{"id":3071,"date":"2026-03-16T15:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watershedmonitoring.com\/?post_type=realisations&p=3071"},"modified":"2026-03-16T15:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:24:13","slug":"ptb-ganges","status":"publish","type":"realisations","link":"https:\/\/watershedmonitoring.com\/en\/success-stories\/ptb-ganges\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening the Monitoring of the Ganges River"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PTB prioritizes capacity building, knowledge sharing, and collaboration<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Context<\/b><\/h4>

The Government of India aims to implement both voluntary and mandatory measures to improve the water quality of the Ganges River. To achieve this, the government must be able to demonstrate that these measures genuinely contribute to reducing pollution and restoring the river\u2019s ecosystem. This goal requires reliable, comparable, verifiable, and, above all, defensible data\u2014that is, data robust enough to withstand criticism and pass the most rigorous audits.<\/p>

As part of a project of international cooperation, the German National Metrology Institute (<\/span>PTB<\/u><\/a>) has been collaborating since 2023 with the Government of India and the <\/span>National Mission for Clean Ganga<\/u><\/a> (NMCG\u2014the organization responsible for coordinating on-the-ground implementation nationwide), to strengthen the skills of local stakeholders and the quality assurance processes for the whole Ganges Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead the Project Description<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Challenge<\/b><\/h4>

In order to help stakeholders adopt and implement best practices for quality control in the acquisition, management, analysis, and communication of water quality data, PTB looked for experts with a holistic understanding of the entire data production chain\u2014from planning sampling campaigns to reporting, and including laboratory analysis protocols. However, such cross-disciplinary expertise is quite rare.<\/p>

It was through <\/span>Maris Berlin<\/u><\/a>, a regional water sector competitiveness cluster, that PTB learned about WaterShed Monitoring and the unique expertise of its team, which integrates all stages of a WQMP, as well as a deep understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all the different stakeholders. PTB\u2019s attention was caught by the team\u2019s ability to connect the planning phase, field constraints, and the realities experienced by laboratory technicians, as well as quality control criteria.<\/span><\/p>

Solution<\/b><\/h4>

Together, PTB and WaterShed Monitoring developed a comprehensive support program for all stakeholders involved in the Ganges WQMP, providing them with tools to make the best possible decisions while taking into account their specific realities and constraints.<\/p>

This program is structured around four main components:<\/p>

  1. Empowering Stakeholders in the Data Acquisition Chain<\/h6>

    A series of webinars allowed WaterShed Monitoring experts to share their knowledge with various groups of stakeholders. Next, in-class workshops, in-the-field coaching and shadowing provided local participants with the tools to adapt theoretical concepts to the realities and specific constraints of the field, without compromising the validity of the data produced.<\/p><\/li>

  2. Audit of Data Management and Utilization Processes<\/h6>

    Our experts reviewed existing protocols to ensure they met data traceability requirements and complied with international standards.<\/p><\/li>

  3. Recommendations and Collaborative Development of an Action Plan<\/h6>

    Guided workshops enabled local stakeholders to assess the relevance of expert recommendations, define their priorities, and reach consensus on the measures to be implemented.<\/p><\/li>

  4. Knowledge Management<\/h6>

    Production of video tutorials, work instructions, methodological guides, and protocols to facilitate knowledge transfer and the application of recommendations within the different organizations involved.<\/p><\/li><\/ol>

    Results<\/b><\/h4>

    This stakeholder empowerment program raised awareness among more than fifty individuals within the various organizations involved in monitoring the water quality of the Ganges River.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \u201cBy bringing together the different groups of stakeholders in the same workshop, each link in the information production chain becomes aware of the needs and expectations of the other links. This mutual understanding generates empathy and more harmonious interactions, which encourages collaboration among stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Sonja Behmel, Ph.D.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Limnologist
    CEO and Founder WaterShed Monitoring<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Furthermore, reinforcing best practices has a direct impact on the robustness of the data produced.<\/p>

    Thanks to these positive outcomes, the PTB project gained considerable traction. WaterShed Monitoring\u2019s mandate was extended several times to expand our contribution to new stages in the knowledge production chain.<\/p>

    In 2025, the focus has shifted to managing and sharing the information produced. Participatory workshops were organized with stakeholders to assess current processes. Recommendations were then formulated, followed by collaborative work to identify priority actions to better preserve, structure, and use the collected data.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    PTB enlists WaterShed Monitoring to provide training and on-site support services to assist local stakeholders in their efforts to improve the Ganges water quality monitoring and quality assurance processes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3108,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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