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Article

Undergraduate Internship on Yamuna River Exploration: Raising Awareness about SDG6

by
Sunita Gupta
1,
Parul Kulshreshtha
1,2,3,*,
Divya Aggarwal
4 and
Deuvshree Sharma
5
1
Department of Zoology, Shivaji College, University of Delhi, Raja Garden, New Delhi 110027, India
2
Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Jaipur 303002, India
3
Advising and Involvement Centre, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V1V7, Canada
4
Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India
5
Air Quality Management Division, Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi 110032, India
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10350; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310350
Submission received: 23 April 2023 / Revised: 5 June 2023 / Accepted: 12 June 2023 / Published: 30 June 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Education and Approaches in Disaster Recovery)
Browse Figures
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

:
A semester-long internship was designed for undergraduate students at the University of Delhi, India. Teams comprising 30 students from all over the University were trained to carry out field exploration activities on the Yamuna River flowing in Delhi. The students were provided with portable kits to measure the physicochemical parameters at a selected bank of the Yamuna River. Students documented the invertebrate fauna in the riparian zone of the banks. At the same time, they noted the anthropogenic polluting activities on the bank of the Yamuna River. This internship educated students about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They all studied Ecology and Environmental Science in their undergraduate curriculum, but they all confessed that they were unaware of the 17 SDGs and the deteriorating health of the Yamuna River in the city. We educated students about the freshwater emergency recovery plan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of ecosystems. This internship is a great example of an undergraduate-directed study or research experience that supported student constructivism and inquiry-based learning, and this research article elaborates on student reports and situational interest in freshwater biology to achieve SDG6.

1. Introduction

The Yamuna River is the main water supply of Delhi, as it constitutes 70% of Delhi’s water supply. River water is used for a variety of activities such as irrigation, drinking, industry, bathing, washing, etc. The religious significance of Yamuna makes it more vulnerable to the age-old practices of Hindus in Delhi. People dump the cremated ashes of their loved ones in the river, and devotees worship and immerse idols of their God(s) [1]. These idols are often built of plaster of Paris and may contain metallic polish, paints or other embellishments. In addition to this, holy articles, such as food and flower offerings wrapped in polythene bags, are often dumped in the river. It is said that Yamuna’s water was clear, but over the years, an excessive amount of waste built up has been found along the riverbanks [2]. The Chat Puja, a seasonal festival in which people immerse half of their bodies in the river and perform religious activities on the banks of the Yamuna River, affects the biodiversity of the area due to human intervention. Due to the alluvial plains of Yamuna banks, agriculture also flourishes in the area. The most polluted portion of the Yamuna River lies within Delhi downstream of Wazirabad [3]. There are 38 drains of the Yamuna River in Delhi. The usual sources of Yamuna water pollution include waste from industries, domestic waste, idol immersion, untreated sewage and plastic pollution [4]. Approximately 296 Million Liter per Day (MLD) of domestic sewage [5,6,7,8,9] is disposed of in the 48 km stretch of the river passing through Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT). This 2% of the total river length receives approximately 79% of the total pollution burden [10,11]. Past studies have shown high concentrations of heavy metals in this stretch of the river [12], as well as residues of pesticides [13]. Yamuna Action Plan or YAP I was followed from 1993 to 2003, wherein the state of sewers around the Yamuna River was revived. YAP II (2004–2011) concentrated on the non-sewerage part of the objective. YAP III (2018 onwards) was proposed to treat waters from the Kondli, Rithala and Okhla zones. Despite some improvement, a steady rise in the pollution levels of the Yamuna River was observed upon assessment of YAP plans [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21].
Anthropocentric activities have changed natural landscapes [22]. The Yamuna River is currently being used as a dustbin by the citizens of the National Capital Region of Delhi. As youth determines the future of a country, we planned to educate the students at the University to make up for the lack of a curriculum focused on sustainable water usage. We crafted an internship out of the existing syllabi of the B.Sc. Zoology Honours program that could be linked to sustainability education. A part of water management could be curbing pollution through education. Evidence-based education about water pollution may lead to respectful usage of water resources in the city [23]. We hoped that the students trained by us would be ambassadors in society to curb pollution. Meanwhile, solutions for moving ahead on SDG6, such as novel water purification methods, tend to be technical. Although indispensable, these solutions are often expensive and fail to be successful due to a lack of local cultural context. Incorporation of hands-on, objective, science-based water education in the national education system may help to buttress technical advancement. Water education around Yamuna River pollution can encourage positive behavioral changes in students in the first semester at the University of Delhi who learn Principles of Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology by raising awareness about conserving water and protecting health. Both these courses are tagged ‘the mundane courses’ by the students at the University; we concluded that lack of field experience could be a reason. In the laboratory, the students are provided with water samples with artificially added chemicals to test different abiotic parameters. To demonstrate the utility of skills learned in the laboratory sections of the Principles of Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology courses, we designed a semester-long internship. In this internship, the students tested the chemical, physical and biological parameters as indicators of water quality [24,25,26,27]. They also recorded invertebrates and protists in water. Therefore, the internship aligned well with their course content and particularly suited the education of freshwater emergency plans.
Another goal of this internship was to raise awareness about Sustainable Development Goal 6; SDG6 pertains to the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all [28]. Sustainable management of water is possible if citizens are sensitive to the health of the water around them. This internship focused on and took place at the Yamuna River bank, so it inadvertently sensitized the students to the plight of the river, and the students noted down the reasons for water pollution at each bank.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Overview of Program Structure

Eight teams were selected from different colleges at the University of Delhi. Each team had three students from the second semester of B.Sc. (H) Zoology program. All students were made to select one riparian site close to the banks of the Yamuna River, which they sampled every 15 days before submitting their report. A pre-internship workshop was held by the instructors wherein the students of each team were taught the use of mobile cameras with foldscope [29] and compound microscope. Students were also trained to use portable kits (Aquasol, all-in-one water testing kit from Rakiro Biotech, Navi Mumbai, India) to test parameters such as temperature, TDS (total dissolved solids) (Figure 1b,c), DO (Dissolved Oxygen), levels of pesticides, iron, nitrates and fluoride in the water sample. An on-site workshop was also organized by the instructors to train the students in sample collection techniques prior to the beginning of the internship. In this workshop, a special focus was placed on safety guidelines. In India, mosquito breeding starts in March; therefore, students were advised to wear clothes that covered their entire bodies. Students were trained to collect all the waste that the sampling generated in a waste bottle they carried with them. The chemical waste generated for DO sampling was collected in waste bottles. The students were trained to bring the waste bottles back to the college laboratory and safely dispose of them. Each team selected one river bank on the Yamuna River, sampled the water at the bank every two weeks, and submitted two reports of their sampling every month. Each team conducted sampling at the river bank at their convenience, and the learning took place at the site of collection. A format for report submission was provided by the instructor wherein students needed to report the abiotic parameters, observe invertebrates in the water and discuss the reasons behind water pollution at the site of their collection. Report writing was supported by discussing reports once a month with all the teams in an open forum. Teams presented their reports once a month and discussed their insights into water pollution. The overview of the program is given in Figure 1a. All the results presented in this article have been collated from student reports as evidence of student learning.

2.2. Study Site

The Yamuna River is one of the largest and holiest river systems in India that flows from Yamunotri and covers a distance of 1376 km before its confluence with River Ganga at Allahabad. For a detailed study, the focus was the approximate 22 km stretch falling in the Delhi region. The sampling sites were selected to cover the Yamuna at the northern and southernmost points of Delhi—Wazirabad Barrage and Okhla Barrage, respectively. Figure 2 provides a list of the collection sites selected by the 7 teams and Yamuna drains in Delhi. The map has been adapted from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s report on Yamuna River–Waste Water Management Plan in Delhi [30]. The map was further modified and edited in Paint/MS Powerpoint to highlight the collection sites of our study.

2.3. Qualitative Analysis of Water Samples

Parameters such as water temperature, air temperature and pH were determined on the spot. A standard laboratory thermometer was used to measure the air and water temperature, and pH strips were used for pH determination on the spot. For other parameters, water samples were brought to the laboratory, where it was analyzed for fluoride, nitrate, residual chlorine, chloride, total hardness and iron content.

2.4. Coliform Bacteria

The water sample was inoculated in a single culture bottle to obtain qualitative information on the presence or absence of coliforms based on the presence or absence of lactose fermentation. The Aquasol water testing kit (Rakiro Biotech) supplied the bottles.

2.5. Quantitative Analysis of Water Samples

A water testing kit, Aquasol from Rakiro Biotech, was utilized by the teams to test the chemical parameters. All the chemicals and the gadgets were supplied in the kit. The protocol for each test that was supplied with the kit has been described here. The pH of the water sample was measured using the universal indicator method and using broad and narrow range pH strips at the time of collection of samples. TDS, electrical conductivity and water temperature were also measured on the spot using a Test Assured three-in-one portable meter. Residual chlorine was measured using ready-to-use kits that use the DPD Method (N,N-Diethylphenylenediamine) [31] by dissolving the DPD from the powder pillow in 10 mL of the sample and then comparing the developed color with standard charts available with the kit. Fluoride was measured by the Zirconium Xylenol Orange (BARC Technology, Mumbai, India), a colorimetric method [32].
Commercially available zirconium xylenol orange reagent was added to 10 mL of the sample, and the color obtained was matched with the chart that came with the kit. Iron content was measured by using 1,10-Phenonthroline, which forms a colored complex with iron that allows the amount of light absorbed by the complex to be measured [33]. A total of 0.1% 1,10-Phenonthroline was first used to make a standard curve for 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm and 5 ppm. Then, 1,10-Phenonthroline was added to 10 mL of the sample and dissolved well; absorbance was taken and plotted on the standard curve to estimate the value of iron in the sample.
Nitrate was measured using the Cadmium Reduction Method [34]. A total of 10 mL of the sample was first passed through a copper-coated cadmium reduction column which caused the nitrate in the sample to reduce to nitrite in the buffer solution. The nitrite was then determined by diazotizing with sulfanilamide and coupling with N-1-naphthylethylenediamine dihydrochloride to form a colored dye. The absorbance of the dye was measured at 540 nm, which is linearly proportional to the concentration of nitrite and nitrate in the sample. The total hardness of the sample was measured by titrating it with a standard solution of ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA), which is a complexing agent and forms chelated soluble complexes with metal cations. A total of 20 mL of the sample was taken, and eriochrome black T was used as an indicator [35]. The sample was titrated with standard EDTA solution; the endpoint was wine red to blue.
Chloride was measured using the Argenometric method [36]. A total of 10 mL of the water sample was taken in a 100 mL conical flask, and a few drops of potassium dichromate solution were added as an indicator; the solution was then titrated using silver nitrate as the titrant. The endpoint was white to brick red. DO was measured using Winkler’s Method [37]. In the sample, 2 mL of manganese sulphate was added, and 2 mL of alkali iodide azide reagent and the precipitate were allowed to settle. Then, 2 mL of concentrated sulphuric acid was added to dissolve the contents, and it was titrated with sodium thiosulphate until the solution became colorless. A 2 mL starch indicator was added thereafter and titrated with sodium thiosulphate. Endpoint was blue to colorless.

2.6. Undergraduates Engaged in Active Learning

The students were taken to the deep waters of the Yamuna River to give them an authentic yet supervised experience where they practiced their sampling skills (Figure 3a,b). For their reports, the students only sampled the riparian zones for safety reasons (Figure 4a,b).

2.7. Key Program Elements

2.7.1. Links to Formal Education

The post-secondary settings in government colleges have economic constraints, due to which Invertebrate Zoology and Principles of Ecology courses lack hands-on experience in the field setting. The two habitats where the invertebrates thrive are water and soil, so we designed the research problem around both habitats. Students learned the challenges of working in both habitats without disturbing them or causing harm. Safety procedures were explained and demonstrated in one of the pre-internship workshops by the instructor.
The students were provided with a complete kit containing a portable DO kit and thermometer to study the hardness of water, TDS and conductivity, along with foldscope. The students gained research skills and learned about the tools that are not generally available to them to study ecology in their undergraduate curriculum. The most important aspect of learning biological science in this project was learning to handle standard microscopes and foldscope. The students explored the biodiversity in the river around them for the first time. This program was structured to include the following steps: field sampling techniques and their ethical consideration, sample preparation, basics of microscopy and foldscope usage. The thematic focus of this grant was to promote frugal science among school and college students. We conducted multiple research internships with college students to promote Non-Chordata and Ecology courses. We packaged foldscope with basic instrument kits for ecological exploration of the Yamuna River. The internship was built around the skills learned in the practical sessions in the field.
Sometimes students ignore the skills learned in the first semester. This internship helped them make connections with the bigger issues of the environment that are the thematic foci of the research of the United Nations. The students agreed that this internship made them realize that the skills taught in class can help them find solutions to the complex problems of the world. They agreed that the internship helped them with real-world problems. The students created an inventory of all the anthropogenic factors that polluted the river.

2.7.2. FiNE (Field Trips in Natural Environments) Framework

Since this semester-long internship was based on the sampling of Yamuna River water, we, therefore, followed the FiNE framework [38] to assess student learning. This framework provides a rubric including planning, pedagogy, activity and outcomes. Planning includes classroom preparation, collaboration and connection to curriculum. Pedagogy included clarifying the goals, using the environment and social interactions. Activity included observation of physical activity and active learning. Outcomes included gauging the feelings, attitudes of the students and their knowledge and understanding.

3. Results

3.1. Coliform Bacteria Were Positive in Samples of All the Collection Sites

Coliform bacteria are defined as facultatively anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rods that ferment lactose vigorously to acid and gas at 35 ± 2 °C [39]. Students reported that coliform bacteria were positive for all the collected samples. Coliform bacteria indicate the presence of human/animal faeces (Figure 5a). In this internship, the students learned that coliform bacteria are indicators of unsafe water. Coliform bacteria are not pathogenic and are only mildly infectious. If large numbers of coliforms are found in water, there is a high probability that other pathogenic bacteria or organisms could be present [40]. The first-year courses at the University of Delhi do not teach about testing for coliform bacteria. Therefore, we tried to connect ecological concepts of water testing to human health.

3.2. Water Sampling Data Submitted by Students

The eight banks sampled by the teams were Majnu ka tila, Magazine Road, KalkaJi, Tughlaqabad, IP Powerhouse, Maharani Bagh, Delhi Gate and ISBT. The students had the flexibility to choose any one bank out of the 38 Yamuna banks in Delhi. A travel allowance to visit the collection sites was provided.
The standard values were followed according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s report on the Yamuna River–Waste Water Management Plan in Delhi [30]. It was explained to the students that the level of detection depends on the sensitivity of the kit; therefore, zero nitrites may mean that the kit we used was not sensitive to trace amounts of nitrite in water. In the reports, each team discussed only the results from their selected bank (Table 1 has been created by the researchers from the student’s reports). Students discussed that the values of TDS, DO and conductivity made water from these Yamuna banks unsafe for drinking. In the laboratory section of the Principles of Ecology course, students are usually given a sample from a pond to estimate the DO, and the sample is usually collected by the laboratory staff and kept in a bottle for a few days before the laboratory section is scheduled. Therefore, the values of DO change. In the internship, the students were told to fix their sample on-site and then carry it to the lab so that they were able to estimate the correct DO levels in water samples.

3.3. Invertebrates/Protists Observed in Yamuna River

Students had the opportunity to observe protists and invertebrates in their samples. A comprehensive list of all the invertebrates observed by the students is given in Table 2.
The students submitted pictures and videos of the protists and invertebrates they observed in water.
Study of invertebrates and protists by the students. A few pictures of protists submitted in the student’s report are shown below.
The entire picture album can be accessed by request from the corresponding author. The presence of debris (Figure 6c) was a common feature and aligned well with the high values of total dissolved solids in the river water.

3.4. End of Internship Survey

This survey was used to understand student perspectives toward the internship using the prompts in the survey, as shown in Figure 7. All the students believed that this internship helped them learn the application of lab skills in studying environmental problems. All the students also believed that the internship helped them to learn much more than what the curriculum offered in the first semester. The participants either agreed or strongly agreed that collaboration with their teammates and other teams enhanced their learning. This was due to group presentations every month where students exchanged ideas. The participants either agreed or strongly agreed that the internship enhanced their interest in the Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology courses. These two courses are taught in the first semester to all the students joining B.Sc. (H) Zoology.

3.5. Qualitative Response of Students about Their Experience

The students were asked to share their feedback about the skills covered in this internship. These included field experience, methodology learned, perspectives about microscopy, photography and report preparation. In total, 22/24 students submitted a detailed response. Most students believed that they had a greater chance to learn microscopy. A few excerpts of their responses are the following:
“The field visits were very interesting. I got to learn the various precautions one must take while sampling water from the riparian zone. I also learned how to measure parameters like depth, width and flow of water. In addition, I also gained some knowledge about the general macrophytes found near the Yamuna River.”
“I learned so much more about how to prepare perfect slides for better results such that locomotion and behavior of invertebrates are not hindered.”
“The on-site photography required capturing the collection site, collection procedure and results of tests. I learned how to capture pictures and videos of moving invertebrates, maintaining the required magnification and focus. I was also exposed to basic editing and proper cropping of the captured photographs by the faculty and the JRF at Shivaji College.”
“My experience in this internship has been very professional. This internship has provided me with skills in identifying various microscopic and non-microscopic organisms, a task that I earlier considered very difficult. Along with that I also learned different methods of sample collection. I also learned how to capture images of these microscopic organisms and how to identify them with the guidance of the faculty and the Junior Research fellow. This internship has been a very professional experience as well.”
“Best experience was to see conjugation in paramecium that too in a slide prepared by me, it is a part of our first-semester invertebrate zoology syllabus but I had never seen an unfixed slide before”.

3.6. Research Benefits

Hydrology (Dissolved Oxygen, hardness, conductivity, dissolved solids, pH) was studied in lab sessions to make a correlation with the invertebrates living in the water sources. In the lab, the water provided for hydrological testing is artificially created by adding chemicals such that students can record deranged values. Calculating the values from bottled water cannot show students the extent of problem-solving capability that these methods have in studying an actual body of water. In the first year, another core subject is non-Chordata, which entails recording the taxonomy, habits and habitat of invertebrates via permanent slides and preserved specimens. However, via this internship, the students could study the invertebrates in their natural environment. Students expressed that creating reports every two weeks helped them to understand scientific reporting and the concepts they could not understand in class. This internship also led to the discovery of an ecotype by a student that has been published elsewhere [41]. All the students confessed during the bi-weekly discussions that they had not heard of the SDGs or SDG 6. Therefore, this internship raised awareness about SDG6, and the students made an inventory of all the factors that contribute to the pollution of the Yamuna River. Factors discussed by the students that link their work to SDG6 have been discussed below.

3.6.1. Presence of Coliform Bacteria

In India, open defecation persists even though the houses close to the Yamuna River have latrines. The government of India has been trying to promote water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education among the mass. This is an informative example of the importance of education in the success of infrastructural development toward SDG6.

3.6.2. Chemical Pollution

The chemical pollution in the Yamuna River is not only contributed to by industrial waste but also via idol immersion, washing clothes and bathing. Alarming levels of nitrate and nitrite could be due to agricultural wastes. The Yamuna River is a dying river based on zero dissolved oxygen levels from most collection sites in the study. The alarming levels of total dissolved solids corroborated the garbage disposal in the river.

3.6.3. Microscopic Examination of the Samples

The presence of sludge worms, insect larvae, eggs of pathogenic worms and debris in the water samples further highlighted the importance of SDG6 in resuscitating Yamuna River’s health.

3.7. Limitations of the Study

The sample of students was the limitation of the study as we had only three students from each college and included only 7/66 colleges of the University of Delhi. Due to funding restrictions, the study was conducted with 24 students; therefore, in the future, the scope can be broadened with respect to the number of students. This study was also restricted to second-semester students of the B.Sc. Zoology Honors program. In the future, it can be made available for students of Environmental Science, as well. The activities of this internship were also restricted to the curriculum in the first semester of the B.Sc. Zoology program; however, if other programs, including those focusing on water concepts, were also evaluated to create the internship, then maybe the results would have been more interesting. This study does not include the perspectives of the instructors, which could have helped in understanding the challenges faced while implementing the internship. Our internship had a direct link to SDG6 because it was based on the chemical analysis of water and biodiversity in a freshwater environment by a specific group of students. If more funds are available, then internships addressing specific issues of SDG6 can be created in the future. This is just the beginning of the creation of a curriculum focused on SDG6, and more can be achieved with better funding in this regard.

3.8. Assessment of the Internship as per the FiNE Framework

As per the data presented in this manuscript, the internship was successful at fostering experiential learning among the participants. The facilitators had carefully planned the internship by giving introductory workshops on the use of kits, the collection of samples in the field and the creation of scientific reports. The workshops in the laboratory and in the field fostered collaboration among the facilitators and the students. The junior research fellow helped the students improve their scientific reports on a regular basis. There was a hundred percent correlation between the field trips and the curriculum as the students utilized techniques they learned in the first-year core courses Principles of Ecology and Non-Chordata. In addition to this, there was intellectual growth in terms of technical and scientific literacy, with the students learning about the SDGs, specifically SDG6. The internship also had very strong pedagogy criteria, as the facilitators clarified the goals in the beginning via the workshops, and the junior research fellow met with the participants regularly to guide the alignment of the reports with the goals of the internship. There was a strong ‘environment usage’ component in the pedagogy of the internship as the participants sampled the water of the Yamuna River during their visits. Pedagogy was also connected to everyday life as the students connected the physicochemical parameters with the sources of pollution. Therefore, the activities entailed in this internship included authentic out-of-college learning that enhanced experiential learning due to the hands-on component. This aspect is gauged by student interviews and facilitators’ observations. Student interviews and facilitators’ observations, outlined in 3.4 and 3.5, respectively, further elaborate on the success of this internship. The outcomes of the internship are well supported by student responses elaborated in Section 3.4 of this manuscript. The students’ attitudes toward water management changed. During group discussions, students made correlations between the pollution indicators, source of pollution and responsible citizen demeanor in dumping wastes. This was a first-of-a-kind internship at the University of Delhi that raised awareness about SDG6 via curriculum-prescribed activities.

4. Discussion

Principles of Ecology and Non-Chordata are two core courses for students in the Bachelor of Science program with Honors in Zoology at the University of Delhi. They both have laboratory sections, yet the activities are mostly dry labs. At the University of Delhi, India, the B.Sc. with Honors in Zoology attracts the brightest students in the country. These students expressed that they did not enjoy the first-year courses Non-Chordata and Principles of Ecology because of the dry nature of the courses. We wanted to create an active learning experience for students such that they could use the knowledge learned in the laboratory in the field because active learning is known to enhance the student experience in science [42,43].
We designed this internship to give students a self-directed and collection-based research experience in a field environment. Students were able to observe and describe factors that contribute to water pollution and record biodiversity. This internship was an example of a directed study to collect evidence of pollution and relate it to the bigger picture of water management as per SDG6. Therefore, this directed research was focused on answering a research question. We trained students to apply skills to collect data so as to make correlations with bigger questions. Thus, the analysis and interpretation of data were also learned. This experience took biodiversity research beyond observation and description to understanding broader ecological patterns. Students acquired hands-on training and skills relevant to field research but also focused their efforts quickly to observe and describe species in their natural settings, collaborated and gained experience in this directed study. For example, a high TDS value corresponded to the debris observed under the microscope, which corroborated the presence of sludge worm/tubifex. Report submission, oral presentations and group discussions meant that students acquired communication skills [44].
Situated learning principles were incorporated in this internship such that the students were connected to the environment [45]. Other than the benefits of creating a community of practice among students across the University, we also raised sensitivity toward the environment. College classrooms at the University of Delhi are often limited in their ability to practice these principles due to logistical and economic issues, which results in a lack of exposure to hands-on activities in authentic learning environments [46,47]. This internship combatted this issue, in particular, by giving students a field environment to exercise their hands-on skills. We provided a structured, task-oriented study where the students experienced the variable nature of research. The field trips inadvertently made students realize the importance of the SDGs and SDG6, in particular, helping them create a link between anthropogenic activities and Yamuna River pollution. In our discussions, the point that emerged was that most students thought that Yamuna River pollution was only due to industrial waste, but being on the banks made them realize that citizens of Delhi had an active role in polluting Yamuna. In particular, they recognized that garbage dumping, defecating, pier burning and religious activities are contributing activities. Students recognized that Yamuna River water would never be safe until we have educated the masses to stop polluting the river. They concluded that SDG6 could only be successful if the citizens cooperate.
Field internships also demand different pedagogical skills from the instructors. They constantly need to support student-led research projects. They specifically need to supply ongoing troubleshooting and facilitation rather than content delivery via traditional lectures. Therefore, it is a more involved approach to education. Due to other teaching and administrative commitments, we hired a junior research fellow (JRF) who also helped to support undergraduate students using a student-centered constructivist pedagogy. The students were initiated with training in the field by the instructor, and lab microscopy plus kit usage was also taught to the students before the beginning of the internship. Every two weeks, the students returned with their queries and reports. Our JRF particularly helped the students to write reports. She would usually clarify her doubts with the instructors and convey the solutions to the students. Therefore, the instructor’s role was to act both as a facilitator and guide so as to enhance student autonomy and collaboration [48].
To conduct such a research experience, instructors need to have a broad knowledge and familiarity with the selected study environment. Furthermore, because the projects were student-led, the students themselves gained considerable specialized knowledge. For example, it is difficult for the instructors to have specialized knowledge about the mouthparts of the ground beetle larva, which was discussed in one of the student’s reports. In this context, the instructors acted as generalists and referred students to research methods or taxonomic keys. Thus, this style of scaffolded facilitation requires the instructor to guide student learning by offering advice about the research process rather than specific content. Inquiry-based learning empowers students to exhibit learning autonomy and ownership over the content, yet the instructors need to provide continual support and facilitation [48]. This style of teaching does not involve many direct contact hours with students, but it does require a lot of student–student and student–teacher collaboration.
Such field projects have better pedagogical potential than even museums [49,50,51,52,53]. A similar program called ‘Water in the City’ was conducted with the help of smartphones for an introductory course in hydrology and climatology at the University of Zurich [54]. Another study enumerated the benefits of out-of-classroom education [55]. A secondary-level curriculum was also developed to raise awareness about the sustainable use of water [23]. Our program, entailing a field internship, increased students’ interest in Biodiversity Science and field research. Interest in Biodiversity is usually overshadowed by interest in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry among the students of the University of Delhi. Research in the field of Ecology and Environmental Science has picked up, but interest in Non-Chordata among undergraduates has been on the decline, and there are not many people investigating Biodiversity. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in India made undergraduate research compulsory as one of their criteria for evaluation. Therefore, it was pertinent to create a field internship that would foster interest in Ecology and Non-Chordata.

5. Conclusions

The internship designed and executed by us to study the biotic and abiotic factors of Yamuna River water is a clear example of how research can be effectively incorporated into introductory university curricula. In India, NAAC argues that all undergraduate students should be encouraged to pursue independent research. Here, we have provided an example to accomplish this and argue that hands-on field experience is an ideal context in which to raise awareness about Sustainable Development Goals. With this internship, we sensitized students about the individual responsibility of citizens in freshwater management, i.e., the focus of SDG6. Students collected evidence and inferred the causes of unsafe water in Delhi. This was a very successful initiative that fostered a student-centered, constructive pedagogy to investigate water pollution and establish a link with SDG6.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, P.K.; Methodology, P.K.; Software, D.S.; Validation, P.K.; Formal analysis, P.K. and D.S.; Investigation, S.G. and P.K.; Resources, S.G.; Data curation, S.G. and D.S.; Writing—original draft, P.K.; Writing—review & editing, P.K. and D.A.; Visualization, D.A. and D.S.; Supervision, P.K.; Project administration, S.G. and P.K.; Funding acquisition, S.G. and P.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

BT/IN/Indo-US/Foldscope/39/2015, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The animal study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Shivaji College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India (Project# BT/IN/Indo-US/Foldscope/39/2015).

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, for providing the opportunity to the authors to facilitate workshops in inspirational Districts of India and collaborate at a national level.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Figure 1. (a) Program Overview. (b) Components of the kit: The same portable machine could be used to measure temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, and electrical conductivity. Thermometer feature (19 °C); (c) Total Dissolved Solids (parts per million), TDS = 1030 ppm and electrical conductivity (µS/s).
Figure 1. (a) Program Overview. (b) Components of the kit: The same portable machine could be used to measure temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, and electrical conductivity. Thermometer feature (19 °C); (c) Total Dissolved Solids (parts per million), TDS = 1030 ppm and electrical conductivity (µS/s).
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Figure 2. Map showing the flow of Yamuna in Delhi; the 8 collection sites selected by students have been marked.
Figure 2. Map showing the flow of Yamuna in Delhi; the 8 collection sites selected by students have been marked.
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Figure 3. Sample collection workshop: (a) Facilitator teaching techniques in the field; (b) A student wearing clothing that covers their entire body, including a life jacket, while collecting samples from Yamuna ghat at the DND flyway in Delhi.
Figure 3. Sample collection workshop: (a) Facilitator teaching techniques in the field; (b) A student wearing clothing that covers their entire body, including a life jacket, while collecting samples from Yamuna ghat at the DND flyway in Delhi.
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Figure 4. Pictures submitted by the students in their reports. (a) A student collecting samples at Majnu Ka Tila Yamuna bank in Delhi; (b) A student conducting DO experiment in the field.
Figure 4. Pictures submitted by the students in their reports. (a) A student collecting samples at Majnu Ka Tila Yamuna bank in Delhi; (b) A student conducting DO experiment in the field.
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Figure 5. (a) Control bottle; (b) Test sample incubated for 48 h with Yamuna River water, showing fermentation.
Figure 5. (a) Control bottle; (b) Test sample incubated for 48 h with Yamuna River water, showing fermentation.
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Figure 6. Compound microscope pictures submitted by the students: (a) Toxocara cati; (b) Colpidium; (c) Carchesium; (d) Brachionus.
Figure 6. Compound microscope pictures submitted by the students: (a) Toxocara cati; (b) Colpidium; (c) Carchesium; (d) Brachionus.
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Figure 7. Student response to the internship.
Figure 7. Student response to the internship.
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Table
Table 1. Data collected by students to create a sheet of abiotic factor study of Yamuna River.
Table 1. Data collected by students to create a sheet of abiotic factor study of Yamuna River.
. CPCB Standard ValueMajnu ka TilaMagazine RoadKalkajiTughlakabadIP PowerhouseMaharani BaghDelhi GateISBTMean ± Standard Deviation
FEBWater Temperature (°C)-171818181921181818.4 ± 1.2
pH6.5–8.57.57.66.87.57.88.27.56.57.4 ± 0.5
Nitrate (ppm)<50 U5<105510105107.1 ± 2.7
Nitrite (ppm)<0.005 U000000000.0
TDS (ppm)0–50 U232286398487694443396511430.9 ± 142.3
Conductivity (μS/s)100–2000 U987945698898873789810945868.1 ± 96.7
DO6 mg/L113.5<0.5<0.581.5<0.53 ± 3
MARWater Temperature (°C)-181921222025232121.1 ± 2.2
pH6.5–8.57.577.27.56.886.76.57.2 ± 0.5
Nitrate (ppm)<50 U345<10<1055105.3 ± 2.4
Nitrite (ppm)<0.005 U000000000.0
TDS (ppm)0–50 U206590319491578498436430443.5 ± 129.2
Conductivity (μS/s)100–2000 U8769647949341150984872930938 ± 104.7
DO6 mg/L1<0.52<0.516.5BDL<0.52.6 ± 2.6
APRWater Temperature (°C)-292930313130322930.1 ± 1.1
pH6.5–8.57.47.47.47.57.67.57.47.47.5 ± 0.1
Nitrate (ppm)<50 U555510<1010107.1 ± 2.7
Nitrite (ppm)<0.005 U000000000.0
TDS (ppm)0–50 U467498412467387361435455435.3 ± 45.9
Conductivity (μS/s)100–2000 U934965647881774708870921837.5 ± 115
DO6 mg/L114<0.5<0.531<0.52.0 ± 1.4
Table
Table 2. Biodiversity observed by students in Yamuna water.
Table 2. Biodiversity observed by students in Yamuna water.
S. NoSpecies/Order/GenusS. NoSpecies/Order/Genus
1Phacus24Culicidae
2Cylcotella25Daphnia
3Ankistrodesmus26Copepod
4Chlamydomonas27Asplanchna
5Trachelomonas28Ephydridae
6Euglena29Spirulina
7Coleps30Nauplius
8Tetraedron31Physidae
9Discoplastis spathirhyncha32Carchesium
10Closterium33Oxytricha
11Gonium34Anisonema
12Ephemeroptera35Navicula
13Paramecium36Colpidium
14Ostracod37Alternaria
15Melosira38Asplanchnopus
16Pediastrum39Philodina
17Scenedesmus40Hexarthra
18Ulothrix41Polyarthra
19Gastropus42Nassula
20Nepidae43Closterium
21Polycentropus44Stylonychia
22Chironomus45Synura
23Tubifex
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Gupta, S.; Kulshreshtha, P.; Aggarwal, D.; Sharma, D. Undergraduate Internship on Yamuna River Exploration: Raising Awareness about SDG6. Sustainability 2023, 15, 10350. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310350

AMA Style

Gupta S, Kulshreshtha P, Aggarwal D, Sharma D. Undergraduate Internship on Yamuna River Exploration: Raising Awareness about SDG6. Sustainability. 2023; 15(13):10350. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310350

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gupta, Sunita, Parul Kulshreshtha, Divya Aggarwal, and Deuvshree Sharma. 2023. "Undergraduate Internship on Yamuna River Exploration: Raising Awareness about SDG6" Sustainability 15, no. 13: 10350. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310350

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