Bariflo Labs: Monitoring water quality to improve yields and livelihoods in India
To help aquafarmers in India understand and maximize their yields amid increasing water pollution, Bariflo Labs uses innovative techniques to monitor and report on water quality.
India houses 4% of the world’s water resources, including major rivers, lakes, and ponds, all of which are an essential component of the country’s growth. Water resources are primarily replenished by monsoon precipitation and are in high demand by the agriculture, industrial, and domestic sectors. Water demand in the country is impacted by its booming population and rapid urbanization. Despite the availability of and great need for water resources, access to them is hampered by various factors, including insufficient storage capacity, uneven spatial distribution, and the increasing toxicity of bodies of water. The Asian Development Research Institute estimates that 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption, and almost 40 liters of wastewater enters bodies of water per day, going mostly untreated. The harm caused by polluted water is adversely impacting economic growth, agricultural productivity, and public health.
Researchers have been exploring the use of technology in water cleaning efforts to mitigate these harms. An important step is the collection of data and insight on water quality, which can then be used by policymakers to set strategies for cleaning water sources. Local startup Bariflo Labs is contributing to this effort by devising strategies to use technology to manage water bodies and support aquafarmers.
Bariflo Labs’s flagship product is an aeration device based on environmental hydraulics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and traditional methods, and is mainly used to analyze and provide insights into the health of a body of water. The device diffuses air to the sediment level of water bodies, helping maintain oxygen levels while reducing energy used by pumps by up to 75%. Communicating data through a dashboard, the device collects information on the chemical makeup of the body of water as well as the ability of the body of water to cleanse itself, all of which can be used by aquafarmers to devise strategies to maintain their water resources and maximize their yields. The startup expects the device to lead to improvements in water quality that can increase fish production by 15%. The device can be used in lakes, tanks, including irrigation tanks, and other bodies, and serves to help aquafarmers make decisions to best preserve fish populations or crops dependent on the water.
Bariflo Labs is supported by Startup Odisha, the government of Odisha’s initiative aiming to encourage startups in the state. Other supporters include the Ministry of Science and Technology, Telangana AI Mission, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. In September, Bariflo Labs joined the United Overseas Bank (UOB)’s innovation accelerator, the FinLab Greentech Accelerator, with the aim of launching a pilot of its device for use by aquafarmers in Thailand. By innovating in order to address one of the country’s primary environmental concerns, Bariflo Labs is helping to secure the future of India’s rich water resources and protect the livelihoods of aquafarmers.
