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.

Vrishabhavati origin in Bangalore

The Vrishabhavati river is supposed to originate and start its flow from the Bull temple in Hanumntangar,Bangalore. This perhaps marks the point of origin.

The Voices from the Waters 2008 is back. The third edition of the Film Festval on Water will screen over a 100 movies and documentaries
There will be conferences and water voices -grassroots articulation from people who are tackling various issues on water
Look forward to it

Madhava Mantri dam on Cauvery

A stone and earthen dam at the village Hemmige near Talakad, Chamarajnagar district Karanataka the Madhava Mantri dam may have been built in the 12th or the 14th century by a Minister in the Vijaynagar empire. On the river Cauvery the dam provides water for irrigation , creates a backwater rrich in fish and now provides power through a new addition a run-of-the-river project. A signboard on the structure claims that the dam was built in 1140 A.D. making it the second oldest dam next only to the Grand Anicut on the Cauvery itself further downstream at Trichy.
Fishermen sit and catch eels said to be famous. A group have a bath and a woman washes clothes from the water flowing out of the waste weir. The dam itself appears to be leaking at several spots being an old structure.
According to some , the dam may have caused the Cauvery bed to be exposed . Dry winds then picked up the sand and silt and deposited it on the dunes and on sevral temples near the river bank thus causing Talakad to become famous. The spot of course is beautiful and historic, the dunes fascinating , the river beautiful and the serene life idyllic.

Roof smart

Merging food security,water security and energy security is tricky especilly in urban areas. Here is one way of doing it.