Testing for bacteria in water

The H2S vial test is one of the easiest way to check for the presence of bacteria in drinking water. A simple glass vial containing a small coated paper is all that is required. Fill the water it needs to be checked till the fill line. Observe for 24-36 hours. If the water stays brown like in the bottle of the well, the water has no e.coli and is good to drink. If it turns black like in the bottle on the right then it has bacteria and cannot be drunk directly. Boiling the water may be a good way or using a water filter which removes bacteria.

Sans souci- earth home

Working with earth is a pleasure. We built this house in 1995 and have thoroughly enjoyed staying in it so far.
Particularly like the arches, each built differently . The walls combine earth blocks and stone from a quarry close by. the Terracotta floor has improved with age and elbow grease.
Hanging bells add sound to the house when silent.

Rainwater harvesting techniques- Recharge pits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HrD5bAObRM

A great way to recharge groundwater and increase soil moisture is to make recharge pits. The method is shown in the video.

Tribute to M.J.

From a newspaper in Bangalore India

Earth walls and natural light

Democracy at work in India

Voters search for their location room to vote
and electronic voting makes it easy

this is movie on youtube

sans souci

This is home

Orissa Puri district

The womens group is strong here
The wells are beautiful and the rings are pottery rings
The houses are clean and well decorated

Roof use

Rain barrels, solar panels ragi on the roof and rice on the roof, throw in some bananas and beans a greywater treatment system a solar water heater a solar cooker capture rainwater from the neighbours roof and an ecosan toilet with its own rain barrel. Great way to use a roof space in Bengaluru India.

Rainwater harvesting

A beautiful house and an equally nice rainwater harvesting structure providing fluoride free water to the family in Bagepalle taluk of Chikballapur district Karnataka, India.

Blue mormon

Caught this beauty on camera today. Its dipping flight and that it is the second largest butterfly here in Bangalore makes it special.

Urban storm

The coming of the urban storm and the agricultural land awaits the coming of the city.
Bangalore in India as the city grows rapidly.

Green walls for green homes

A nice palate of plants cling on to walls and grow very well. They allow a geen curtain and enhance bio-diversity.
They keep the homes cool and green. Urban areas can foster green and enhance bio-diversity if planned and built correctly.
This will also be a great way to reduce energy consumption and help the battle against global warming.


Every small design details counts

ecosan wc's

These are source separating eco-san wc's from sweden Pee in the front , poo at the back.
We need such products in India QUICKLY.

Dr Arno Rosemarin Ecosan specialist

That's the one and only Arno from Stockholm Environment Institute pushing the idea of Ecosan globally.
Workaholic, cycle rider and a world specialist on various aspects of sustainable sanitation.
A true hero in this the International Year of Sanitation 2008

Rice on the roof

So we took a plastic sheet called Silpaulin actually two of them and put it in as a lining on our roof. About 3 inches of leaf mulch, soil and a bit of vermicopost went in to create the bed. Paddy was planted insitu. No transplantation here. We followed the SRI method and just about kept the soil wet without flooding it. Of course once in a while the field flooded when it rained.
Then we waited or 3 months . The rice grain came up nice and fat. The urine from the ecosan toilet went in as a nutrient. No other fertilizer was used. We used 1 litre of urine per square metre of planted area.
The rice grain was itself a local variety, which Muthiah our man friday, got from his village.






The squirrels climbed on the roof and got a bit at the grain. The birds had an afternoon peck and they got a bit of a bonus water. We did not shoo them away.

Maryamma (to the right) and her daughter landed up. They have come here for construction but when they saw the rice on the roof they were absolutely bowled. The joy on Maryamma's face was visible. She pugged the soil, pulled the weed and came harvest time descended with 2 suickles and a daughter and got about cutting the paddy with gusto and in doucle quick time it was done.










The grains and the cut grass are here. Thick juicy grains as well as good leaves.
Now how about growing some rice on your roof too? Provides food security, treats all your waste water and turns urine into a nutrient.

If there be a miracle crop on this planet it has got to be rice. A grass whose seeds are the saviours of mankind. Not for naught is it used as a blessing on every occassion.
May you always have rice in your plates and sometimes some on your roof.

Ecosan bananas

This banana clump comes from an ecosan experiment which uses human urine as a fertilizer for the plant. The growth has been stunning with each plant getting 64 litres in 6 doses over its 11 month life. The banana is much tastier and also flowers and fruits about 10 days before the ones with artificial fertilizers and growth hormones.
We ate it and swear by it.