Interesting question posed by a journalist in The Times of India- "How many Indians make up one American?" Huh? Apparently the answer is - one American currently emits 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year from the burning of fossil fuel, as compared to one Indian who emits 1.5 tonnes! So the current debate in Durban is between two camps- the developing world of Brazil, India, South Africa and China and the other side in this case being the EU. We'll wait to see how the politicians wage this battle.
In the meantime, it is fascinating to see how folks here in Chennai like other major cities in India deal with recycling. I was surprised to find out that Chennai city is the highest per capita generator of garbage (0.6 kg/day), churning out around 3,600 tonnes of garbage each day. I guess the drastic increase in population and change in lifestyle which includes that awful plastic explains some of that.
But what I found quite interesting is that most people don't segregate their garbage at the source. So most of the garbage ends up in a few huge dump sites in the suburbs. One such dump is a 350-acre site that receives around 1500 tonnes of garbage a day. It is also home to over 2000 rag pickers, who live in shacks behind the site. So they go through all this unsegregated garbage and extract reusable and recyclable materials for which they get money, in addition to what the city pays them as a daily rate which is not much. Their work is definitely labor-intensive, unsafe and unhealthy?
Imagine these young children and men and women sifting through mounds of trash wearing a large plastic sheet and possibly no gloves etc. I just read in the newspaper that three women rag pickers are missing in Hyderabad and are believed to have been buried under piles of garbage! Scary isn't it? My goodness, how often do we stop to count our blessings?
I was happy to read that an NGO has set up a school right near one of these trash sites and is encouraging the young boys to attend classes, teaching them grooming and hygiene and getting them to be more ambitious about their future. So a few of the boys are talking about going to college and getting professional degrees! That's great work - moving them from rags to riches!!
Many of the apartment complexes have set up recycling containers and the women workers pick up the trash on a daily basis. So I find myself thinking about how I use things like plastic and what stuff I could reuse after a thorough cleansing. I hardly gave these matters a second thought while I lived in the US- so one's environment can indeed make you sit up and take notice of the waste we accumulate. Many of the grocery chains have started charging a minimal amount for plastic bags- so that is a good sign since folks now bring their cloth bags for shopping.
The recent very heavy rains as a result of the depression in the Bay of Bengal really brought out the worst in Chennai infrastructure- flooded streets, standing water everywhere, drains clogged, garbage not picked up and overflowing onto the streets and people having to wade through this awful mess to get to their schools, offices etc. The potholes are so bad that I worry that my car will get stuck in one of them since we can't see them with so much water around!
There is an increased rate of dengue fever and malaria due to this stagnation around. I worked from home the whole week- I was not brave enough to handle the possibility that I would have to get out of the car and step into dirty water! The new mayor with his extended and increased area of responsibility into the suburbs has promised to get the city back to good roads and storm drains in a year! Living in a gated community has its blessings I guess- although in the US I was not so thrilled about moving into one! I hope to be out of this area of Tamil Nadu by the end of 2012.
I have been doing research on better places to set up my Women's Training Centre and have decided on the outskirts of Coimbatore- it is on the west side of Tamil Nadu bordering Kerala and is close to the Nilgiri mountains- so the weather is milder and my passion for gardening has a better chance of success. Coimbatore has often been called the Manchester of the South because of the large number of textile companies in the area. Now IT companies and other industries have also moved into the area.
It was great to read in the newspaper that one of the village panchayats close to Coimbatore is planning to create a solar energy grid system with private funding that will provide free power to all the villagers in 5 years! What a fantastic idea and one that is close to my heart- capitalizing on nature's resources! What's even better is that they are not waiting for the state government to provide funding-
I was very happy to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Chennai- giving thanks for the wonderful opportunity to return home and develop relationships with such friendly and hospitable people. As some of my friends know, I invited a diverse group of women who were opinionated like me yet open to hearing other perspectives!
I was able to get a small fresh turkey from a farm and had roast turkey and gravy, Cajun cornbread stuffing, wonderful cranberry chutney (Madhur Jaffery recipe), 4 cheese mac and cheese, green beans, chai spiced chicken wings (called 'lollipops' here) with garlic aoli. I was able to get an apple pie for dessert from the French bakery. It turned out to be a great evening with varied discussions on women's role in India and I was quite surprised at a couple of comments that women in India are socialized to be homemakers and supporting their spouses and extended family and so no change in status quo was possible?!! Wow! So you know that the glasses of wine increased while we were getting our differing perspectives across! Ha, ha, ha!
So now it's time to prepare for the Christmas season. I can't wait to get my artificial tree up with all the decorations and trying to pretty up the home for my family visiting during the Christmas holiday. My Jesuit brother arrives on Christmas eve and will say mass at my place on the 25th- I am planning to host a Christmas brunch for friends and relatives from the area- will have to get my Christmas songs onto a USB to get into the holiday mood. I can't use my CD player here- have not figured out what I may need to make it work.
My oldest sister (a nun) who visited me in the US and my other brother and his wife from Mumbai will come on the 27th for a week. So sightseeing is on the agenda- the famous Marina beach, Pondicherry and Mamallapuram where there are wonderful old temples and a great beach and of course some good food and wine too will top the list.
So friends- until the next time- enjoy the winter solstice, holiday cheer and a great New Year!
In the meantime, it is fascinating to see how folks here in Chennai like other major cities in India deal with recycling. I was surprised to find out that Chennai city is the highest per capita generator of garbage (0.6 kg/day), churning out around 3,600 tonnes of garbage each day. I guess the drastic increase in population and change in lifestyle which includes that awful plastic explains some of that.
But what I found quite interesting is that most people don't segregate their garbage at the source. So most of the garbage ends up in a few huge dump sites in the suburbs. One such dump is a 350-acre site that receives around 1500 tonnes of garbage a day. It is also home to over 2000 rag pickers, who live in shacks behind the site. So they go through all this unsegregated garbage and extract reusable and recyclable materials for which they get money, in addition to what the city pays them as a daily rate which is not much. Their work is definitely labor-intensive, unsafe and unhealthy?
Imagine these young children and men and women sifting through mounds of trash wearing a large plastic sheet and possibly no gloves etc. I just read in the newspaper that three women rag pickers are missing in Hyderabad and are believed to have been buried under piles of garbage! Scary isn't it? My goodness, how often do we stop to count our blessings?
I was happy to read that an NGO has set up a school right near one of these trash sites and is encouraging the young boys to attend classes, teaching them grooming and hygiene and getting them to be more ambitious about their future. So a few of the boys are talking about going to college and getting professional degrees! That's great work - moving them from rags to riches!!
Many of the apartment complexes have set up recycling containers and the women workers pick up the trash on a daily basis. So I find myself thinking about how I use things like plastic and what stuff I could reuse after a thorough cleansing. I hardly gave these matters a second thought while I lived in the US- so one's environment can indeed make you sit up and take notice of the waste we accumulate. Many of the grocery chains have started charging a minimal amount for plastic bags- so that is a good sign since folks now bring their cloth bags for shopping.
The recent very heavy rains as a result of the depression in the Bay of Bengal really brought out the worst in Chennai infrastructure- flooded streets, standing water everywhere, drains clogged, garbage not picked up and overflowing onto the streets and people having to wade through this awful mess to get to their schools, offices etc. The potholes are so bad that I worry that my car will get stuck in one of them since we can't see them with so much water around!
There is an increased rate of dengue fever and malaria due to this stagnation around. I worked from home the whole week- I was not brave enough to handle the possibility that I would have to get out of the car and step into dirty water! The new mayor with his extended and increased area of responsibility into the suburbs has promised to get the city back to good roads and storm drains in a year! Living in a gated community has its blessings I guess- although in the US I was not so thrilled about moving into one! I hope to be out of this area of Tamil Nadu by the end of 2012.
I have been doing research on better places to set up my Women's Training Centre and have decided on the outskirts of Coimbatore- it is on the west side of Tamil Nadu bordering Kerala and is close to the Nilgiri mountains- so the weather is milder and my passion for gardening has a better chance of success. Coimbatore has often been called the Manchester of the South because of the large number of textile companies in the area. Now IT companies and other industries have also moved into the area.
It was great to read in the newspaper that one of the village panchayats close to Coimbatore is planning to create a solar energy grid system with private funding that will provide free power to all the villagers in 5 years! What a fantastic idea and one that is close to my heart- capitalizing on nature's resources! What's even better is that they are not waiting for the state government to provide funding-
I was very happy to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Chennai- giving thanks for the wonderful opportunity to return home and develop relationships with such friendly and hospitable people. As some of my friends know, I invited a diverse group of women who were opinionated like me yet open to hearing other perspectives!
I was able to get a small fresh turkey from a farm and had roast turkey and gravy, Cajun cornbread stuffing, wonderful cranberry chutney (Madhur Jaffery recipe), 4 cheese mac and cheese, green beans, chai spiced chicken wings (called 'lollipops' here) with garlic aoli. I was able to get an apple pie for dessert from the French bakery. It turned out to be a great evening with varied discussions on women's role in India and I was quite surprised at a couple of comments that women in India are socialized to be homemakers and supporting their spouses and extended family and so no change in status quo was possible?!! Wow! So you know that the glasses of wine increased while we were getting our differing perspectives across! Ha, ha, ha!
So now it's time to prepare for the Christmas season. I can't wait to get my artificial tree up with all the decorations and trying to pretty up the home for my family visiting during the Christmas holiday. My Jesuit brother arrives on Christmas eve and will say mass at my place on the 25th- I am planning to host a Christmas brunch for friends and relatives from the area- will have to get my Christmas songs onto a USB to get into the holiday mood. I can't use my CD player here- have not figured out what I may need to make it work.
My oldest sister (a nun) who visited me in the US and my other brother and his wife from Mumbai will come on the 27th for a week. So sightseeing is on the agenda- the famous Marina beach, Pondicherry and Mamallapuram where there are wonderful old temples and a great beach and of course some good food and wine too will top the list.
So friends- until the next time- enjoy the winter solstice, holiday cheer and a great New Year!
Cecy,
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Holiday Season, and enjoy your sister. Love reading your blog, keep them coming!
Cecilia Chavez