Nishant Bhardwaj

The concept of sustainable development is closely related to livelihood security. Human health is one of the key components of livelihood security. India, with its huge growing population and rapid industrialization in the era of globalization, is standing at the brink of an environmental disaster. Shortage of clean drinking water (despite its huge water resources), air pollution (due to uncontrolled industrialization and increasing population of vehicles) combined with soil pollution leading to low yield and increasing marginal land, are poisoning our natural resources.

Development Alternatives, being committed to a clean environment, initiated a programme on development of environment quality monitoring kits to address the problem of environmental pollution at large scale. The programme focuses on taking the various aspects related to environmental degradation to the common man and initiate community action through mass awareness. The environment kits programme has been undertaken by the Environment Systems Branch (ESB) of Development
Alternatives.  The programme of research and development of low cost environment monitoring kits was initiated in the year 1995. Water being the most important and sensitive environment resource, the issue of water-monitoring was taken on a priority basis. A low cost water testing kit, Jal-TARA, was developed in the year 1996.

Jal –TARA is a compact, portable and easy to operate water-testing kit. The kit can be effectively used to perform basic tests to ensure that the water is fit for drinking. Jal-TARA is designed for concerned citizens, NGOs involved in the issue of water quality, students and public authorities to actively participate in monitoring the water quality. Jal-TARA can test 14 essential parameters for drinking water and river water quality. The kit can test physical, chemical and biological parameters in water. (See box for details). It is customized and its different versions are designed to address specific problems. Jal-TARA is widely accepted by different national and international agencies like WHO, UNICEF etc.

After the successful development of this water testing kit, another project of Research & Development on air-testing kit was undertaken. A low cost air quality testing kit, Pawan-TARA, was developed in the year 1998. Pawan-TARA is a low volume air sampler and can test three parameters i.e. Respirable dust particulates present in air, Oxides of nitrogen and sulfurdioxide . Pawan-TARA can be used to monitor indoor as well as outdoor air-quality. Pawan-TARA has two models – one with a timer (Premier model) and the other without a timer (standard model).

Realizing that arsenic pollution in water sources in certain areas of South Asian countries is heading towards arsenic poisoning, an ambitious project is recently initiated to develop an arsenic testing kit. To solve the problem of arsenic poisoning, it is suggested by the experts to monitor each and every water source in arsenic affected areas. Currently, there is no low cost method available to test our water sources effectively in arsenic affected areas. Arsenic kit R&D is in progress and is expected to be ready for commercial sale in 14 months.

The R&D work on environment monitoring kits is taken up by a highly skilled team of environmental scientists. The research, development and testing of kits is conducted in a sophisticated environmental laboratory known as TARA Environment Monitoring Facility under Environment Systems Branch of Development Alternatives. The laboratory is equipped with instruments like Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, UV- Visible spectrophotometer, Ion meters , Sophisticated balances, Flue gas analysers, Air samplers. The laboratory is recognized by Delhi Pollution Control Committee to facilitate industries in controlling their pollution discharge. The laboratory also provides services in environmental auditing and pollution treatment plant design.  q