Woman Water & Soil Testing Officer

Profile of Chandrasekaran J, Innovator, Social Entrepreneur (external link)

Chandrasekaran J is a serial Innovator, a plastics technologist who believes in UPS : Understand the Pain point and Solve!

With 30 plus years of experience in designing to manufacturing, he can clearly decide on materials, machine and manpower to build and scale up any product. He is also a heritage conservator trying to restore dilapidated temples lying in ruins using traditional materials and methods

1. Water testing is seldom done in most parts of India, hence common man could not decide if the water is potable or not

2. We wanted to skill the women in the last mile to become water and soil testers, thereby empowering them to earn on their own by becoming testing officers.

3. By becoming the testing officer, we would also teach the simpler methods of remediating the problem, or making the water potable.

Parallelly we are also looking at adding soil testing to their skill, thereby giving complete solution to a rural farmer to inform him on the suitability of the soil and water for cultivation.

Water is not potable in almost 78% of the country's geography. Many children die due to simpler contamination like e-coli or coliform bacteria.

The labs in India are very few and also take almost 2 weeks to deliver a water report. Both rural India (which comprises of 80% of the population) and the farmer community are not given the right information and education on water and soil they use. This leads to many chronic diseases and poor utilization, or over dumping of heavy chemicals or fertilisers which leach both the water and soil. 

We decided to device simpler water tests and make it portable, so that we train science graduate women in most villages and tier-2, tier-3 towns  into water and soil testing experts. They will do it at an affordable fee, give instant certificate in local vernacular language and also earn their living. The skill building and capacity building of women will reduce the burden of water or soil getting tested in far off Government labs which decry for lack of transparency and manpower. Instead, if women are taught how to do tests using portable kits, they can give instant authentic results thereby educating the local women, children and farmers on using safe potable water and good soil.

1. The last mile connectivity to understand and know if the water is potable or not can be achieved.
2. Women will get employment, become qualified or authorised government testing authority
3. Can become rural entrepreneurs who can test, remediate water and soil by using simpler skills we impart
4. Skill building through Skill India programme
5. Reduction of diseases by making water potable
6. Data mining and documentation would help researchers further work on long term solutions to have safe water and soil
7. Children will benefit at large
8. Many SDG goals achieved in ONE GO 

In many countries potable water is a big issue. The system lacks proper testing methodologies or remediation process which can make any water, potable. For this first we need to build infrastructure, skill and manpower to test water, identify the contaminants, then eliminate them, making water potable.

The Labs run by Governments, are not well equipped and are few in numbers. The idea is to create more qualified testing persons. We see, a great opportunity for girls who have completed their science graduation, but do not get a job. We would train them, equip them with portable kit, test waters.

We Watsan Envirotech Pvt Ltd have been a social enterprise to make way into the last mile connections of rural India and deliver them potable water. We focussed on standalone water purifiers rather than larger systems which usurp power, waste water and adds to more maintenance costs which is really not affordable by the BPL families in most villages. We started making 

non-electricity based,

zero water wastage

least maintenance

most affordable water purifiers, started distributing it through NGOs, Self Help Groups, thereby building network of community to help each other. This attracted big buyers like World Vision India, Water.Org, L&T, RAMCO, BOSCH etc started buying purifiers from us which were much economical and environmental friendly than conventional R.O systems.

Later, we developed add-ons like arsenic and fluoride removal systems, small and big which were also instant hit. But we also understood that no proper data is available on understanding region specific contamination of both water and soil. So we decided to empower the village woman science graduate into a qualified water and soil testing authority. Skill building, providing them portable kits and getting them Govt authority and license can change the water map of India! That is our vision

I have been handling water and sanitation problems for the past 14 years and have seen potable water a big issue. Many blame the government and lack of system which decides if the water is bad or good, potable or not. I see it as an opportunity to empower women graduates to become the water testers in their own soil, earn their living and publish instant water and soil reports, also educate their brethren and make their lives more healthier and finally more correct and accurate data can be collected from nook and corner of the country to adjudicate the water and its quality, improve to make them potable. Unless we have more employment opportunities, a change of mind set within communities and also knowledge to make them understand what problems do occur due to bad water, we cannot remediate anything. This can happen by skill building Indian rural women and making them the change makers of India. If I can see success in India, I wish I could repeat this model anywhere in the world, making water mapping and remediating it into potable water happening through the hands of the World Women.I would call them Water by World Women!(www)

I am a water scientist for the past 14 years and have delivered potable water to almost 3,00,000 households across India and to even the border security force of Kargil and Wagah of the Indian Army! I have given variants like arsenic removal, fluoride removal, which were earlier never heard of in the Water Industry! My network with many NGOs and WOMEN SELF HELP GROUPS in India and abroad are well knit and I am sure I can bring in the change we need to empower women, make them water testing authorities, thereby educate them and their surrounding to study, remediate and peruse water for themselves and to the society. Women are sincere, they have a concern for the well being of their kith and kin. So they are the best bet to change the world, I will be just a catalyst in this reaction and make them change the water map of the world. 

My TEDx talk on solving the problems as a change maker

These 2 links are good enough to tell if I can make the cut or not.

https://lnkd.in/f3Nc-GC and https://lnkd.in/fcjY_xa

I started making the natural clay candles wirth my own hands, prove to the market, sell and proliferate. Today we comprise of a strong team of 40 women (2 men, of course me the founder a man and my site engineer to do outside work at odd hours is a man), running the company and most of them are first generation graduates, or employees. Most come from poor background but today they run their families and sustain the family economically. I also mentor many startups myself and give them advise of product development. I run other startups www.cureall.in and also an NGO to restore heritage structures (www.conserveheritage.org). If I dream, I live to it and make it a reality. Otherwise I don't dare to dream.

World Vision India is purchasing our purifiers in large volumes and distributing it to BPL families, primary schools and child care centres across India. We would partner with them

This is the only project which has many benefits in ONE GO:

Women employment

Skill development

Documentation of Water and its character, for further evaluation and remediation

Educating the uneducated on drinking safe water

Data analytics for researchers to further find solutions in future

Empower, engage and improve lives is what this project drives us to perform. Many science graduates do not get work. Most of them, women, end up getting married and not pursue a career here in Rural India. Even though they would have studied science with passion, all may end up in a dark hole. We want to change their lives, perspective by skilling them to become the water testers of India and also earn their bread. This change in them, brings the  change in their live style, using safe water. Change in using safe water, brings better health. Better health means more productive and efficient lives for women and more better schooling for children. Educate, emancipate,enlighten through water!

close to 15,00,000 lives have been impacted by our standalone natural water purifiers. With the women testing officers project we plan to impact atleast 2000 women initially PAN India, increasing it 10 fold in another 5 years to come, thereby making it the largest network of qualified women water certifiers in the world!

Not leave any piece of land on earth to get tested for both quality of water and earth!

Paying stipend to large community of women trainers would be a challenge, so we would pilot a small team of 10 to 20 women and give kits to them, based on their success, we will go for more such training. We will talk with the Government to train them under the Skill India movement happening in India and insist them to add water and soil testing be added as one of the "SKILL" in the list released by the Government. I do not see any legal barriers to make it happen, but making Government accept the water reports and  results of these women trainers and allow documentation of the same into government's water portal would be the icing on the tea. But we are sure we can make it happen

Try a small pilot, make it work, repeat and showcase to the Government. Then the Government listens.

World Vision India, Water.org, WaterAid.org etc

We manufacture and sell to larger NGOs like World Vision India. We see from most places, the water table is bad, not potable. The people in rural India, who comprise 80% of the total population do not have access to drinking water.

We wanted to establish centres across the country especially in rural villages where we stock and sell, have a rural change maker in place. She will be trained and imparted skill in water testing, remediating and also selling. So, she becomes a single point source for the change. It gives here pride to improvise water, thereby the health of her fellow beings. A dignity to live and an opportunity to learn, let learn and also earn. Training will be imparted for a short duration on testing water with portable kits, remediate using any of the variants we manufacture, test again to make sure the contamination in the water is remediated. They become our representatives and sellers, selling directly to the beneficiary, not like traders and dealers who sell at very high prices to the needy.

The woman explained above will become self sustainable, earn her bread also healthy living. We have developed educational materials in all vernacular languages, so language should not be a barrier to communicate. The woman will be a testing officer, who gets paid per test, the remediator who sells the water purifier and also the educator, on making people's lives better by educating them on safe use of water and safe drinking of potable water. The initial cost to train and capacity building is what we seek as funding, also to keep minimum stocks to be spread around, later once selling starts, each node of sale or each woman change maker will start billing and earn for us and for themselves too.

We have so far received grants to the tune of 73,000 US $ with which we built the fluoride removal kit, we built the 200 litres larger community based water purifiers and also increased capacity building and work force from 10 to 42. We have a backup fund to run for next 1 year from our operational costs, sales and also the deposits we keep in the bank, whenever we get bigger billing. But if the grant or prize money comes, we can impact our idea faster and to larger spectrum.

We seek 2,56,410 US$ to establish sale points across India with which we can scale up 30 x times of the current sales which is around 24,000 purifiers a year.

It can be impact fund, angel investment or grant. We are looking for long time fund partners

Fund for building volumes: 20,000 US $

Sales marketing and establishment of reach-our points: 5,000 US $ needed per month so 12 x 5,000 = 60,000 US $

Modernisation and setting up 2 more units to cater whole country: 1,76,410‬ US $

Affordability to access potable water is a challenge to many in rural areas. Also, the most known brands of purifiers do not reach the needy. Watsan wants to create a network of change makers across the country, who will educate the mass on safe water, drinking and thereby bring in the change in the health of those unreached population. Watsan would train such change makers, who can update the water problems in their region and also get us orders for purifiers. They become the messiah to change the water map of India. The women we train will be water testing officers, remediators and also our front line sellers. These make them earn their bread, work with dignity and also change the lives of the rural public better with healthier water, hence healthier environment. The network we have with NGOs like World Vision is a strong one and we sih to collaborate and work along with them, the impact larger number of people in shortest time with lean and mean budget.

Affordability to access potable water is a challenge to many in rural areas. Also, the most known brands of purifiers do not reach the needy. Watsan wants to create a network of change makers across the country, who will educate the mass on safe water, drinking and thereby bring in the change in the health of those unreached population. Watsan would train such change makers, who can update the water problems in their region and also get us orders for purifiers. They become the messiah to change the water map of India.

Scientists who can work on water related challenges, reducing contamination of pharma waste, textile dye in water, other eco-friendly ways to remediate STP water etc can be a good partner. We can develop pilots, scale up with our industrial experience.

Big NGOs who have good network, for whom we can white label and sell.

Self Help groups and Women Organizations who think their reach is far and wide, enable local women to buy and sell our products for livelihood