Clean Environment Empowers the Societies

Address during the inauguration of Workshop on Campaign Clean India By the Ministry of Tourism  New Delhi, Dec 20 2011 Updated on Dec 20 2011 Published bywww.abdulkalam.com   Clean Environment Empowers the Societies What can I Give?  What can I Give??  And what can I Give??? I am indeed delighted to participate in the inauguration of Workshop on Campaign Clean India organized by Ministry of Tourism. My greetings to all the participants of this important workshop. Friends, today I would like to share few thoughts on the topic "Clean Environment Empowers the Societies". India is aspiring to be a developed nation by 2020 and is constantly working in this direction. When society is in the growth path, the magnitude of the pressure put on the environment proportionately increases. Our growth has to be sustainable and also must ensure that it does not make environment non-livable for the posterity. In addition, nation has to ensure that we are in a clean-green environment which will attract national and international tourists to our tourism centres. This action is vital for enhancing the growth rate in tourist arrival, particularly international tourist arrival to over 15 million tourists per year during the 12th plan period. On this occasion, I would like to share with you three important programmes that I have observed during my visit to various states in our country and abroad. The first one is municipal waste disposal and power generation, the second one the fly-ash clearing leading to an economic activity and the third one is the synergy mission for environmental up-gradation. Also, I would like to present two models of garbage surveillance and cleaning system and my experience on promotion of tourism as a holistic package. Electricity Generation through Municipal Waste Increased urbanization has led to a serious problem of accumulation of municipal solid waste. Efficient and environmentally clean disposal of garbage has always been a major technological challenge. While being a threat to the environment, mounting garbage is also a rich source of energy. The potential for converting this waste into useable energy, which will eliminate a major source of urban pollution, was realized by one of our innovative organizations - Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) of Department of Science and Technology which helped in developing a completely indigenous solution for the processing of waste into a source of fuel. This fuel could, in turn, be used for generation of electricity through mini plants. Number of plants are coming in our urban areas which will not only promote campaign clean India, but also provide energy which is vital for our growth. India needs thousands of mini power plants using municipal waste in small towns and urban areas. Tourism Ministry has to work with banking sector for promoting creation of such power plants in major municipalities with the collaboration of small and medium enterprises. Recently, I have come across a "plasma enhanced melter system". In this system high temperature, DC plasma arc is used to gasify the waste in steam reforming atmosphere to convert organic material into a synthesis gas - a mixture of mostly hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This gas is used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine for generating electricity. The entrepreneurs involved in generation of electricity through municipal waste can consider this technology for implementation in certain municipalities. The ministry of tourism should ensure a decision of the cabinet to tell all the states the necessity of planned municipality waste management and energy conversion, and even the Central Govt can offer investment support for such a mission. A project director for this mission can be appointed by the tourism ministry in association with other ministries including environment ministry. Converting the fly ash as Wealth Generator and Clean Environment As you are aware, the use of coal for power generation results in increased quantum of fly ash production, which has reached over 100 million tonnes per year. All out efforts are needed to utilize this fly ash not only for environmental considerations, but also to avoid land usage for fly ash dumping. Though there has been a steady progress in fly ash utilization from 1990, we have a long way to go to reach the target of 100% fly ash utilization. It is reported that the agricultural increase of grains is around 15%, green vegetables 35% and root vegetables 50%, when fly ash is mixed with the soil. Toxicity tests have proved that there is no toxic element due to fly ash. But it has higher nutrients due to increased availability of iron and calcium. The fly ash can become a wealth generator by making use of it for agriculture and producing "green building" materials. Presently, the fly ash utilization is in the range of 40 million tonnes per year providing employment for over 50,000 personnel. At full utilization of the generating stock, this will provide employment potential for three hundred thousand people and result in a business volume of over Rs. 4000 crore per year. Tourism Ministry can work with electricity generating authorities and road building and agricultural ministry for enabling full utilization of fly ash for producing green building material and also facilitate the use of ash as manure by farmers. This will enable maintenance of clean atmosphere in power plant based regions. Synergy Mission for Environmental Upgradation The status of environmental cleanliness is one of the indicators of development of a nation. As a nation, we have to keep our environment clean and tidy including all our places of worship and rivers. I learnt that the Kali Bein rivulet is the place where Gurunanak Devji is said to have received enlightenment. I found that Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, a social reformer organized a people's participation movement in stopping the massive flow of sewage into the Kali Bein river and cleaned 160 km long polluted and choked rivulet during the last decade. This involved deployment of over 3,000 volunteer pilgrims per day. Over the years this rivulet had turned into weed choked drain. Today one can feel the flow of fresh water in this rivulet released from the Tarkina Barrage by the Government of Punjab. Now, the river is clean through a societal mission. The revival of the rivulet has recharged the water table as the hand pumps that had become dry for the past 4 decades are now pumping out water. I still find some problems in maintaining the river cleanliness. We have to seek the cooperation of factory owners in the area, so that they do not divert dirty and effluent into Bein river. They should treat the affluent through affluent management system and release only the clean water into the river. Tourism Ministry can study this model and promote cleaning of Ganges in Varanasi, Allahabad and Yamuna in Agra as a public-private-partnership mission. Such an action will make our tourists destination attractive to both international and national travelers. I would like to put-forth a thought for discussion in the "Campaign Clean India" for evolving a method of extending the cleanliness drive in worshiping places. In major places of worship, every day at least five hundred thousand people on an average go for prayers. Normally, when we go to a religious place we pray for our happiness and prosperity. At the place of worship, shall I suggest, display of the following vows. Each devotee can take any one of them as a thanks giving for The Almighty: 1. I will activate at least one water pond in my neighborhood or nearest village. 2. I will plant five fruit bearing trees in my neighbourhood and nurture them.  3. I will keep my house clean and also the street clean without dumping the garbage on the street.  4. I will work with my neighbourhood colleagues for timely clearance of the garbage from my area.  5. I will try my best not to pollute the environment. 6. I will promote clean energy practices 7. I will not use plastic as it is non-biodegradable The Campaign Clean India members can adopt certain religious places and display the boards with the vows I have suggested. They can also display the vows along with small devotional plays on screens while the pilgrims are approaching the sanctum sanatorium. Mapping the Neighbourhood Department of Science and Technology has taken up a programme called "Mapping the Neighbourhood". In Almora district in Uttaranchal children from number of schools have been motivated to use mapping techniques to investigate and map basic socio-economic, environmental and ecological issues being faced by the neighbourhood community. Armed with the scientific and technological tools such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), Space Imagery incorporated in the hand held computers, the students are creating maps with the neighbourhood details to improve their understanding of the immediate environment. These maps will enable further the technological community to find solutions for the regeneration of fast disappearing natural sources of water, improving road connectivity, finding better locations for electricity sub-stations with transformer and water distribution points, reducing traffic congestion, improved systems of garbage collection and overall improvement of environment. The students have extended their understanding to issues of agriculture and irrigation, health and nutrition. The mapping carried out by the students enables prevention of indiscriminate dumping and better location of garbage collection points and recycling by the municipal authorities for facilitating a clean environment. Since the students are involved, even the elders abide by the laws of the land and contribute to the upliftment of the neighbourhood. I would suggest the participants of this campaign to study the Mapping of the Neighbourhood project and implement them in the schools in regions where large-scale of tourists attractions are present. This mission will enable the Tourism Ministry to realize clean villages or cities. Clean villages or cities will lead to clean district. Clean district will lead to clean state. Clean state will lead to a clean nation. Integrated Zero Waste Management I have come across a total sanitation programme organized at Gandhi Nagar town Panchayat in Vellore district. Here the Panchayat authority in collaboration with non-government organization has been able to segregate the waste into organic and inorganic items. They have formed men self help groups and women self help groups for managing the waste in the Panchayat. These groups have established roadside dustbins, which are emptied regularly. They also have special services for hotels and marriage halls. The drainage system in the village is being cleaned thrice in a week. The fault reporting system is so efficient that sanitation faults in the village are attended to and rectified on the same day. A village having two thousand four hundred families generates garbage of over 48 tonnes per year. This garbage is converted into manure and recyclable waste generating over Rupees three lakhs in revenue. All the two thousand four hundred families in the village are able to have a clean green village just by paying around ten rupees per month per family. The scheme provides employment to number of people who are paid employees of the Panchayat. Part of the funds required for the payment of these employees is generated by the sale of manure and recyclable waste. This is a self-generating system of waste management and is economical also. I would suggest the Tourism Ministry to take up implementation of such a scheme in all our Panchayats through the intervention of Panchayat Raj Ministry. This can be a complementary effort along with the mapping of neighbourhood approach I have suggested earlier. Two experiences In 2003, when I was in Dubai, I met the Ruler of Dubai. He said that Dubai is planning to increase the tourist arrival by five times in the next five years. Once this decision was taken, I found, that the aviation minister was planning for a new airport and also new types of aircraft needed for attracting the tourists. The surface transport minister was planning a number of additional road lanes required in the highways. The works ministry was planning for increase in the hotel accommodation for accommodating the tourists without disappointment. The health ministry and urban development ministry had a road map for waste management and a plan for providing the clean water and clean environment needed. This was the type of integrated response that I found in the whole government to fulfill the national objective. Tourism Ministry of India has to take a message coming out of this experience and plan for the multiple requirements simultaneously for promoting world-class tourism in the country. And this would definitely require integrated efforts across multiple ministries. Maldives Model of Tourism During my Presidency, in 2004, I met the President of Maldives during his visit to our country. I had a detailed discussion with him particularly on Maldives tourism. At that time, the tourism in Maldives accounted for over 19% of their GDP, a fifth of total employment, approximately 30% of national income and 70% of foreign exchange earnings. Tourism, the dominant sector of the country's economy, is very dependent on choices made by international consumers. The Maldives attracts tourists with its beautiful island resorts in the form of aesthetically crafted thatched cottages and bungalows. In 2004, Maldives had attracted tourists, twice its population. On analysis, I found the reasons for the growth as, that the Government of Maldives gives the Islands for development as tourists spot on lease to private enterprises. The private enterprises invest and develop the whole Island with self-contained resorts including roads, power system, communication, drainage, waste management, environmental upgradation system, shopping malls, entertainment areas and banking system. There is no Government investment made in the project. The Indian tourism Organisation can study this model and evolve a total package for turn key tourist systems to be developed by private sector partners which will include maintenance and up-keep of tourist destination to international standards. The Indian Tourism Ministry can adapt this model in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. Similarly, in each of the tourist regions, the ministry can create a tourist rural complex which give a comprehensive experience of rural cultural tourism. Of course, this will require an integrated effort in infrastructure development, electrification, security and transport for which we can take Private-Public-Community Partnership Model may be evolved. Conclusion: Clean habitat is my goal The Hon'ble Supreme Court has laid down "The Polluter Pays" principle. We are a developing country and certain percentage of people live below poverty line. Every citizen has a right to have a clean environment and we must ensure that the poor alone are not made to bear the brunt of environmental degradation. It is essential to uplift the citizens to the normal life with employment, habitat, healthcare and education. This will definitely have a positive impact on the environment. The government, civil society, Non-Govt Organisations, Students, and the media have to work together and take proactive steps for the prevention of environmental de-gradation due to non-maintenance of cleanliness in homes, streets, community centres, educational institutions, hospitals, hotels, religious places and tourist spots. India has 38 lakh Bharat Scouts and Guides, 13 lakh NCC Cadets and large number NSS Volunteers and students. I have started a youth movement called What Can I Give wich has about 200,000 active members across the nation working in different dimensions of giving to make a better India. I would be happy to include Campaign Clean India as part of their environmental mission. These enlightened disciplined youth can definitely be empowered to promote a Campaign Clean India movement in all tourist destinations. This can tasks can become a project assignment for the students and the tourism department can come out with a suitable honorarium packages for the students including their travel and stay costs. With these words, I inaugurate the Campaign Clean India workshop. My best wishes to all the participants success in their mission of making India a preferred tourists destination for all world travelers.  May God bless you. Oath for Environment Protection 1. I will plant at least five trees or saplings in my house or in my neighbourhood and nurture them.  2. I will ensure that my house is a clean house and my street is a clean street. I will ensure that the streets will not be a garbage dumping ground.  3. I will persuade the municipal authorities to lift the garbage without accumulation, keep the road approaches and drainage system clean at all times in my area.  4. I will not allow the drainage system of the neighbouring factories is let out into rivers or streams. 5. I will persuade the companies to get the effluent treated before it is drained into rivers.  6. I will minimize the use of fossil fuels and progressively change over to renewable energy both for household consumption and transportation. 7. I will work for conversion of municipal waste into fuel for generating electrical power.  8. I will conserve energy and promote green building concept wherever possible  9. I will teach my family members and friends "Clean home leads to clean neighbourhood, clean neighbourhood leads to clean state, clean state leads clean nation, clean nation leads to clean planet earth".  10. I will activate water bodies in my neighbourhood wherever possible and ensure greenery around it. By, Dr. APJ Abdulkalam www.abdulkalam.com