Ecocity: A mirage that needs life

Ecocity: A mirage that needs life
Deccan Herald

Imagine a ‘Nirmalya Kalash’ at all lake beds and river banks which can save the waterbodies from turning into dumpyards during festivities, architecture and open spaces that can curb crime in the City, or good pedestrian facilities that can improve the health of a city?

Imagine a ‘Nirmalya Kalash’ at all lake beds and river banks which can save the waterbodies from turning into dumpyards during festivities, architecture and open spaces that can curb crime in the City, or good pedestrian facilities that can improve the health of a city?

The abstracts presented at ‘Ecocity 6’ - the sixth International Ecocity Conference, reveals a host of new ideas for building ‘ecocities’, and also hints at the various Green projects taking shape in the IT-City.

However, not many may get replicated in Bangalore because there was no government representative even on the second day of the world conference.


Eco-projects

A daunting 2,200 metric tonnes of garbage a day and there’s still no reason to raise a stink in the IT-City. Reason? At least 80 per cent of the garbage in the City is organic and can be easily recycled.

A study by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) indicated that Bangalore is better off than most developed countries, especially Germany, which has more plastic and lesser percentage of organic waste (28 per cent).

“The study of waste composition helps in segregation of waste at source, planning proper dumping of hazardous waste and waste minimisation. Another danger the State faces is that of paint sludge – 350 tonnes are produced in the State in a year and need to be recycled,” pointed out Dr Axel Seeman, who is working with CSD.

The eco-sanitation project has now been stalled.

The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, in the meantime, is struggling to evolve a safe and hygienic sanitation system in the urban slums. Open defecation and associated problems of water contamination, health hazard and sexual harassment of women is a common picture at all urban slums.

Different

However, the Rajendra Nagar slum near Koramangala is different.

Thanks to the initiative of a local NGO ACTS, along with seecon GmbH in Wolhusen, Switzerland, the slum, with a population of 16,000, now has an eco-friendly public toilet centre (source separation of urine, faeces and wash-water) and a co-composting site for faecal matter at ACTS Rayasandra Campus.

“The eco-sanitation has also given economic benefits as the faeces are treated in a biogas plant and urine and digested slurry used as fertilisers and soil amendment. The locals also admit that the banana yield has been better,” said Martin Wafler of seecon.