Chennai: H Lakshman Rao, a resident of Krishnapuri, R A Puram, Mylapore is a veteran of following green initiatives in his house and recently his way of sustainable living made the Greater Chennai Corporation’s health and education officer, T G Srinivvasan to visit him.
Lakshman Rao, the octogenarian has been the practitioner of green initiatives like solar harvesting, composting unit for his garden and rainwater harvesting. Speaking about this he says, ”I started doing these more than three decades back. I just wanted to utilise natures gift.”
Explaining about his green initiatives he says, ”I have a pit for composting where all the waste generated in the house like green waste from trees and kitchen waste are tuned into manure for the garden. For the last 28 years, I have also been using solar power which helps heat water without using a geyser, thus saving electricity.” He also adds that he has an in-built rainwater harvesting structures at the house.
“The rainwater from the top will automatically flow through pipelines to five different collection points across the house which makes the rainwater seep into the soil, nurturing the trees. There is also a well which is well maintained and borewell as well,” he says. “With these many water storage systems, even during summer his house never runs dry of water.”
Lakshman Rao’s green initiatives surely inspire people and that was why the health and education officer from the corporation, TG Srinivvasan made a visit to witness his initiatives. Speaking about this, TG Srinivvasan says, “The main aim of the Chennai Corporation is to propagate the idea of composting in homes and we are in discussion with many residents associations across the city to carry out the initiative in their respective areas. That was when I got to know about Lakshman Rao through the secretary of Mylai SWM Peoples Forum, Viswanathan and made a visit to his house,” he said.
Waste is Wealth and we are searching for leaders across different areas who are already into sustainable living and those who can take the idea forward. So in that way, people like Lakshman Rao has set an example and we want him to make the people living in his area to take up the initiative as well. The Corporation has already initiated green composting in many public places like parks across the city and wants more and more people to come forward to follow this initiative so that the waste generated reduce.
“We have already started taking the message forward to all the schools across the city asking the students to source segregate waste and start composting in their homes using presentations,” he said. For more details, contact Lakshman Rao at 93810 36989.