GUWAHATI, May 23 � Students from Assam � one team from Tezpur University campus and two teams from Nagaon � joined a video conference to present research findings regarding reuse of waste water in a project co-ordinated by the North Dakota State University (NDSU) of the USA recently on a global project on �Rediscovering Water.�
Rediscovering Water is an international initiative of North Dakota State University towards awareness on judicious use of water and popularising methods of scientific research among schoolchildren and young scientists of the future. The project is aimed at stimulating research in water and waste water and equip the younger generation with the skills necessary to carry out scientific research to purify waste water and other forms of water including urine, etc. for the future of mankind and other purposes.
Dr Achintya Bezbaruah, Professor in Civil Engineering, NDSU, coordinated the programme. Dean, Faculty of Engineering Sciences of North Dakota State University, Prof Gary Smith, inaugurating the programme of video conferencing, said that this is an initiative to bring up a young scientific group from all over the world who can solve different environment-related problems faced by human beings through different scientific approaches. He added that there is a huge quantity of water on the earth but very less potable water. This calls for further research globally so as to find a technology to treat waste water like water from baths, sinks, washing machines, urine, etc.
Prof Mihir Kumar Choudhury, Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University, attended the inauguration programme as the Indian inaugurator. Professor Chaudhury, in his comments during the video conference, appreciated the initiative and appealed to the NDSU to continue the project in the greater interest of mankind. He also insisted on training that this type of project can disseminate in the field of research for future scientist. The students who joined from different schools of Tezpur include Priyakshi Saikia, Urniv Raj Deka, Rahul Das, Tirthajit Baruah from Tezpur Army School and Saptarshi Das, Pratyush Kumar Das, Abyartha Goswami, Pragyan Kumar Das, Anupama Hazarika and Jugal Raj Deka, all students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tezpur. The team mentored by M Sampriti Kakati and Munmun Hiloidari used blue-green algae, �dupartenga,� tengeshitenga, stones, sand, etc. to remove unwanted salt in waste water in order to make drain water potable.
Other participating teams were from Sankardev Sishu Bidya Niketon and Nowgong Bengali Girls� High School from Assam and one team from Bangladesh, one team from Saudi Arabia and two teams from USA. The next round of video conferencing will take place in July with more schoolchildren.