
Urban wastewater channels flowing into the river. Credit: University of the West of England, Bristol
Notably, the team is using the sensors with The Rivers Trust to monitor the health of UK rivers.
The treatment systems are also actively improving the reliability of drinking water at the Leamna Pneumology Hospital in Romania and an ecovillage in Greece.
The systems are also being used to clean wastewater from a cement factory in Albania.
The main goal
Professor Darren Reynolds, Director of the Centre for Research in Sustainable Agri-Food & Environment from the University of the West of England, Bristol, said:
Doing research that can directly drive prosperity, healthier people, healthier cities and healthier economies is really the main goal.
Find out more
Watch our video on The UK-India Freshwater Systems Story (YouTube)
Top image: Infrastructure across the Ganges River, India. Credit: University of the West of England, Bristol