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Attitude to ecological conservation
ANIRUDH G.R.
There is no doubt that the developed countries are the biggest contributors to global warming and climate change. But when it comes to pioneering technology for ecological conservation, they are never found wanting. However, in countries like ours, all other matters take precedence over ecology and environment related issues. Conservation of environment is never given the importance it rightly deserves. For instance, most protests against the Sethusamudram projec
t never even touched upon the harm it would do to the ecology and marine life of the area. Instead, they chose to concentrate on religion and politics.
Ecological restoration is the restoration of disturbed ecosystems back to their original state. One of the most hyped restoration projects in India, the Ganga Action Plan, is a complete failure. This ambitious project to clean up the Ganga was launched in 1986 but even after crores of rupees being spent, the river is still unclean. Pollution levels in the river are still high and sewage continues to flow into it unchecked.
In this context, we have a lot to learn from the developed world where ecological restoration has been taken up on a large scale and has, by and large, been successful. In Europe, a restoration project is under way on Denmark’s largest river, the Skern. In the U.S., restoration of the Florida Everglades marshland involved the restoration of the Kissimmee river. This project involved costs to the tune of $8 billion. But, that is nothing compared to the cost of the ecosystem services. Ecosystems use natural energies to provide us services whose value we never realise as long as they are there. Even in India, there are many ecosystems in urgent need of restoration. However, the political will to undertake such projects has been lacking.
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa displayed rare courage when she made rainwater harvesting compulsory in all buildings in the State. The effect of this move on the water table in the State has already been felt to be positive.
Another venture at ecological conservation, also from Tamil Nadu, is the recently inaugurated Adyar eco-park or Adyar Poonga. This Rs. 100 crore project aims at restoring the much damaged Adyar river creek in Chennai. What is needed now is more of such conviction from the elected governments. This has been found to be in plenty in the developed world.
Rooftop gardens
A case in point is that of the rooftop gardens. Rooftop gardens involve covering the rooftop with a layer of soil on top of a waterproof membrane and cultivating a garden with small plants after providing for adequate walking space and the load carrying capacity of the building. Such gardens may even be used to grow vegetables.
These gardens are highly beneficial. They help in sequestering carbon dioxide and reduce rainwater runoff. They insulate the buildings, reduce the need for air-conditioning and provide much needed breathing space in cities.
No doubt then that roofs of important buildings like the Chicago City Center, the Amsterdam International Airport and others have been used to cultivate rooftop gardens. Countries such as Switzerland have laws which say that at least a part of the green space encroached by the buildings must be relocated to the rooftops. Buildings in Singapore are moving towards having rooftop gardens. Researchers in China have found out that vine roofs reduce the need for air-conditioning by as much as 48 per cent. Similar laws in India would have a great impact on the environment.
The government needs to play a proactive role in framing such rules. There will no doubt be resistance to introduction of such measures, especially from the powerful builders lobby. However, in the long run, they do prove to be successful.
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