FACT SHEET Project name: Setting up a non-profit water and nutrient-testing laboratory

The Stockholm Environment Institute and WASHi established the Shree Krishna Gyan Mandir Water and Nutrient Testing Laboratory in Patna, Bihar, in August 2013. This non-profit facility supports ecological sanitation (ecosan) by verifying the safety and nutrient content of treated human waste for agricultural use, a service unique in the region. The lab also provides independent water quality testing for civil society and communities, identifying contaminants like arsenic to drive government action. To remain sustainable, the lab uses a cost-recovery tariff and offers educational courses, while seeking statutory accreditation to ensure long-term viability.

• The Shree Krishna Gyan Mandir Water and Nutrient Testing Laboratory and Research Centre, opened in mid-August 2013 in Patna, provides high-standard water and nutrient analysis for both institutional and community needs. It follows National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) guidelines and has a current capacity of 30 analyses per day.
• The laboratory is a critical component of ecological sanitation (ecosan) pilot projects, which capture and treat excreta for use as agricultural fertilizer. The facility provides a nutrient testing service that is unique in Bihar, allowing the nutrient composition of 'humanure' products—including treated urine, greywater, and liquid from composting toilets—to be compared with commercial agricultural chemicals.
• Beyond supporting pilot projects, the laboratory serves as a tool for civil society surveillance and public health. It provides evidence of water contamination, such as confirming the presence of arsenic in wells across Bihar, to help communities demand government action for cleaning polluted water resources.
• To ensure long-term sustainability and cost recovery for expensive chemical reagents, the laboratory employs a tariff system based on operational costs and generates supplemental income through training courses, such as a water testing course for 10th to 12th grade students held in January 2014.
• A primary operational lesson identified during the start-up phase is the necessity of acquiring statutory accreditation. This is seen as essential for enhancing the laboratory's status, justifying cost-recovery tariffs, and ensuring a consistent workflow to retain personnel.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). FACT SHEET Project name: Setting up a non-profit water and nutrient-testing laboratory. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2014-biharecosan-patnalab.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. FACT SHEET Project name: Setting up a non-profit water and nutrient-testing laboratory. 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2014-biharecosan-patnalab.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=FACT SHEET Project name: Setting up a non-profit water and nutrient-testing laboratory |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2014-biharecosan-patnalab.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014fact, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{FACT SHEET Project name: Setting up a non-profit water and nutrient-testing laboratory}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-fs-2014-biharecosan-patnalab.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }