#1. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
The threat of water scarcity may not be any concern for those who have readily available freshwater to meet their daily needs. We even know there are a few countries which have so much access to water that even during this global pandemic they are using water carelessly. But for about more than two billion people who currently live in areas with high water stress and approximately 4 Billion people who suffer from water scarcity at least a month in a year, it is a stark reality. Likewise, more than two-fifths of Africa's 800 million people live in "water-stressed" areas, defined as providing less than 1,700 cubic metres of water per person, taking the needs of industry and agriculture into account as well. Similarly, the United Nations predicts that in 10 years 1.9 billion people will live in water-scarce areas - struggling on less than 1,000 cubic metres of water each. So, what water-stressed regions most need is water supplying device than can supply 100 to 200 people - the size of a village. So while desalination plants and upcoming many water supplying projects have only gone in big wealthier countries or the countries which have access to Ocean water, it also needs to go to small countries which are deprived of the benefit of ocean water or which has many desert type barren and dry places to benefit those unlucky enough to be poor in both money and water. Also, 71% of the earth surface is covered by water out of which only about 3% is fresh water, and less than half of it is readily accessible Freshwater. The consumption of fresh water seems to be increasing day by day which is due to increase in population and even due to pollution and carelessness of people. Freshwater has been contaminated more and more day by day. By analysing various data of NASA and different other organizations we can predict the water scarcity is not so far from us. In addition to these, COVID-19 is also impacting and it is enhancing freshwater scarcity as "adding fuel to the fire". Yes, it also has some positive impacts as it is helping to minimize pollution and industrial activities that control freshwater pollution. But it is a short term change as COVID-19 is a temporary problem. But its negative impact has harmed us very badly and also will continue to harm until we create a solution as fast as possible. Its most affected area is the excess use of Freshwater which has become a method to prevent it from transmission mostly through our hands and furthermore, it's increasing day by day even due to shortage of readymade hand-wash, leading us towards the future scarcity of usable freshwater which reflects it's inviting our biggest fear towards us more rapidly. It’s more threatening when we may come to a stage where people will have no water to survive. Climate change, pandemic diseases, population growth and changing consumption patterns are just a few of the myriad forces putting freshwater systems increasingly at risk. Freshwater species are declining at an alarming rate of 76%—much faster than terrestrial or marine species—and freshwater habitats are in worse condition than those of forests, grassland or coastal systems.
COVID-19 is also leading our Earth to the global water crisis. Taking example If our tap water is running during 20-second handwash. It will take 1.5 to 2 litres of water, we'll need 15 to 20 litres of water every day if we frequently wash our hands. A family of 5 will need 100 litres of water every day. COVID-19 is enhancing water scarcity. So, our project addresses this challenge to reduce the negative change of scarcity of water due to pandemic disease-COVID-19.
#2.Working on challenge
Our team got inspired to do this project due to the COVID-19 outbreaks which can be prevented by the use of water. Due to this COVID-19 outbreak, we have been hit hard on our weakest part. Water scarcity is not so far from us in such a condition this outbreak has become another global problem which is enhancing scarcity more and more. The high probability of occurring high scarcity inspired us to build our project that will help not only to conserve water but also help in conserving life on our planet. The huge scarcity cases and further cases in African countries made us energized to build this project. Similarly, we are inspired by current situations, we want to eradicate the problems of COVID 19 causing scarcity of water and built a quiet planet.
Our basic approach was to supply the world with extra water by developing a project called CORIDRIWA during this water scarcity along with COVID-19 enhancing this problem. The changes due to COVID-19 pandemic that are enhancing the water scarcity need to be controlled very soon. So, first of all, we tried to find out the changes brought by the COVID-19 outbreak. Water scarcity was already a problem and after studying changes we found that this outbreak was even enhancing water scarcity. So keeping this in mind that excessive use of water is a very essential thing to prevent COVID-19 outbreak and at the same time the excessive use of water for such prevention is inviting our biggest fear "Water Scarcity" towards us. So, in order to control it we got an idea of CORIDRIWA, that would use the NASA (GRACE) data to track and explore the various regions carrying high potential of having underground fresh water around the globe and creating advanced machines to dig the water out from it and supplying it to each and every people in every single house. Main aim of our project is to focus and emphasize the supply of water and creating machines in under-developed countries which are still marked as water-scarce areas, countries with many dry and barren lands and countries deprived from ocean water benefits and after providing water to these areas, our project would be applied by other wealthier and developed countries around the world as well. Basically, our project effort is to supply extra- water to all the countries rich and poor, under-developed or developed to eradicate the scarcity of water ahead us enhanced by climate change as well as Covid-19. The major advantage of this project is, the reduced use of electricity, sustainable environment as it would encourage every people to plant more trees to save the underground water resources and no app system to supply water that can be applicable to every people, countries and people who even cannot afford mobiles or other technological devices to fetch water for their daily needs.
CORIDRIWA is a practically applicable project that will help to short out the problem of future freshwater scarcity which is being enhanced by the COVID-19 outbreak too. In this project, a unique and applicable concept of developing an advanced machine to extract more amount of water from groundwater resources has been illustrated. Such advanced machines will be operated using solar power and under the control of engineers from NASA, JAXA, ESA and various other agencies. At first, in order to track the groundwater resources and land areas having potential to withdraw underground water, space-based data from NASA, JAXA, ESA.. etc can be used. Similarly, in this project, the data from GRACE and various other satellites can be used to track the regions for ground water resources. Then the machines would be set-up over those areas to dig the land and withdraw water from that area and finally pipes for leading the supply of water to people's houses. The solar power(pannels) would be used for the force required for the withdrawal of water to make it cheaper and environment friendly. Our solution not only helps to short out the problems of freshwater scarcity, but it also enhances sustainable development.
Machine
This shows the consumption of water before and after COVID-19 outbreaks. Also, similar case is for the consumption of water for sanitation during COVID-19 outbreaks.
This shows how much-piped water is accessible in Asia
It shows the world map that is illustrating the possibility of Water Stress in the year 2040.
It is a Grace based data
Groundwater resides beneath the soil surface in permeable rock, clay and sand as illustrated in this conceptual image.
The map, showing groundwater withdrawals as a percentage of groundwater recharge, is based on state-level estimates of annual withdrawals and recharge reported by India's Ministry of Water Resources.
As animated here, groundwater storage varied in northwestern India between 2002 and 2008, relative to the mean for the period. These deviations from the mean are expressed as the height of an equivalent layer of water, ranging from -12 cm (deep red) to 12 cm (dark blue). Credit: NASA/Trent Schindler and Matt Rodell
Groundwater storage
Global water shortage map. It provides us with information that we will face the problem of Water shortage.
Now here we have data from space agencies that helped us to make our projects.
These data show us how we can use Space agencies data to track or explore Groundwater resources:-
1.https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/applications/groundwater/
3.https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/131/nasa-satellites-reveal-major-shifts-in-global-freshwater/
4.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93i7m82h54
5.https://phys.org/news/2020-03-team-global-groundwater.html
6.https://phys.org/news/2016-03-nasa-track-groundwater-pakistan.html
As this is our first time participating in any kind of Hackathon we faced a lot of problems.
The first problem was to find out the challenge and working on it. Due to lack of proper time management we were not able to read the resources provided by the Space agencies.
The second problem we faced was a lack of proper world maps as we are a beginner we were only able to collect a few data the first 30 hours of the hackathon.
The third problem was committing silly mistakes like both us edited the project at the same time that resulted in erasing of our writings.
The fourth problem we faced was, both of us have had very less knowledge on programming so when we tried coding we just wasted our time and at last we decided not to use any codes.
But we took these problems as our challenge. We have done our best.
ACHIEVEMENTS
#1. We were able to use Space agencies data especially NASA data to come up with the solutions.
#2. We were able to inform people about the future scarcity of water.
#3. We were able to build our own concept to solve the problems that can hamper us in future
#4. We were able to illustrate the diagram of machines and other equipment that Engineers might be able to design.
#5. We are now able to think more creatively.
#6. We are now able to address the changes brought by COVID-19 outbreaks.
#7. We could be able to apply practical ways to short out the Freshwater scarcity.
TOOLS
No coding or programming
1.Powerpoint
2.xp.io
3.Notepad
4.Word
