Do you want to plant a tree?

Last week I visited the garden Department of K East ward, MCGM, Gundavli (Andheri East) to make some enquiries. The garden Department is in charge of all tress and plants and open spaces and gardens in a particular ward.

I was accorded a very cordial Welcome and given all information patiently. Our officer now visits all gardens on a weekly basis- that sounds great. He is in his first year of service- so a big thumbs up to the young officer and hopes that he will not 'grow out of his enthusiasm' like many others do.

So- if you want to plant a tree, you only need to inform this officer- the MCGM will provide the sapling, will help to dig a trench to plant it. If tree is on private property, the owner has to take care of the tree. All public areas are the wards of MCGM. They water the plants and keep a watch over them, anyone troubling the plants is penalised. The saplings are sturdy and healthy 15 ft plants- so their survival is not so difficult. The best news- all the trees are native species- no exotic species are promoted. This last one made me happy. As planting native trees will ensure their survival and the survival of birds, insects and other local fauna- so our environment can really be protected.

So what are we waiting for. Do visit the garden department as soon as possible and help to plant a tree. Make our Parle East, lovely and green- one tree at a time.

MIGRANT IN PARLE

Most people in Parle know him as 'Taxi Bird' because of the bright yellow and black colours.

The Golden Oriole is an annual visitor and arrives every Winter to Vile Parle East between November and December. The male is very bright coloured and calls out loudly in a somewhat 'Laadwal' or nasal tone. His call is heard mostly in the mornings- upon which one can get up and spot him on some nearby tree. The bird is impossible to miss- because of thebright colours as well as that it does not move so often. The female bird is somewhat dull and better camouflaged; more difficult to spot.

Male bird- from flickriver.com

Female bird from Wikimedia

This beautiful bird flies back to the North in Spring or early Summer. Its diet consists of different small fruits of the fig, champa, etc and also small insects.

Please do enjoy this beautiful sight from your balconies and windows!

SWaCCH Coop Visit

This morning I was with Surekha Tai and her colleagues in University of Pune. Surekha Tai is an active member of Pune-based SWaCCH Cooperative which describes itself as 'a cooperative of self employed women'. And the job they do is to manage the waste in several areas of Pune. First the ladies assembled and registered their attendance- after a small breakfast and keeping their handbags safely in office they set out for the 'shed'. The shed is a grilled structure within University where their brooms, buckets, baskets, sacks, etc are stored and where they separate wet and dry waste after collection. Surekha tai suggested that if such a place is not available then solution is to collect  segregated waste separately.  So we set out with the waste collection cart. This work occurs from 8.30 am to almost 12 noon.

Waste collection Cart

The waste is then segregated all afternoon into- wet and dry waste. Wet waste is given to the vermicomposting unit. Dry waste is stored in the shed till sufficient quantity is accumulated and then sold off to 'raddiwala' for recycling.

I visisted the vermicompost facility near the storage shed. On one side was a series of sloping terrace-like structures. Wet waste is first spread on it in a layer about 4-5 inches thick and sprayed with mixtures which help to deodorise and also start the decomposition process. Vermiculture is also added to give it earthworms. Everyday the wet waste is turned to aerate it thoroughly. The layer is prone to stink if aeration is not done for a day- may happen on Monday mornings if Sunday is a holiday. But as this facility was in an open area with plenty of breeze, not much foul smell was evident. As the waste matures, it becomes uniformly dark coloured, odourless and reduces to almost half its original volume. Then this 'prepared' waste is transferred to large metal vats. These vats have holes on their sides and do not have lids. The terraces and vats are placed in shade.

Earthworm vats

Earthworms are added. This mixture is turned regularly for aeration and in dry weather sprayed with water for moisture. Earthworms need cool, moisture and dark homes. Earthworms chomp through the waste, which is excreted as 'vermicompost'. After about 15 days, the ready compost is seived to provide uniform textured output. The larger bits are put back into the vats- to provide culture for a new batch of wet waste.

Sieving the vermicompost

The ready vermicompost is supplied to gardens in University campus. The beauty of these gardens is legendary. It provides happiness to thousands of employees of University, morning and evening 'walkers' as well as the large number of visitors who just come to see the gardens. I remember my father waking me up on winter mornings and taking me to see the flowers in full bloom.

This system is absolutely marvellous!

WATERMELONS- DELINGPOLE

Description- Non fiction book by James Delingpole
                     Biteback publishing
                     2012
                     300 pages including index, Eleven chapters


It was quite an experience reading this book immediately after 'studying' the thick Earth in balance by Al Gore. In a nutshell- my head was spinning for two days from the severe thought churning I got.

Delingpole has set out an argument for the 'Anthropogenic (human caused) Global Warming' being a huge scam. But his writing is not 'soft'- it is relentlessly critical, scathing and occasionally frankly abusive. So much for 'editing' and at one place he calls himself 'nice person'.

But he has a point- in favour of critical thinking and his arguments sound plausible. At least it has put me on the guard about a few things- not assuming things and not advising others. Yes, I have been waiting for refugees from Maldives (India is the closest country)- since I was in school and it has not yet happened. But I was not completely convinced of his arguments- because I have personally experienced the change in climate in Pune- Mumbai, India where I have lived (almost) my whole life. Warming may be good for England- but in India we rather not have more heat!

It is all okay to oppose the concept and movement against global warming but being in the rare minority with a contrary view,  Delingpole now has the responsibility to write an appendix- about what part of the pro-environment movement he is not against.  There is no denying that we are in-charge of this planet, there MUST be SOMETHING we must in the form of 'maintainence'. At least something about landfills, effluents, etc? Otherwise his will be a piece in favour of continuing the poor civic and environment  habits prevailing in many countries (India-very bad).

GREEN WARS- BY BAHAR DUTT

I picked up this book in a local bookstore- the only book on 'environment' available that day. It is a recent publication. And quite well written. It covers reports that Bahar Dutt compiled during her stint as 'eco- journalist'. It is heartening to see that someone can have a regular job covering environmental aspects in India. The case studies are engaging. We always read about foreign stories; this was a refreshing change.

The stories are well- written in a simple language. They make for an engaging and interesting reading.

I will definitely recommend this book.

What's environment?

Environment has a very close relationship to health. By writing this blog, I am trying trying to say 'Clean, green leads to healthy'.

Lot of people do not realise that cleanliness does not mean merely cleanliness of their homes. For example, persons in Parle have now developed the habit of throwing garbage on footpaths, to keep their houses clean. I even had a conversation with a lady living in a neighbouring building- I discovered that she has as much right as me to throw garbage in the lane and she had to exercise that right.

Garbage stinks and stink can enter any house- even that which is far away. Dogs, cats, rats and flies attracted by garbage also can enter any house. There is currently a dengue epidemic raging in Vile Parle East. The filthy habits of Parlekars have caused this. While Parlekars have met even the Governor regarding cell phone tower threats, there is hardly any acknowledgment of the immediate danger due to garbage lying around.

Every few days we are treated to loud noises. Sometimes it is Ganpati, then Navratri. Soon it will be 'Majestic Gappa'. The songs and topics may be of interest to a minority of Parlekars; but the noise pollution is foisted on all. Since one person did it at one time, another reserves the right to do the same at some other time. In this 'an eye for an eye culture making the world blind', noise pollution has become a continuous feature of our suburb. Whereas majority of Parlekars are peace-loving and neither ever use loud speakers nor frequent programes where loudspeakers are used, they have to suffer noise pollution. A few persons, turn by turn harass the majority in the name of preserving culture and providing entertainment.

Pollution is insidious and is entering the average Parlekar's life slowly but surely. As a doctor, I can state with authority that every kind of mental and physical illness can increase due to environment factors. Individual efforts to keep our homes clean is not going to protect us from these effects. Would you like to continue suffering for the follies of your neighbours? Make a choice....

From 'Mentalist' to 'Environ mentalist'

I have been a Psychiatrist for more than 10 years now and a doctor for 15 years.  In medical college, we were taught a lot of things- the theme being understanding the working of the human body, the process of disease and recovery (with or without intervention). But just how much medicine can a doctor prescribe? I have realised that human beings need to treasure health and invest in health- thats the only wealth they can really own fully and take with them. And health is intimately related to the environment- natural environment, living environment and social environment.

 Vast amount of scientific literature have proved:
1. Health is related to cleanliness
2. Health is related to being near nature
3. Environment stress leads to excess of physical and mental disorders
4. Environment degradation invariably results in health problems
5. Environment degradation invited natural disasters which cause terrible mental and physical disorders

When we think of the legacy we will leave behind- I think buildings and bridges alone will not suffice. We need to leave behind a planet that remains safe and comfortable for habitation. We also need to leave behind the wonders of nature that thrill us so much.  We got this from our ancestors and we cannot deprive future generations of this legacy.

This thinking has made me turn to understand environment and related issues with a greater seriousness. I will still remain the Psychiatrist, and homemaker- so I have decided to focus on the environment in Vile Parle East- where I live. In the coming weeks and months I will try to document environmental issues and how they are related to Vile Parle East.