|
All of the project
descriptions listed below were created
in close collaboration with Vigyan
Ashram and the population of Pabal.
Click on the title for the full
project description. We are
always open to additional insight
or information regarding any of the
challenges listed below. Please do
not hesitate to contact
us if you have any comments
and/or questions.
Remember -- close
communication with Pabal villagers
will help you get the information
you need to create an appropriate,
sustainable solution for Pabal! Check
out the engINdia
Wiki for communication
forums and more.
|
| Alternative
to Batteries |
 |
There
are two daily power cuts
of four hours each in Pabal
and the surrounding villages.
Many of Pabal's inhabitants
use 12 volt batteries to
supply their energy needs
during power cuts. These
batteries are expensive
and often only last one
year. Once batteries have
ceased to hold enough charge
they must be replaced, which
is expensive, and although
they are often passed on
to someone with lower charge
requirement, they are still
eventually thrown away.
Thus there are two main
needs: 1) a cheaper method
of supplying electrical
energy during power cuts
and 2) a method of increasing
the life of lead acid batteries. |
|
|
| Assessing
Suitability of Well Sites |
 |
A system is needed to assess
the potential of a site
for well construction. The
system should provide approximations
of the depth required to
dig and any other insightful
and relevant information.
The solution should also
be portable, low-cost, and
simple to operate. It should
also be possible to manufacture
the solution using locally
available materials and
tools. |
|
|
| Bamboo
as a Structural Component |
 |
Many people cannot afford
concrete and steel houses
and the use of bamboo as
a structural replacement
for steel has been highlighted
as having the potential
to lower the price of a
new house.However, the properties
of bamboo vary. It would
be beneficial to identify
the ideal species of bamboo
for use as a building material,
how to cultivate it in Pabal
or India in general and
most importantly, a method
for assessing the strength
of the bamboo. Also, an
investigation into the lifespan
of the bamboo and any methods
of expanding it if necessary
would be of interest; a
lifespan approaching 50
years is desired. |
|
|
| Biodiesel |
 |
A biodiesel plant could
be set up to provide biodiesel
at a low cost to the local
area, running off locally
produced crops, such as
the common 'weed' Jatropha.
This production plant should
be able to run on locally
produced biomass and/or
waste. The aim is to design
a plant that would continuously
produce biodiesel throughout
the year. |
|
|
| Biogas
Generator |
 |
A small-scale biogas generator
needs to be developed, so
that it can run on different
forms of biomass and serve
a household in a localised
situation. A small generator
would be the most sustainable
solution, as less power
and energy would be wasted
than if a community-based,
larger generator was designed.
The localised small biogas
generator would limit any
losses from electricity
and/or biogas distribution. |
|
|
| |
| Cell Phone Business Applications |
.jpg) |
The number of cell phones in Pabal has increased rapidly in recent years. A high number of villagers now own cell phones, and a large cell phone tower in Pabal allows people to reliably get reception in most places in the village.
Already, some farmers are using cell phones to get up to date weather information and market price information. However, it is likely there are more possibilities for using cell phones to provide benefits to the community. A student could research and identify ways in which cell phones could be used to improve village life and design training materials to convey this information. |
| |
| Cooler
Housing in Hot Climates |
 |
It would be useful to adapt
the design of the housing
structure so that it is
cooler in high temperatures
than it is at present, without
resorting to the use of
electricity. The design
should be low-cost, sustainable
and utilise locally available
materials and skills. The
new design should not reduce
the functionality of the
existing structure or increase
its cost greatly. The potential
for application to similar
designs of structures should
also be investigated. |
|
|
| Education
Software |
 |
There is currently no software
available that is targeted
at rural students learning
science and mathematics.
Innovative software that
provides hands-on learning
of science and mathematics
concepts without having
a dependence on language
or computer literacy would
allow these students to
get more familiar with computers
and solidify lessons learned
in school. Because physical
models and experiments are
expensive and difficult
to coordinate in large lectures,
computer models that can
be manipulated by individual
students for do-it-yourself
learning are ideal. |
|
|
| Human
Waste Disposal |
 |
Investigating the possible
application of a composting
toilet to satisfy many needs
in Pabal. |
|
|
| Internet Business Applications |
 |
There are a number of women in Pabal who produce crafts, art, or clothing to sell. However, these items do not raise as much in Pabal as they do if sold in nearby cities, like Pune. An even higher price could likely be obtained if the items were sold in other countries. Now that the internet is available more widely in Pabal, some have expressed an interest in creating an online business.
However, many of the villagers in the community do not speak English and do not know how to use the internet. The specifics of how to start and run a successful business are difficult to learn. A project could investigate these options and propose a method that villagers could use to run an online business. The solution should address not only the issues of creating the business online, but also the process needed to communicate with potential buyers, collect money from purchases, and ship goods. |
| |
| Internet Training and Education |
 |
The number of computers in Pabal is increasing quickly. In addition to a computer lab with internet access at Vigyan Ashram, there is also a new computer lab with internet access slightly closer to the village. However, there are a number of barriers that make it difficult for villagers to take advantage of these opportunities.
First, both locations charge a small fee, so villagers feel that there time at the internet stations needs to be meaningful to make it worth the cost. Most villagers do not know how the using the internet could benefit or be useful to them. Most are also not aware of how to use the internet, set up email, use search engines, etc. A successful project would need to address both of these issues:
-
Explain how could the internet be useful to rural villagers in Pabal, India, and
-
Provide training on how to use computers and the internet
|
| |
| Lighting
During Power Cuts |
 |
It would be useful to invent
a self-sufficient lighting
technology appropriate to
this location. One possible
approach to this challenge
could be to find more efficient
battery powered lanterns
using available materials.
Another possibility is to
design a light with a self-sufficient,
environmentally friendly,
and inexpensive power source.
There is also the possibility
of non-electrical solutions
with greater light output
and/or fuel efficiency. |
|
|
| Limiting
the Use of Detergents |
 |
As there is no organized
sewage system in Pabal,
used silage is poured onto
the street, which affects
the local ecosystems. This
detergent then percolates
through the relatively thin
top soil to the underlying
igneous rocks. As the impermeable
rocks have a very poor carrying
capacity of water, the area
has a very low water table.
The detergents are thus
retained in the water table
and are present in the village's
well water supply. This
can be seen to be very damaging
to the local population's
health.
Therefore the development
of a biodegradable or
natural detergent or perhaps
a detergent-free washing
method would protect the
local ecosystem and would
improve the community's
water supply. |
|
|
| Natural
Water Heating on Roofs |
 |
Approximately 90% of the
community uses hot water
for showers and/or laundry
each day. To heat the water
the population uses natural
gas or kerosene heaters.
This causes an unnecessary
cost for the community on
fuel and on natural resources.
As Pabal is in a particularly
dry area of Maharashtra,
there is sunshine for the
majority of the year. This
natural, free resource for
heating water seems to be
wasted. Water could be easily
heated on roof space using
solar radiation and then
stored in an insulated tank
for future use, thereby
stopping the use of electrical
or natural gas heating. |
|
|
| Oil
Mill Optimisation |
 |
The oil mill employs 45
people directly in Pabal
and perhaps many more indirectly
(transportation etc.); in
fact a hostel is provided
for the workers to stay
in. The optimisation of
the oil mill would increase
the profit that the oil
mill would collect and hence
increase property in the
area. The oil mill could
as a result grow and process
other oils full time, providing
more jobs in Pabal and increasing
the money coming into Pabal.
The owner is also a leading
member of the Jain community,
which has been very generous
in developing Pabal as a
whole. Therefore increasing
his wealth would help everyone
in the local community. |
|
|
| Printer
Ink |
 |
Currently Vigyan Ashram
uses a Hewlett Packard printer
(model Officejet 6110 All-In-One)
and acquires its ink cartridges
by post from MIT free of
charge. This arrangement
is not sustainable in the
long term. If it was to
acquire cartridges from
Pune it would be both expensive
and troublesome. Organic
inks should be developed
locally, instead. The final
product must be of the correct
consistency and particle
size to pass through the
ink jet nozzles and have
a reasonable drying time. |
|
|
| Project Implementation |
 |
Often, technical solutions are proposed for the engineering challenges, but a full business plan for implementation is not included. A student could take on the challenge of identifying a technical solution that already exists and focus their efforts on creating a business plan so the solution could be successfully implemented in Pabal. |
| |
| Rain
Water Harvesting |
 |
A method of rainwater collection
and storage for home or
community use could help
to alleviate the water shortage
problem. Ideally the water
would be best saved for
the dry session. The solution
must be low-cost, sustainable
and utilise locally available
materials and skills. |
|
|
| Short
Term Food Preservation |
 |
Farmers use the weekly local
or nearby Pune city markets
to sell their produce (i.e.
fruit and vegetables). If
a farmer has produce remaining,
because of low sales or
a high yield, he will travel
to a larger market. Farmers
often find that their produce
becomes less saleable because
it deteriorates in storage
and transit. During the
dry season in particular,
the temperatures can exceed
45°C leading to fast
spoilage. A technique is
required to preserve farm
crops for up to one week
to suit the market timing.
The target internal temperature
is 20°C; external highs
in the 40s are not uncommon,
and thus 20-25°C cooling
would be necessary. Care
must also be paid to the
effects of humidity both
on the crop being stored
and on the system's ability
to cool. |
|
|
| Simplified
Computer |
|
Pabal experiences approximately
eight hours of power cuts
per day. It is not known
when there will be a steady
and reliable power supply
to the village. The lack
of electricity inhibits
the use of computers in
the village, and even the
thirteen computers in the
local junior college computer
lab sit idle for much of
the day. Batteries are used
in the lab, but only to
prevent work from being
lost; a battery can support
a computer system for a
mere 20 minutes after the
power has been cut. One
solution to this problem
is a way of storing more
charge than these batteries,
but in conjunction a computer
system that runs on minimal
power and yet still performs
the basic requirements of
the people is needed. Such
a computer system will be
able to run on battery power
for a significant amount
of time. |
|
|
| Soil
Testing Kit |
 |
If a low-cost method of
soil testing for nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium and
other minerals were available,
then farmers could know
the right amount of fertiliser
to use. This would reduce
all the previously mentioned
effects. |
|
|
| Structural
Analysis on Geodesic Dome |
 |
A project to house 40 families
in the Maharashtra region
which began in January 2005
has been halted due to concerns
over the loading applied
to a series of geodesic
domes which form a large
portion of the whole complex.
The domes have soil packed
over them which was never
anticipated in the original
design.
There is a need for a
method to model the structural
response of the geodesic
or "Pabal" dome.
An assessment of the loading
encountered by the domes
should be performed and
alterations to the design
of the dome to accommodate
the expected loading should
be recommended. Any modifications
to the original design
should be as unobtrusive
as possible. |
|
|
| Waste
Management |
 |
Because of the wet climate,
paper and cardboard waste
decomposes quickly, but
plastic waste is more of
a problem. The waste most
commonly found is plastic
packaging from snacks, cookies,
or biscuits.
A practical solution
for this waste to be reduced,
reused, or recycled is
required. An optimal solution
would have benefits beyond
just cleanliness of the
village. |
|
|
| Water
Testing |
 |
An NGO based in Pabal, called
Vigyan Ashram, currently
offers water testing to
the local community and
as part of its curriculum.
Vigyan Ashram uses a system
in which potentially polluted
water is mixed with a sterile
nutrient broth solution
(prepared from Mac Conkey
Broth powder) and incubated
for 48 hours in a water
bath at 37°C. The broth
is initially pink in colour;
if by the end of the procedure
it is yellow the broth has
been digested and so harmful
micro organisms must be
present. If no change in
the colour of the broth
is noted then the water
is considered to be safe
for drinking.
In Pabal there are 4-hour-long
power cuts twice a day,
which means that the water
bath cannot be kept at a
constant 37°C without
resorting to the use of
expensive batteries. |
|
|
| Water
Treatment |
 |
According to local doctors,
Pabal residents primarily
suffer from diarrhea and
gastrointestinal diseases.
Local pharmacists confirm
that they sell more drugs
for diarrhea than for any
other ailment, especially
during the rainy season,
when they say rainwater
washes pathogens into wells.
According to Dr. Yogesh
Kulkarni (head of Vigyan
Ashram) residents of Pabal
spend 40-50% of their income
on medical treatment. A
cost-efficient method of
water treatment would considerably
reduce medical costs and
loss of income due to ill
health. |
|
|
