KOCHI: Around 250 students from 16 colleges joined a multi-institutional research project to study the extent of pathogenic-vibrio pollution in the Vembanad lake, as part of a campaign by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Monday. The research programme is aimed at optical mapping of the lake and to identify the reservoirs of vibrio carriers in the ecosystem using remote-sensing techniques that would serve to anticipate hotspots of microbial infection. The students are from colleges in Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.
The study is being conducted jointly by the CMFRI, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Nansen Environmental Research Centre-India (NERCI) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK under the India-UK Water Quality Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The students started collecting data using Secchi disc, a simple hand-held device to measure turbidity level of the water. They have also been trained to upload the collected data using a mobile application.
“The participation of students in the project would enhance the frequency and spatial extent of data collection, which is crucial for a massive research initiative. They also get a golden chance to shape their career in science,” said CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan. Nari Shakthi Puraskar winner M S Sunil inaugurated the programme.