Our latest photos from the summer 2009 India trip (watch in fullscreen mode!).

Background & History:

Tribal villagers living in remote areas of Kalahandi are marginalized, both economically and socially; they struggle with food insecurity, lack of infrastructure, and basic livelihoods. As these communities grow and the demand for products and services increases, it is essential that the villagers have access to sustainable solutions to these problems.

In 2005, Columbia EWB teamed up with the NGOs Gram Vikas and Practical Action to promote local capacity building in the Kalahandi District. The team has focused on Micro-hydro energy plants, an environmentally-friendly energy technology. Through this partnership, a twelve kilowatt micro-hydro system has been commissioned in the community of Purnaguma! The plant currently provides electricity for outdoor and house-hold lighting and will soon electrify an agricultural processing center, a library, a health center, and a battery charging station.  Micro-Hydro Project Details

Moving Forward:

With the completion of the Purnaguma Micro-Hydro plant, the India program has refocused its efforts on applications of the energy that can be used to address the challenges the villagers in Purnaguma face. Electrical and non-electrical solutions are being explored to address problems such as air pollution in the home, food storage, rural construction, and livelihood generation.

In summer 2009, our team worked in Purnaguma to test improved wood-burning stoves.  Check out how the summer team did!

Our team is currently in Purnaguma working on developing a local prototype of an improved wood-burning stove.  Check out our current progress on our blog!

Current Technology Initiatives:

Cookstoves: Currently, villagers cook with wood-burning stoves inside their homes. This requires considerable amounts of wood and causes significant indoor air quality and health problems. Our group is designing a low-power electric cooking system for households. We are also working to pilot improved biomass cookstoves that are designed to promote clean and efficient combustion. These improved cook-stoves aim to reduce the quantity of fuel consumed in the village, as well as improve air quality in homes.

Construction Aid: During the construction of a structure and infrastructure projects, such as a micro-hydro plant, it is necessary to carry large amounts of materials up terrain that trucks cannot travel. This process is time and labor-intensive and often endangers villagers. This summer a team will be testing several solutions to this problem using local materials and tools.

Get involved in the India Program!
Meetings: TBA
Program Manager: Matt Capetola, mrc2128@columbia.edu
Program Liaison: Dhristie Bhagat, dmb2186@columbia.edu
Program Secretary: Cindy Zhang, cmz2111@columbia.edu