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Dr. K. Vijaya Lakshmi, Assistant Vice President
(Environment) of Development Alternatives, is the recipient
of the ‘National Award for Women’s Development through
Application of Science and Technology’ for 2007. The award
has been conferred upon her by the Ministry of Science and
Technology, Government of India, for her role in developing
low cost and portable water testing kits and water filters
for use in rural areas.
Dr. Lakshmi was presented this prestigious award by the
President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, on 8
March, 2008, on the occasion of International Women’s Day at
Vigyan Bhawan,
New
Delhi. The award, given every year to
two women scientists, carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a
memento and a citation.
The awards ceremony was held on the inaugural day of the
two-day National Conference on Showcasing Cutting Edge
Science and Technology by Women. The conference, inaugurated
by the President of India, was attended by over 1000 women
scientists.
The award recognises Dr. Lakshmi’s outstanding contribution
to solving environmental problems of the village
communities, especially women, by addressing issues
concerning safe drinking water through development
of
a
simple, affordable and easy to
use, Jal TARA Water Testing Kit and Jal TARA Water Filter. Both these
water quality testing and purification tools
have been validated for accuracy by UNICEF and Shri Ram Lab.
Today, Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi’s innovations
are used for testing millions of water samples and treating
gallons of water across rural India. Her efforts in this area have
considerably reduced morbidity through waterborne diseases
in the impoverished Bundelkhand region in
Central India.
A doctorate in chemistry from
Sri
Venkateswara
University, Tirupati, Andhra
Pradesh, Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi has been attached with
Development Alternatives for the past 18 years. She has
meticulously built up a team and a facility at Development
Alternatives where technologies for environment regeneration
and day-to-day solutions for poor communities are innovated.
She is currently piloting a unique initiative to
provide ‘clean and safe water for all and always’ in 10
villages in the Bundelkhand region where women self help
groups have been engaged in forming village water
committees. Under this initiative, she and her team train
the women and youth to test their water and install the Jal
TARA Water Filter to treat bacterial contamination, which is
the main problem in the region
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