NEERA ,JALAJ
ANDTHECASEOFUNTREATEDWASTE
Chompi ng away at f i s h and bananas ,J al ajhad a t hought :why di df ood atNeer a’ shous e al ways t as t es odel i ci ous ? L i t t l e di d he know t hatt hi sques t i on woul dl ead hi m on an ex pedi t i on i n whi ch he woul d conf r ont hi s own was t eandex pl or ei t spot ent i al .
Neer a t ook hi m t o t he s ewage t r eat mentpl antwher es he s howed hi m how t he t r eat ed wat erf r om her apar t ment was r eus ed f orf l us hi ng and gar deni ng. A ‘ honeys ucker ’ pumped and car t ed away t he r es i dual s l udge.
Af t er t r eat ment t he wat er was channel i s ed i nt o a wet l and,wher e J al aj f ound a vi br ant ecos ys t em r epl et e wi t hf l or a and f auna t hat as s i s t edi nf ur t herpur i f i cat i on.
Wi deeyed and wonder s t r uck,J al aj l i s t ened on asNeer at ookhi m on a cor acl et hr ought hebodyoft hel ake wher e he s aw gl i mps esofa t hr i vi ng f i s hi ng i ndus t r y and mor ef r om t he ani mal ki ngdom.
Whi l et hel i qui dwas t ewast akencar e ofbyf i l l i ng a l ake,t he s l udge f ound us e as f er t i l i z er , whi ch hel ped i n gr owi ng t he ver ybanana t r eest hat Neer aandJ al aj wer es opr ecar i ous l y per chedat op.
T heef f i cacyoft hewas t et hatNeer a and hernei ghbour spr oduced,and t he t echnol ogy t hat as s i s t ed i t s r ecycl i ngdi dnotl eaveJ al aj whenhe par t ed f r om Neer a. I ns t ead he mul l ed over i t whi l e doi ng hi s abl ut i ons and wonder ed how he coul dr epl i cat et hes ys t em i nhi sown humbl eenvi r onment .
He t ackl ed t he s ol i d was t e by bui l di ngat oi l etwi t hat wi nl eachpi t , wi t ht hehel pofhi sf r i ends .
But t he bat t l e di dn’ t end t her e. Ecowar r i or J al aj wonder ed what coul dbedonewi t ht hewas t ewat er t hathi sand t he hous ehol dsar ound hi m pr oducedonadai l ybas i s .
T hat ’ swhatl ed hi mt ot he par ched l akebedi nt henei ghbour hood.Ashe s ur veyed t he l ands cape he wonder ed about t he pos s i bi l i t i es ; coul d t he was t e wat er f r om hi s l ocal i t ybedi s char gedi nt ot hi sdyi ng r ecept acl e?
Ar med wi t hf act sand f i gur esJ al aj mul l ed overt he cat egor i esofl akes and wonder ed whi ch woul d be an appr opr i at echoi ce.
Once he had deci ded t hat a t r eat ment s ys t em was t he f i r s t pr er equi s i t e,he cont empl at ed t he mani f ol d pos s i bi l i t i es .T he opt i ons wer ei nf i ni t eandmi ndboggl i ng.
Communi t y i nvol vement hel ped hammeroutas ol ut i on,f ort hegr oup was t r ul y r epr es ent at i ve of al l s t akehol der s .A dat e wass etf ort he cons t r uct i on of a bi or emedi at i on pl antt hatwoul dt r eats ewagebef or e l et t i ngi touti nt ot hel ake.
J al aj ,Neer a and t hei rf r i ends got t oget hert obui l dt hes ys t em.
Ast i me pas s ed,t he wet l and gr ew, bi r dscamebyandJ al aj wat chedt he f i l l i ngl akewi t hgl ee.
Whi l et hel akef i l l edt of ul l nes s ,s odi d t hel eachpi t ,t i l li twast i met oempt y i tandr eapt hebenef i t sofhumanur e.
Bount i f ull ake,br i mmi ng open and bor e wel l sand bananasi n pl ent y, J al ajf el tl i ket hehappi es t10yearol d i nBangal or e.
And who bet t er t o cer t i f y t he pr oduce t han hi sf r i end,gui de and ment or ,Neer a?
GL OSSARY honeys ucker a t ankt r uckwi t h a heavydut yvacuum des i gned t o pneumat i cal l yl oad s ol i ds ,l i qui ds ,s l udgeors l ur r yt hr oughs uct i onl i nes wet l and a l and ar ea t hati ss at ur at ed wi t hwat er ,ei t herper manent l yors eas onal l y, s ucht hati tt akesont hechar act er i s t i csofadi s t i nctecos ys t em cor acl e as mal ll i ght wei ght ,bowl s haped boatwi t ha f r ame ofwoven gr as s es , r eeds ,ors apl i ngs s l udge s emi s ol i ds l ur r yf r om was t ewat ert r eat mentpr oces s es t wi nl eachpi tt wo l each pi t st o whi ch a pour f l us ht oi l etpan i sconnect ed vi at wo s oi l pi pes ,t hewas t econt ent soft hepi t sbei ngempt i edal t er nat el y bi or emedi at i on a was t e managementt echni que t hati nvol vest he us e ofor gani s mst o r emoveorneut r al i z epol l ut ant s humanur e humanf aecalmat er i alandur i ner ecycl edf oragr i cul t ur alpur pos es ,r i chi n s oi l nut r i ent sandval uabl ei nenhanci ngpl antgr owt h openwel l awel l ,j us tdeepenought or eacht hewat ert abl e,al l owi nggr oundwat ert o f i l l t hebot t om oft hewel l bor ewel l a nar r ow wel l ,ver t i cal l ys unki nt ot hegr ound t i l lt hehar ds t r at af oryi el d of wat er
Bi ome Envi r onment alT r us ti sa nonpr of i t , wi t ha f ocuson wat ercons er vat i on and ecol ogi cal ar chi t ect ur e. I t s i ni t i at i ves i ncl ude ef f or t s t owar ds r ai nwat er har ves t i ng,us i ng ecof r i endl ycons t r uct i on t echni ques and ex pl or i ng al t er nat i ve meansofmanagi ngwas t ewat er .T het r us t i sal s oi nvol ved i neducat i ng chi l dr enand communi t i esaboutt hes epr act i ces .
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1022,6t hBl ock,HMTL ayout ,Vi dyar anyapur a,Bangal or e-560097|08041672790/23644690