The Centre of Science for Villages in Dattapur, Wardha

thenewsdirt
17 hours ago
9 min read

A voluntary organisation located in the Dattapur area of Wardha district operates from two campuses that have become centres for rural technology development in the Vidarbha region.

The Centre of Science for Villages functions from facilities at Kumarappapuram and Dattapur, separated by approximately one kilometre, where research, training and demonstration of appropriate technologies take place daily.

The organisation began its operations in 1976 from the premises of Maganwadi in Wardha, the same location where the All India Village Industries Association was established in 1934. Dr Devendra Kumar founded the centre to create a technology transfer facility that could bridge the gap between national research laboratories and rural communities.

The centre received independent registration in 1984 under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950. Dr Devendra Kumar had earlier worked with the All India Village Industries Association from 1946, where he conducted experiments in groundnut cake utilisation, solar evaporation of palm juice, smokeless cooking stoves, biogas plants, beekeeping improvements, pottery and handmade paper.

The geographical positioning of the CSV campuses holds historical significance within Vidarbha.

The location sits between two important sites, with one ashram situated three kilometres away and another seven kilometres distant. The campuses occupy land filled with organic plantations and floriculture demonstrations, creating living laboratories where visitors can observe working models of various technologies.

The facilities accommodate up to 250 persons in guesthouses, dining halls and community centres, all constructed using the innovative technologies developed by the organisation.

Housing and Construction Technologies

The most recognised contribution of the centre involves the development of the Wardha house model, a low-cost housing design that eliminates the use of timber and steel in roofing structures.

The design employs a vaulted roofing system using conical burnt clay tiles called Guna, a term derived from Telugu meaning tapering burnt clay pipe.

These hollow cylindrical tiles can be socketed into one another to form arches over a curved framework, creating a barrel vault capable of bearing loads of up to 1,000 kilograms per square metre.

Construction of the Wardha house begins with brick pillars supporting a ring beam, typically at five-foot intervals. Bamboo poles and metal pipes create a temporary framework on which the conical tiles are arranged in successive rings. Workers place tiles in a plug-socket manner, completing the roof ring by ring.

After 12 hours, the temporary framework is removed, allowing the structure to set naturally. Lime or cement mortar fills the gaps between tiles, and broken china tile pieces fixed over the roof provide waterproofing while reflecting sunlight to keep interiors cooler.

The walls of these structures use tile-faced mud blocks measuring 225 millimetres by 100 millimetres by 225 millimetres. Workers place facing tiles in wooden or steel moulds with the face touching the mould wall, then pour mud mortar at the back.

The standard mixture contains one part black cotton soil to four parts murram. These blocks create walls that resist water penetration and rodent entry without requiring cement pressing or ramming.

The Housing and Urban Development Corporation approved this design, and various government departments, including the National Institute of Rural Development, Education Department, Forest Department, Public Works Department and Police Department, have adopted the model.

Since 1986, approximately 2,000 such houses have been constructed across multiple locations. The centre built these structures in Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Gondia districts.

Following the Gujarat earthquake, demand increased for these structures due to their lightweight nature and structural stability. Each house costs less than 200 rupees per square metre to construct and can be occupied within three days of completion.

The roofing weighs 120 kilograms per square metre, making it suitable for earthquake-prone areas, with a service life exceeding 50 years.

The centre also produces compressed stabilised earth blocks and terracotta roofing tiles on site.

Local artisans manufacture these materials using soil available within the region, mixed with minimal cement for stabilisation.

The pottery division, carpentry workshop, blacksmith facility and masonry units operate from the campus, training rural workers in these traditional crafts while introducing technological improvements.

Sanitation and Water Management Systems

The organisation established a sanitation park in 1996 at the Kumarappapuram campus with assistance from an international agency.

This park displays working models of various toilet designs, eco-sanitation systems, composting units, wastewater treatment facilities and solid waste management technologies.

The concept, developed in 1995, has been replicated at locations in Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh with state government funding.

The Wardha toilet design represents a simple hand-flush latrine requiring minimal water.

Leach pit toilets serve areas with water scarcity, constructed in both private residences and public spaces.

Community toilets connect directly to biogas units where human waste combines with cow dung to generate methane gas for cooking and electricity.

These integrated units operate at the Kumarappapuram campus, the eco-tech village at Boldawadi in Hingoli district, an ashram in Nagpur, the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad, and the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development.

Rural communities maintain these sanitation and biogas units after receiving training from the centre. Some villagers collect organic waste and cattle dung from surrounding areas, while others handle technical operations including biogas production, maintenance and electricity supply. The biogas plants use either the Deen Bandhu or Balaji designs.

The newer Balaji biogas technology accepts any solid biodegradable material, including grass, straw and kitchen waste, operating as a batch-type plant that provides gas discharge for five to six months before requiring material replacement.

Water management systems demonstrated at the campuses include spill water recycling units, rainwater harvesting structures, well and borewell recharge systems, percolation pits at agricultural land corners, bunding techniques and filtration systems for community water supply.

The campus showcases rooftop rainwater collection methods, various percolation systems and nala bunding.

The Arogya water filter, developed in collaboration with an industrial group, uses locally available materials including rice husk ash, sand, pebbles and a small quantity of cement. This filter can be fabricated at the village level using local resources and requires minimal maintenance.

The Sheetal pot represents another water-related innovation, using basic thermodynamic principles to cool drinking water without electricity or maintenance costs.

The pot requires only a small initial investment and operates through evaporative cooling.

For waste management, the centre developed NADEP tanks for converting agricultural waste into manure, four-pit vermicompost systems for efficient decomposition, soak pits for grey water treatment at source, and spill water recycling units for hand pumps and wells.

Renewable Energy and Rural Industries

The centre functioned as a Regional Training Centre for the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources of the Government of India. Solar equipment promoted includes solar cookers, solar photovoltaic street lights, solar lanterns and solar water heaters.

These devices reduce dependence on conventional energy sources while lowering operational costs for rural households.

The forest produce division trains collectors in the scientific handling of rock bees and small bees. Rock bees contribute 80 per cent of total honey production in India, but their ferocious nature and residence in inaccessible locations made domestication impossible.

Traditional methods involved burning, smoking and squeezing hives, leading to colony destruction. The centre developed techniques to extract honey without harming combs or destroying broods, allowing extraction from the same comb multiple times.

Training programmes conducted for approximately 25,000 honey hunters from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh have spread this knowledge across regions in Vidarbha and beyond.

Banana fibre paper technology utilises the stems of banana plants that grow abundantly in the Wardha region. After the fruit harvest, farmers typically discard the stems.

The centre developed a village-scale process for manufacturing paper and hardboards from these stems, creating employment opportunities while reducing agricultural waste.

The fabrication division produces agricultural tools, improved bullock carts, water filters, agro-waste gasifiers and the Sheetal pot.

Food processing units work with more than 50 plant species for preservation, product diversification, and value addition, introducing these techniques to women's self-help groups.

The Ecological Science and Technology Division conducts research, field trials, field extension work, training programmes, publications and policy interventions.

This division worked as the mother organisation for the Maharashtra State Government to train Watershed Development Team members of various Programme Implementing Agencies. In that capacity, the division carried out work in 135 micro watersheds across six districts of Vidarbha, including Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia.

The division maintains a network of at least 2,000 farmers practising organic farming methods. Technologies introduced include NADEP composting, biodung preparation, four-pit vermicompost systems and biodynamic preparations.

Production techniques for bio-fertilisers, including Azotobacter, Rhizobium, Trichoderma and other microbial preparations, are taught to farmers transitioning to organic methods.

The division has introduced several new plant species as cash crops for farmers in drought-prone areas of Vidarbha, helping diversify income sources during difficult agricultural seasons.

Training, Outreach and Model Villages

An independent training centre established in 1995 conducts various programmes sponsored by government agencies and international organisations. Over three decades, thousands of potters, masons, carpenters, blacksmiths and other artisans received training at the facilities.

These trained individuals disseminate technologies across various states, taking appropriate solutions to their home regions.

The model eco-friendly village at Boldawadi in Hingoli district demonstrates all the technologies developed by the centre.

This eco-tech village contains approximately 100 houses incorporating eco-friendly facilities, including solar energy systems, rainwater harvesting structures, biogas plants, organic farming plots and waste management systems.

The Maharashtra government decided to replicate this model at four sites each in Amravati and Kolhapur districts, three villages in Yavatmal and two in Nashik district.

The centre does not copyright its technologies, making them freely available to any organisation or individual interested in implementation. This open approach aligns with the philosophy of ensuring villages become self-sufficient through the adoption of appropriate technologies. Training programmes and seminars conducted at national and international levels help spread knowledge of these innovations.

The organisation currently operates with a team of approximately 100 individuals including scientists, architects, engineers, biochemists, physicists, material scientists, artisans and field workers. This multidisciplinary team engages in taking benefits of science and technology to rural areas.

The centre serves as a technology resource organisation and implementing agency, working with various government departments and voluntary organisations across the country.

Challenges and Current Operations

The primary obstacle faced involves the acceptance of mud construction technology in rural areas.

Mud houses carry an image of being kutcha and non-durable, with a backward connotation attached to them.

The centre undertakes complete house construction rather than just roof or wall construction to ensure quality control. Difficulties persist in getting technologies approved for government projects because several innovations have not been included in the Central Public Works Department rates list.

Despite these challenges, adoption has occurred across various government departments and private individuals.

Women technology programmes form an important component of the work. Technologies are introduced to women for achieving economic independence and skill development.

More than 2,000 rural women received training at 40 technical institutes, becoming skilled in manufacturing 200 different products. These programmes aim to create sustainable livelihoods while preserving traditional knowledge systems.

The campuses located between significant historical sites maintain connections to the Gandhian philosophy of rural development. The work continues the legacy of village industries and appropriate technology transfer that began in the region nearly a century ago.

Research activities focus on optimising technologies to suit local conditions, material availability and skill levels present in rural communities.

The sanitation park serves as a demonstration facility where users and agencies gain understanding of construction details, specific features of each unit, maintenance requirements and costs involved.

The Maharashtra government designated the centre as a key resource agency for training on water and sanitation topics, conducting programmes for officials and field workers across the state.

The centre works on the development and demonstration of appropriate rural technologies that are ecologically sound and socially just.

The aim remains to develop villages and arrest the erosion of local talents by promoting rural non-farm activities through economically viable occupations. Interaction between scientific laboratories and village realities enables scientists to learn from accumulated traditional knowledge while contributing to modern innovations.

Government funding support comes from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, Department of Science and Technology, and various state government departments. International agencies that provided support include organisations focused on education, children and development.

These collaborations enable scaling up of technologies and expansion of training programmes to reach more beneficiaries across Vidarbha and other regions.

The organisation provides a forum for rural innovation where specialists and experts in science and technology can provide inputs to optimise processes and products developed by village innovators.

Adaptive research and training mould available technologies according to local conditions and skill levels, preparing trainers who can transfer knowledge to villages.

The two campuses at Dattapur and Kumarappapuram continue to function as centres where theory meets practice, where traditional wisdom integrates with modern science, and where solutions emerge for challenges facing rural communities in the region.