Dear Members
An outcome of the discussions during the National Convention was about
Sustainable Development. Dr. S. P. Kale from BARC initiated the discussion.
One of the outcome of this discussion was to take up Nation wide awareness
programme about Biogas plant. Biogas plant is an innovative idea which took
birth in our national institute BARC, to stop menace from monkeys and stray
dogs. It was decided to use the canteen waste to generate bio gas. It is the
idea on which Dr. S. P. Kale worked and is working relentlessly.
This plant utilizes the wet waste from the households as also from farms,
canteens, restaurants, hotels, food and beverage industries.
It is very important from the point of view of national development to install
the biogas plants in the municipal and corporation areas in the city. This is
because (1) One can locate the plant very near to the place where the waste is
generated. This avoids transportation of waste as also saves the transportation
cost which is may be 10 times more and recurring than the cost of a plant. (2)
Segregation of waste can generate funds for the municipality. (3) Very small
area (may be about 1/10 th or less) is required compared to that required for
dumping ground. As an idea of order of magnitude, about 500sq m is required
for 1 ton biogas plant as against acres of land used/occupied for dumping
ground. (4) Since the waste gets digested immediately, it does not decay
resulting in decrease in health hazards like diseases caused by pathogens. (5)
Reduces the menace of stray dogs, cats and rodents living on the dumping
ground, getting infected and causing a nuisance as also hazard to the society.
The members present in the meeting felt that these are good enough reasons for
the municipalities and corporations to install biogas plants. The gas available
can be put to fruitful use. The manure can enrich the farm lands, again saving
us from the poisons of fertilisers or pesticides, the added bonuses.
As a first initiative, we want to take up the matter to Mumbai Municipal
authorities and make Mumbai free of garbage and clean and green as the
municipality envisages.
We would like to invite volunteers from different cities who are interested in
sustainable development of society and taking the issue related to Waste
Management and Bio-Gas generation to the concerned authority in corporations
and municipalties
In this connection, a meeting will be held on July 19th 2009, 5 PM at C -3/4,
Suman Nagar, Chembur, Mumbai -71
