IIT Guwahati, AICTE to develop solutions for water, electricity, internet issues in North-East region

NEW DELHI : The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is partnering with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to develop solutions to problems of accessing water, electricity and internet for the AICTE-affiliated technical institutions in North-East India.

IIT Guwahati and AICTE will work towards capacity-building in these institutions to promote research and development and enhance the quality of education in remote regions of North-East India.

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Due to hilly terrain, most institutions in the North-East region are located in remote places where the supply of adequate power and safe drinking water are a challenge. This project is the first-of-its-kind in the North-East in which AICTE and IIT Guwahati facilitates financial and technical expertise to the institutions to provide infrastructure. This includes solar energy installation depending upon the requirements of the institutes and installation or upgrading of facilities for safe drinking water with RO or iron remover.

Phase-wise projects

Through Phase-1 of the project, a total of 416 kW of power has been generated that would help laboratories, offices, and street lights to function uninterrupted. Further, at many institutions drinking water sources were either not adequate or untreated containing significant levels of iron and arsenic. Phase-1 project has facilitated these institutions to improve their water supply and treatment facilities.

Phase-1 project is scheduled to be completed this month (August 2022). Phase-2 of the project has just been initiated and will cover 33 new institutions where Internet connectivity would be provided in addition to solar and water facilities.

Another major concern in the NER is the digital connectivity which is being taken up in Phase-2 project in which high-speed internet will be facilitated in various technical institutions of NE India.

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Highlighting the impact of this project, Professor Sharad B Gokhale, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati said, “This project provides an opportunity for us to enhance the learning environment of northeastern technical institutions of India by facilitating basic infrastructures such as clean water, renewable electricity and communication. The institutes as well as the people will benefit greatly through these enhancements and will empower further growth and development of the region."

Praising the team for their efforts, Professor T G Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati said, “the institute is continuously thriving to forge closer network with institutes in this region for providing knowledge based support, skill development and technical expertise to improve the overall quality of education and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner."