Identifying, developing and embedding citizen science techniques in action research to evaluate locally led solutions for water quality monitoring

我们的NERC路径项目（NE/R003645/1）是印度科技部和英国自然环境研究委员会为期3年的合作项目的一部分。其目的是建立数学模型来描述污染如何在一系列水环境（即河流、沿海、湿地）中移动，从而为适当的废物管理战略提供信息。印度水务局目前使用的系统是基于过时的工具，不能充分考虑这些流域中污染物的数量和动态行为。这一点，再加上日益增长的城市化，给城市供水设施带来了巨大的压力。因此，迫切需要获得必要的知识，以便更好地管理水质，从而在印度人口的水安全和改善自然环境方面取得积极成果。为了一个可持续的解决方案，所提出的战略必须以地方视角为中心——促进地方社区接受由研究结果驱动的行动，其中包含了它们的价值和优先事项。最终，这将教育和授权当地社区拥有自己的环境。这与《印度国家框架法案》直接一致，该法案承认迫切需要获取此类知识以实现生态目标。因此，至关重要的是，我们的研究确保重点不仅放在学术和科学研究的作用上，而且放在支持研究结果与政策吸收/应用之间的接口的网络上。印度和英国是彼此的优先国家，在未来的水质立法和共同的全球可持续发展目标之间具有协同作用。作为PATHWAYs的一部分，我们与几个印度利益相关者（Thane污染控制委员会；Enviro-con城市水电环境中心；Versova海滩清理- Afroz Shah）建立了牢固的国内联系。最近，我们的社区联系扩大到非政府组织Earth5R，这是由苏拉布·古普塔创立的最大的公民领导的环境运动之一。Earth5R的总部设在与我们的PATHWAYs河集水区居住在同一地区的许多当地社区，并与他们合作；提供现有的社区参与渠道。Earth5R表示需要获取科学知识，以发展社区使用科学方法的能力，从而产生支持水质管理变革所需的证据基础。泰晤士21是一个在伦敦运作的环境非政府组织，与社区和市政利益相关者一起提供环境污染管理。该组织致力于支持集水区管理的多学科方法，并在社区参与和招聘、基于自然的污染解决方案和创新知识转移方面拥有专业知识。我们将与Thames21密切合作，帮助我们指导公民科学方法的发展，这些方法可以融入Earth5R在孟买的社区。最终的目标是利用公民科学来建立我们印度社区的能力，这将同时从当地的角度为我们的PATHWAYs研究提供关于污染源的信息，从而找到解决方案，同时支持由Thames 21和Earth5R领导的正在进行的工作。这些方法包括：-排水口狩猎，利用社区团体来识别污染排水口，并根据它们对河流环境的可见影响对它们进行评分。-采用创新科技（例如配备最先进水质监测技术的自动驾驶船只INTCATCH），让社区参与水质管理。-故事地图将科学知识和社区观点综合到一个容易理解的框架中。-视觉科学：使用无害的荧光示踪剂追踪受管理的河流集水区自然流动中的污染，以测试社区对排水连接的假设。

Our NERC PATHWAYs project (NE/R003645/1) is part of a 3-year collaboration between the Department of Sciences and Technology (India) and the Natural Environmental Research Council (UK). The aim is to develop mathematical modelling to describe how pollution moves within a range of water environments (i.e. river, coastal, wetland) to inform appropriate waste management strategies. Current systems used by India's water authorities are based on outdated tools that do not adequately account for the quantity and dynamic behaviour of contaminants within these flow domains. This, coupled with increasing urbanisation is exerting immense pressure on city water utilities. As such, there is an urgency to acquire the necessary knowledge to better manage water quality with positive outcomes on water security for the Indian population and enhancement of the natural environment. For a sustainable solution the strategies proposed must centre on local perspectives - facilitating local community uptake of actions driven by research results, wherein their values and priorities are embedded. Ultimately, this will both educate and empower local communities to take ownership of their environment. This aligns directly with the Indian National Framework Bill which acknowledges that there is an urgency to acquire such knowledge to meet ecological objectives. As such, it is vital that our research ensures emphasis is placed on not only the role of academic and scientific research but the networks to support the interface between research results and policy uptake/application. India and the UK are priority countries for each other with a synergy between future water quality legislation and shared global sustainable development goals. As part of PATHWAYs we have developed strong in-country connections with several Indian stakeholders (Thane Pollution Control Board; Enviro-con Urban Hydro Environment Centre; Versova Beach Clean Up - Afroz Shah). More recently our community connections have expanded to include NGO Earth5R - one of the largest citizen-led environmental movements, founded by Saurabh Gupta. Earth5R is based in and works with a number of local communities living in the same region as our PATHWAYs river catchment; providing an existing channel for community participation. Earth5R has expressed a need to acquire scientific knowledge to develop the community's ability to use scientific approaches to generate the evidence base required to support change in water quality management. Thames 21 are an environmental NGO operating in London, delivering environmental pollution management with communities and municipal stakeholders. This organisation is committed to supporting multidisciplinary approaches to catchment management and has expertise in community engagement and recruitment, nature-based pollution solutions and innovation knowledge transfer. We will work closely with Thames21 to help us guide the development of citizen science approaches that can be integrated into Earth5R's Mumbai based communities. The ultimate aim is to use citizen science to build capability into our India based communities that will simultaneously inform our PATHWAYs research as to the sources of pollution from a local perspective, thus target solutions, whilst simultaneously supporting the ongoing work led by Thames 21 and Earth5R.These approaches include: -Outfall safari's using community groups to identify pollution outfalls and score them based on their visible impact on the river environment. -Innovative technology (i.e., INTCATCH boats; autonomous boats fitted with state-of-the-art water quality monitoring technologies) to engage communities in water quality. -Story maps to synthesis scientific knowledge and community perspectives into an easily understandable framework. -Visual science: using florescent harmless tracers to trace pollution in natural flows within managed river catchments to test community hypotheses on drainage connections.