Kolkata residents breathe in air which has 3-5 times higher pollution levels than the ambient level that is already several times higher than the permissible limit.
ccckolkata participated in the Air Pollution awareness rally initiated by an Association of like-minded NGOs under the banner of Kolkata Clean Air.
In Partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Government of India, ccckolkata distributed LED Ujjala tubelights to 20 schools and 10 colleges of Kolkata, to start them off on their journey towards energy efficiency.
Water Environment Sanitation Hygiene (WESH)
According to National Physical Laboratory Report 2013, garbage pressure in Kolkata, at 16.5 tonne per sq. kilometer, is the highest in the country.
According to WHO, “…. in developing countries, environmental hazards and pollution are a major contributor to childhood deaths, illnesses and disability from acute respiratory disease, diarrhoeal diseases, physical injuries, poisonings, insect-borne diseases, and perinatal infections.”
Close to 35% of Kolkata city , or 16 lakhs people, currently lives in Bustees and this is set to increase. Close to 12.3% of these are children 0-6 years of age.
WESH works with NGO / Trusts / Government schools which work with the urban poor and marginalized, on issues of :
Water – conservation of water by communities and individuals; clean drinking water;
Environment – municipal solid waste management through Segregation and the 3Rs, composting by communities; planting and nurturing of trees; organic vegetable and fruit farming by communities locally in homes and neighbourhoods; NO plastic days / weeks / years; urban natural resources and bio-diversity conservation;
Sanitation – proper use of community toilets – cleanliness, use of water;
Hygiene – communicable and non-communicable diseases connected to Water, Environment and Sanitation issue; personal hygiene; adequate hand washing techniques;
WESH @ektara
ccckolkata is working with an NGO school in one of the dirtiest areas of the city in KMC ward 59. About 700 children and community adults come into this school daily from neighbouring bustees, slums and degarded urban environments.
WESH@seth soorajmull jalan balika vidyalaya (ssjbv)
From 2018 ccckolkata will start WESH@ssjbv.
Segregation, 3 Rs and Composting Municipal Solid Waste in Schools / Colleges of the city of Kolkata
ccckolkata proposes to create awareness about the challenges faced by the city from its Municipal Solid Waste and the urgent need to manage it locally through active participation by the primary stakeholders individually and in groups. Zero Waste Schools, Plastic Free Schools, Composter in Schools to recover resources, redefining “what is waste?” – are actions urgently needed.
Reducing Kolkata City’s Carbon Footprint
Kolkata city receives more than 2100 hours of great sunshine and yet there are hardly any solar installations in the city. The development model being followed and rampant concretization and formation of urban heat island effect (the temperature ranges upto 6 degrees across the city) is increasingly the norm. ccckolkata is working to create awareness about renewable energy, specially solar energy amongst the youth in schools and colleges. LED as an energy efficient lighting option is also being demonstrated through energy audit in this community.
Similar programmes are also being carried out in the schools for the urban underpriviledged.
Bio-degradeable Municipal Solid Waste to Compost to Kolkata’s Greenery
A major portion of the Municipal Solid Waste is that or organic / bio-degradeable matter which can easily be recovered as a resource. This Programme aims to convert urban Municipal Solid Waste (bio-degradeable) into Compost and then use it as a bio-fertilizer in 700 plus big and small public urban spaces of Kolkata.
Centre for Contemporary Communication is committed to working for Kolkata city’s Urban Bio-Diversity, Ecosystem and Greening. Trees also go a long way for Climate Change Adaptation. Trees reduce intensity and severity of Climate Change impacts. Kolkata city is declared as a climate hotspot by UNFCCC.
Since 2012, 20,000 trees have been planted in Kolkata with a survival rate of 75%. Trees planted are today 25-30 feet tall and growing.
Trees have been planted in Kolkata Maidan, inside Fort William, several City Parks, Community homes, Schools and Colleges, Slums and Bustees, Rabindra Sarobar National Park, Subhash Sarobar and Green Verges in New Town (NKDA), Kolkata.
Our Partners are KMC, KMDA, PWD, NKDA, Corporate Houses, Educational Institutions, Eastern Command at Fort William, other NGOs.
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) launched on 2nd October 2014, -“Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) refers to a systematic process that comprises of waste segregation and storage at source, primary collection, secondary storage, transportation, secondary segregation, resource recovery, processing, treatment, and final disposal of solid waste in order to achieve scientific solid waste management in the 4,041 cities and towns of the country, home to some 300 million people.”
ccckolkata partnered with NGO Ektara (www.ektara.in) in February 2015 for a Project on REDUCE, SEGREGATION for MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT amongst the children and the community of EkTara which comprises of approximately 700 children between the ages of 3+ to 18 years, and close to 100 local community residents from one of Kolkata’s largest Slum – Darapara, inthe Topsia area of KMC Ward # 59, Kolkata city.
The Project initiatives :
“In MSWM processing and reuse of waste is most important. In this context segregation of waste at source (of generation of waste) becomes critical. It is clear that without segregation, technologies for processing waste, including waste to energy processes, will not work. It is also clear that without segregation, waste cannot be recycled and reused to become a resource. It will at best be collected and transported, but not managed.” NOT IN MY BACKYARD, a CSE Publication, 2016.
In 2017-18 ccckolkata interacted with 20 schools and 10 colleges over Garbage (MSW) management in their schools and homes. Activities were created by which students themselves segregated mixed waste. Importance of REDUCE and SEGREGATE was discussed with the students and the teachers. Students were made aware about Plastic Pollution.
Kolkata city’s urban parks provides the city with several ecosystem functions and enables it to strive for a rich urban biodiversity and ecological balance. Neighbourhoods across the 16 Boroughs and 144 Wards are dotted with big and small urban neighbourhood parks, counting to 750 plus numbers. They give the city its best possibility for greening and planting of trees.
These Parks are urban biodiversity hotspots, and enable climate change mitigation and adaptation; abetment of environmental, especially vehicular, pollution; ground water re-charging; oxygen for breathing; and city commons for the multi-cultural Kolkatans to reach out to each other to forge a unified common identity, and others.
These Parks are maintained and owned by the Kolkata Municipal Corporations (KMC), Kolkata city’s own Local Self Governing (LSG) body.
CCCkolkata is working with KMC and the local community in the conservation of these Urban parks.
In 2011 – the first self-funded Survey of the Parks was conducted by ccckolkata. Photographs and GPS readings of the Parks were taken. cccolkata covered almost 95% of the Parks. A Parks Map was published by ccckolkata with support from TATA STEEL. A First-Ever Kolkata Parks Directory was published with names of each of the Parks listed under the Burroughs. On World Environment Day 2011 in partnership with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) the Parks Map and the Parks Directory was dedicated to the residents of this city by the MMiC (Member, Mayor In Council) of KMC, Shri. Debashish Kumar.
In 2012 – the Parks list was updated by ccckolkata through a process of review of the List by the Borrough Chairperson and the Executive Engineer of Each of the 15 Borroughs of KMC. Some more Parks were added to the List. An updated edition of the Directory was published.
In 2014 – a third Survey of the Kolkata Parks was undertaken by ccckolkata. This was with technical guidance from ISRO-RRSC.
In 2017 – GPS readings have been plotted by ISRO-RRSC on a satellite image and map of KMC on their Bhuban platform.
CCCkolkata’s Survey results and publications are being used by KMC Parks and Gardens Department, and others.
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Mallika Jalan |
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Mobile +91 98310 91115 |
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