The India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development
The India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development

Innovative optical interrogation for groundwater contamination detection

Project: INSIGHT: Innovative scattering-based optical interrogation for high sensitivity detection of arsenic contamination in groundwater

Lead Researcher: Dr. Martynas Beresna, Principal Research Fellow, Optoelectronics Research Centre, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
 
Project Coordinator: Dr. Przemyslaw Falak, Research Fellow, Optoelectronics Research Centre, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Collaborators: Prof. Balaji Srinivasan and Prof. Shivananju Bannur Nanjunda, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M)

Industry Partner: Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre

Funding: Resilient Planet Programme, International Science Partnerships Fund, British Council and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)


Background

Arsenic contamination in groundwater is a major threat to public health in multiple states of India, particularly in the North-East where arsenic concentrations exceed permissible levels. Effective in-situ monitoring of arsenic levels in the borewell is essential to mitigate health risks and ensure water safety. Optical fibre sensing is a promising solution for groundwater monitoring due selectivity and sensitivity, resistance to corrosion, non-toxicity, and multiplexing capability. However, the excessive cost of optical sensing systems remains a key barrier limiting their deployment. 

The project INSIGHT aims to address this challenge by establishing partnership between University of Southampton and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras addressing arsenic monitoring in groundwater challenge. Specifically, the project aims to facilitate knowledge exchange on environmental sensing and combining expertise in optical interrogation and chemical sensing.

The long-term objective is to deliver practical solutions for environmental sensing by establishing a sustainable international partnership covering wider research agenda and fostering collaboration involving wider interest groups.

The INSIGHT project is co-funded by the British Council’s International Science Partnerships Fund and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), under the umbrella of the ‘Resilient Planet’ programme. 

The project lead, Dr. Martynas Beresna is a Principal Research Fellow with over 15 years of experience in photonic solution development using ultrafast laser processing. His expertise has led to the development of novel scattering materials used in next-generation of optical interrogators.

Dr. Przemyslaw Falak, project co-ordinator, pursued his masters (Chemistry) and doctorate (Optoelectronics) degree from the University of Southampton. His diverse experience contributed to a successful development of scattering-based interrogation system during his PhD. He is a Research Fellow, focusing on developing compact, low-cost optical sensing devices and sensors using engineered scattering media.

 

Collaged images of Indo-UK Workshops on Optical Sensing


 

Objectives

INSIGHT research aims to:

  • Facilitate knowledge exchange on groundwater contamination monitoring between the University of Southampton and IIT Madras
  • Establish multi-institutional consortium on fibre-based environmental sensing
  • Evaluate wider socio-economic impact of the research programme
  • Develop long-term joint research programme on optical fibre-based sensing

The project strengthens the collaboration through the cooperation of two high profile academic institutions with complementary skills and expertise. This enables to magnify research output and achieve significant and relevant socio-economic impact. 

The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at Southampton, one of the world’s leading institutes in photonics and fibre optics, adds significant value to the capacity strengthening programme. The expertise in optical fibre fabrication, optical sensing and laser processing is essential for rapid development of solution for groundwater monitoring. Through this collaboration, project partners will benefit from access to University of Southampton state-of-the-art facilities which will enable development of fibres and components tailored for environmental monitoring. 

IIT-M is a leading research institution in India with established track record in the research, development and commercialization of optical fibre sensors and laser technologies. It has a proven track of record in translational research, and specifically on functionalising fibre optic sensors for biological and chemical sensing. This unique experience will help to bridge the gap between lab-based research and practical deployment.  IITM has a very strong partnership with key leaders in the local community, industry and public agencies. This is essential for achieving wide access and implementing successful deployment strategy for groundwater monitoring across multiple locations in India.

The project also involves the collaboration with an industrial partner – the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), a multi-disciplinary R&D centre, is a joint initiative of IITM and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. Its unique position allows to engage with industry and healthcare professionals helping to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial exploitation. It has a proven track record of translating technologies from the laboratory to robust products in the marketplace. Specifically, they have the experience of developing 12 commercially successful products, impacting over 13 million patients in India and abroad. The INSIGHT project is broadening the scope of collaboration beyond groundwater contamination monitoring and explore the potential of a similar approach for bio-medical applications.

 

Impact

As part of the INSIGHT engagement activities, a team of four researchers from Southampton travelled to Chennai to participate in the Indo-UK Workshop on Optical Sensing Technologies. The delegation included Professor Gilberto Brambilla (Associate Dean International for FEPS), Professor Christopher Holmes (Mechanical Engineering/ORC), Dr. Przemyslaw Falak (ORC), and the project lead, Dr. Martynas Beresna (ORC).

In parallel, Dr. Falak worked alongside the IIT Madras research group led by Professor Balaji Srinivasan and Prof. Shivananju Bannur Nanjunda for a three weeks period on evaluating the potential of scattering medium-based sensing interrogation system for monitoring of water contamination. It is worth mentioning similar system was successfully deployed for real-time optical structural sensing in UAVs as part of project ASTERIUM.

Dr. Przemyslaw Falak said: “This project marks the start of a promising, long-term partnership between the University of Southampton and IIT Madras, focused on resilient planet challenges. It is a rewarding experience to co-ordinate the project, which enables valuable knowledge exchange between UK and Indian researchers. 

The collaboration deepened my understanding of deploying sensing technologies in rural settings, strengthened ties between the ORC and IIT Madras, expanded my network, and opened doors for future interdisciplinary work. Notably, the successful preliminary tests of chemical detection demonstrated the practical potential of our approach and laid a strong foundation for further field deployment.”

 

Key Outcomes

  • Seminar Series: Delivery of expert-led seminars by the University of Southampton (UoS) team to outline the institution’s core research capabilities relevant to the project.
  • Knowledge Exchange: Collaborative workshops on scattering spectroscopy, facilitating mutual expertise development between UoS and IIT Madras (IITM).
  • Training Programs: Practical training on optical fibre sensor functionalisation by IITM, complemented by on-site instruction on scattering-based interrogator operation and data analysis by UoS.
  • Community Engagement: Engagement with regional partners to identify pathways for commercialisation and to map the R&D landscape in Chennai.
  • Research Demonstrations and Dissemination: Presentation of preliminary water monitoring system results to scientific audiences, supported by publications in conferences and peer-reviewed journals.

  • Collaborative Network Development: Establishment of sustained partnerships to support future joint research and capacity-building initiatives, including student exchange programs and joint workshops.

     

Future activities

IITM PhD students will be visiting the University of Southampton for 3 months. The visit will be used to provide training and involve the visitors into on-going development of scattering spectrometer. Project leads from IIT Madras, Prof. Srinivasan and Prof. Shivananju, will be visiting University of Southampton for a month. The extended stay will allow to efficiently develop research agenda and engage with wider University of Southampton community exploring pathway for cooperation on education and research.

The students will be provided with training, support and expertise from both the University of Southampton core project team and the ORC staff. During the visit, the feasibility study will be carried on sensing system combined of exposed FBG coated with 2D material for selective sensing of arsenic (IITM) and scattering-based interrogator unit (UoS).

Participating institutions are planning to engage in long-term collaboration spanning beyond INSIGHT project. Fostering of relationship with India is one of the main priorities in University of Southampton international agenda. The University has demonstrated strong commitment to this cause by recently establishing its Delhi campus and creating the India Centre – internal University’s unit dedicated to promoting and supporting UK-India engagement opportunities including researchers, PhD students and visitors. The following capacity building initiatives will be invoked by project team and its partners:
 

  • Joint research programme – both institutions will continue joint research initiatives in biochemical-optical sensing after the end of the initial project. To formalise this relationship, the institutions will sign the agreement, which would outline future collaboration on specific research goals, shared resources, intellectual property (IP) management, and researchers/student exchanges. This will provide a framework for sustainable, resilient collaboration.
  • Researcher and knowledge exchange – both institutions will develop specialised PhD/ECRs programs or placements. These programs will provide numerous opportunities for researchers/students to continue working across the institutions. Joint participation in workshops and conferences will continue to foster skill transfer and knowledge exchange between relevant stakeholders. Joint scientific work will be published in high-impact journals distributing knowledge across wider academic community and building strong track-of-record.
     

This international collaboration reflects the ORC’s commitment to tackling global environmental challenges through cutting-edge optical technologies and interdisciplinary partnerships.