SUN, SALT AND SAND
Down To Earth|January 16, 2022
Use of solar-powered pumps for salt manufacturing has not just helped Gujarat's Agariya community fight the rising fuel costs, but also drastically cut their carbon emissions
RAVLEEN SALUJA
SUN, SALT AND SAND

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.

Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin January 16, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin January 16, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

DOWN TO EARTH DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
In leading role again
Down To Earth

In leading role again

MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE

time-read
5 dak  |
December 16, 2024
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
Down To Earth

One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost

As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated

time-read
4 dak  |
December 16, 2024
Return of Rambhog
Down To Earth

Return of Rambhog

Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region

time-read
4 dak  |
December 16, 2024
Scarred by mining
Down To Earth

Scarred by mining

Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining

time-read
5 dak  |
December 16, 2024
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
Down To Earth

Human-to-human spread a mutation away

CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.

time-read
1 min  |
December 16, 2024
True rehabilitation
Down To Earth

True rehabilitation

Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices

time-read
2 dak  |
December 16, 2024
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Down To Earth

INESCAPABLE THREAT

Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions

time-read
10+ dak  |
December 16, 2024
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Down To Earth

THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO

Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face

time-read
8 dak  |
December 16, 2024
A JOKE, INDEED
Down To Earth

A JOKE, INDEED

A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE

time-read
10+ dak  |
December 01, 2024
THINGS FALL APART
Down To Earth

THINGS FALL APART

THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE

time-read
4 dak  |
December 01, 2024