KANU BEN Patadia looks at her palms and remembers when they would be covered in soot all the time. “Only in the last six years have my hands been this clean,” she says. The soot she refers to came from operating oil-powered pumps all day long to make something none of us can live without— salt. It disappeared once she shifted to solar-powered pumps.
Kanu Ben belongs to the Agariya community that has been involved in making salt for centuries in the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK)—a 5,000 square kilometer salt marsh in the Rann of Kutch in north Gujarat. By switching over to a solar-powered pump in 2015 (she bought a second one in 2017), Kanu Ben has saved about 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, as per an estimate by Ahmedabad-based non-profit Vikas Centre for Development (VCD). According to the non-profit, the Agaria community has installed around 3,000 pumps since 2017-18, which would have saved release of around 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Overall, some 70 per cent of the 7,000 Agariya families in LRK have at least one pump, say non-profits in the region, though there is no official data on this.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
