TurbAqua

TURBAQUA' is a mobile application developed by CMFRI to monitor water quality. The app works in conjunction with a hand-held, pocket-sized 3D printed Secchi disc fabricated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK. The Secchi disc is used to measure the clarity of water. It also has a colour scale attached on top of it. This colour scale consists of 21 colours ranging from blue to green to yellow to brown, the colour range of natural waters, and is used by the observer to record the colour of a submerged Secchi disk. Many Secchi discs are provided with a miniature temperature sensor (i button). On operating the Secchi disc, the operator inputs data like transparency depth, and the app gives a picture of the water quality parameters like water temperature, water colour and turbidity along with geo-referenced co-ordinates of the sampling sites.

The application is of immense potential in aquaculture as well as in pollution studies as it gives an almost accurate information of the water quality. Information on parameters like temperature, eutrophication status and turbidity can give an idea about the environmental status of the water body to fish farmers and scientists. This would enable them to decide whether aquaculture is possible in these bodies, which fish species can be produced in water bodies and above all, how the deterioration of water quality has impacted the biodiversity and the aquaculture operations on a regional scale.