Dolphins, water and biodiversity: Northeast schools win national sustainability awards

Four schools from Northeast India have been selected for the earthian sustainability awards 2025 for projects that explored local environmental challenges through hands-on research, community engagement and the use of traditional knowledge.

The awards were presented at the 15th edition of the programme held at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru. This year, the initiative received over 2,000 submissions from across the country, of which 25 teams were selected by an independent jury.
According to the organisers, the shortlisted projects addressed issues related to water, waste and biodiversity, combining field-based investigation with reflective learning. Several entries were rooted in local ecological contexts and involved direct interaction with surrounding communities.

The four winning schools from the Northeast include two from Assam and one each from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
At Auniati Kamaldev Higher Secondary School in Guwahati, students examined local water challenges by documenting traditional conservation practices and community attitudes towards water management. The team conducted water quality testing in collaboration with IIT Guwahati, organised workshops on sustainable water use, and interviewed residents and elders to record traditional water preservation methods and observe the effects of climate change on these practices.
 

Students from North Guwahati Girls’ High School focused on biodiversity within their school campus and neighbouring areas. Their activities included a Save Gangetic River Dolphin campaign, vulture conservation-themed art, bird nest making, and neem soap preparation with local self-help groups. The students also reared stingless Melipona bees on campus to study pollination. Interactions with fishermen and ferry passengers helped them understand community perceptions of ecosystem services.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Intaya Public School in Ezengo conducted a biodiversity study across its school campus and the Lower Dibang Valley, analysing how human activities affect bird diversity across different microhabitats. The project incorporated traditional ecological knowledge, including Mishmi folk tales about wildlife and a seasonal calendar prepared in the Idu language, linking biodiversity with food security, water sustainability and cultural identity.
 

PM Shri Government High School, Kiruphema, Nagaland, surveyed water sources within the school campus and in Peducha village, noting variations in water quality. Students interacted with local farmers to understand everyday water use and developed 3D models demonstrating rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation systems and basic water purification methods as part of their sustainability learning.

Representatives from the organising foundation presented certificates and cash prizes to the winning teams.
Launched in 2011, the earthian programme engages schools and colleges across India through project-based learning on sustainability-related themes, the organisers said.