Science jamboree at Jammu

More than 2,000 police personnel had been deployed at the venue. The city, too, was at a high alert Photograph by Vibha Varshney

A pressure detector for water pipelines, conceived by Himali Joshi of Nainital, Uttarakhand, has the potential of becoming a common household appliance in times when municipal supply of water is erratic. This alarm rings when it senses water pressure in the pipleline. So there is no need to check the taps repeatedly or, worse, leave them open and waste water Photograph by Vibha Varshney

University of Jammu, the organiser of the event, printed a daily newsletter, providing details of the events at the conference Photograph by Vibha Varshney

Piyush Agarwal of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, has made a unique clothesline attached to salt-based rain sensors. As soon as it rains, the salt absorbs moisture to conduct electricity, thereby making the pulley operational. The pulley then draws the clothesline indoor, thus preventing clothes from getting wet Photograph by Vibha Varshney

The 101st Indian Science Congress was organised at Jammu. From an exhibition on innovations in different branches of science to deliberations on increasing shortage of taxonomists for botanical research, much happened at the five-day event that began on February 3 Photograph by Vibha Varshney

It rained at the inauguration and it rained at the valedictory function. It also rained on most other days. Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said that this rain is a blessing from God and is much needed for agriculture in the state Photograph by Vibha Varshney

Kashmiri samovar, a container used to make salt tea, usually uses wood charcoal to heat the liquid. But to find an alternative to the fuel, the supply of which is falling short of demand, Shazia Jaan of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir has attached the samovar to LPG gas. Apart from making tea, the set up can also be used as a gas stove. Photograph by Vibha Varshney

The Science Innovators' Exhibition, organised at the Indian Science Congress in Jammu, showcased some innovations that could make our homes smarter. For people who tend to forget about food cooking on their gas stove and get busy with other chores, here is a great device that uses a timer which automatically stops the flow of gas at a preset time Photograph by Vibha Varshney

The department of fisheries has an option for additional livelihood. Its officials presented seed material that could be used by people to grow ornamental fish Photograph by Vibha Varshney

The India vision 2020 exhibition was inaugurated on the first day of the conference and highlighted the work done by different government research organisations Photograph by Vibha Varshney

This pressure cooker can also be turned into a coffee maker. The tube attached to the cooker is used to take the steam to a cup which has coffee powder and water added to it. Shortly, a cup of steaming neat coffee is ready for you Photograph by Vibha Varshney

SKAUST Jammu promotes mushroom cultivation as an additional source of income for the farmers in the area Photograph by Vibha Varshney