India is facing one of the worst water crises in recent times. NITI Aayog’s report Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) in 2018 stated that 21 major Indian cities including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad will run out of groundwater by next year and will affect nearly 100 million people.

The clock is ticking, and water conservation demands quick and effective strategies in place.

But entrepreneur Vijay Bhaskar Reddy realized very early on that sooner than later, water will be a contentious issue in the country. Hailing from an agrarian background, Reddy is deeply aware of the challenges gripping the sector. After a brief stint in corporate roles, he felt compelled to apply his knowledge in agriculture, especially after observing the limited proliferation of technology and limited affordability of tech-driven solutions in the sector compared to other industries.

Reddy founded Kisan Raja in 2010 as part of Vinfinet Technologies, with a goal to use technology and its myriad utilities to improve the agriculture industry in India. One of the immediate issues that Reddy chose to focus on was irrigation. Following multiple market surveys, Reddy understood the gravity of water scarcity threatening to impact almost every major agrarian state in India.

In India, irrigation is heavily reliant on groundwater supply. With a 67% share, covering nearly 39 million hectares, India is renowned for having the largest groundwater-enabled irrigation system in the world. However, recent changes in climate parameters have drastically impacted rainfall across India, and consequently, groundwater sources are depleting rapidly.

Experts have long preached the myriad benefits of drip irrigation, especially in drought-prone areas of India. Traditional methods of irrigation not only deplete water resources, but also increase soil salinity and rid essential nutrients.

Reddy realized this was a critical area which could be ably assisted with technologies like IoT and AI.

He decided to focus on development of cloud based IoT solutions integrated with wireless sensors, mobile pump controllers and wireless valve controllers for Smart Autonomous Irrigation. Vinfinet offers proprietary, farm-specific irrigation schedule based on parameters like soil type, weather conditions and crop variety, based on AI, ML and agronomist inputs. These solutions have been found to increase farm yields while also mitigating water and energy usage by 20%.

KisanRaja, a GSM controlled device developed by Vinfinet Technologies, allows farmers to control irrigation pumps from anywhere. The device is retro-fitted on pumps, and provides a continuous updates to the farmer on power supply, water levels through Interactive Voice Response (IVR). With this device, farmers can save the costs of deploying a person at the pump station, and instead monitor the water levels at their convenience.

There are multiple layers of analytical insights being derived through the devices. Using IoT, the devices are connected seamlessly, and cloud-based solutions provide the appropriate action to be taken based on the data collected.

For instance, 12 million litres of water is utilised by one hectare of a paddy farm. Using IoT and cloud based solutions, 20% of water consumption has been curtailed.

In addition to providing timely alerts about water levels and crop conditions, the data being collected and saved on the cloud also helps farmers make informed decisions about the crops and soils. For instance, a paddy crop can be cultivated in different types of soil. Although fertile riverine or clay-ey soil is considered to be ideal for paddy, it thrives in other soil types like red-yellow, red-loamy, hill and sub-montane, terai, laterite and coastal alluvium as well. In each case, the level of irrigation needs to be monitored differently based on the soil and weather conditions, in order to preserve and enhance the quality for future use.

Vinfinet Technologies provides an autonomous irrigation solution, which can be deployed on any field.

The company has done a pilot project for the World Bank, showcasing the efficiency of their solution on paddy fields in West Bengal. Soon, World Bank will extend the project to Punjab, where Vinfinet Technologies will test the solution’s efficiency in wheat crops. The company’s focus has been primarily on the demand side of water for maximum efficiency in flood-irrigated open fields, managing drips in open fields, and enabling protected area farming. In addition, the company has deployed ground solutions for horticultural products and is working with NABARD for the same.

Currently, the company has partnerships with ICRISAT, MANAGE, NABARD and Monsanto (The Climate Company).

With India veering towards a critical water crisis, integrated water management is the need of the hour. It is imperative for governments and businesses to incorporate technologies that can ensure judicious use of water and a process-driven approach to conserve existing water resources.

Source: Nasscom Community

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