Kolkata: At a time when several studies are sounding the alarm bell over how climate change is intensifying extreme weather events in Kolkata and the entire state, several housing societies in and around the city are taking crucial steps in mitigating the problem in their own way. By creating resilient communities, they are not only advocating for environmental policies but also reducing the carbon footprint considerably.
Wastewater reuse and recharging the groundwater table are perhaps the biggest green initiatives taken up by Avidipta II residents. The sewage generated by 600 families living in four towers of the housing goes to a sewage treatment plant (STP), where it is processed and transformed into potable water for flushing and gardening. Separate pipelines are provided for drinking water, rainwater and processed sewage water.
While it is easier for the newest housing societies like Avidipta II at Mukundapur to adopt and take forward greener, sustainable initiatives, it has always been a challenge to retrofit sustainable technologies with old residential complexes like Oxford View, off James Long Sarani in Barisha, which was built 35 years ago. "Right from installing rainwater harvesting to developing composting pits requires rare consensus among residents," said Pradip Kumar Dutta, president of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA).
However, the residents of both the old and new housing complexes are extremely proud of their green initiatives. "Since we rely heavily on groundwater, we make sure that the groundwater table is replenished. The entire rainwater we trap and store is used for recharging the groundwater table. In fact, we don't drain out any water and zealously reuse our sewage water," said Jaya Das, president of the Puja Committee of Avidipta II. The RWA is yet to be formalised here.
"We have a long wish list of inculcating sustainable practices in our housing society, but space is an issue. But we feel they are more than necessary and thus have made sure that we must go the whole hog to install the system to harvest solar energy at least to run the common areas and water pumps. We individually practice composting of kitchen waste, now we want to graduate to the community level," said Debidas Pariar, an RWA member of Oxford View.
"We did not want to limit our green initiatives within the gated community. The service road adjacent to Avidipta II was a dumping ground of abandoned vehicles. Local councillor Ananya Banerjee came forward to our rescue when we sought help. We organised a street art competition there. We have planned to convert the entire stretch into a leafy avenue," Das added.
"We have sworn together to adopt sustainable practices more passionately. There is a problem of over-concretisation, leaving hardly any space for greenery. But we managed to plant trees wherever we managed space," said Dutta of Oxford View.
