Reforestation of the Dharaavi slum wastelands, Mumbai

Written by Abishek Bharadwaj / 23 January 2009 /

One of the many inspirational stories we had a chance to document en route was the transformation of a waste dumping ground near Dharaavi, the largest slum in Asia, into a national park.

This was something that was imperceptible to me until we actually witnessed it ourselves. The Maharashtra National Park is adorned with a large variety of medicinal plants with nature walk trails around the park signifying the need for biodiversity. They are also efficiently using every drop of water in the park by diverting it into a pond, where they also breed fish to spread the awareness and the importance of water ecology. They are also working towards cleaning the most polluted river in Mumbai, the Meeti river, which runs along the park. This park also aids botanists and zoologists to research on the various indigenous species for the city of Mumbai. For instance we were enlightened by a butterfly enthusiast with his tremendous research work on the park.

Biogas production, Modachinnapally, near Hyderabad

Written by Abishek Bharadwaj / 12 January 2009 /

Biogas production is a solution we have come across again and again across India, utilising a wealth of different organic waste feed-stocks in each location. One of the most exciting examples has been bio-gas cooking in the village Modachinnapally, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

With the rising costs of L.P.G and the additional transportation costs, the villagers discovered the most pragmatic way of cooking, using the bio-gas. All they needed is a resource they already possessed, the GOBAR. The mixture of gobar and water is fed into an underground cemented tank where bacteria promotes catalytic breakdown of molecules to release bio-gas which is supplied through a tube to the kitchen after which they can control the flow of the gas using a conventional regulator. This is a flawless example of sustainable development.