Chennai: A Sanjivi, a resident of Zamin Pallavaram, who advocates self-sustainability, is a living example of the same.
In conversation with News Today, he shares what all one can do to live an independent life.
I always feel bad about people being dependent on the government even for meeting basic needs, despite being aware of green building practices, shares Sanjivi.
Here are some of the ways in which he has cut down his dependency on external sources.
BLUE GOLD
In a measure to save the rainwater from flowing away, he has a huge sump to capture it.
“While planning I made space for a sump that holds 55,000 litres. It is recharged during monsoon in December, how much ever we judiciously use, it does not last beyond April. I mix ground water with it from February so that the rain water is not exhausted completely,” Sanjivi says.
It saved him from completely plummeting the ground water resource that has come to his rescue now. But it does not stop right there.
He adds, I bet I would have saved upto 2000 litres from the brief spell earlier this week.
He advises people to have a mega sump right when the house is under construction, if not, it would be a bit of an arduous task. Those who have already crossed the stage, can divert the rainwater to the facility.
GREY MATTER
Sanjivi reuses used water, commonly known as grey water.
I harvest the grey water at my home. Although it can be recycled, I pass it to the ground so that the water table stays recharged, Sanjivi adds.
NOTHING IS WASTE
He does not throw away organic waste, and rather uses it to produce bio-gas.
“No perishable waste is sent to the local body for disposal. Instead, I use them to run bio-gas. The generated gas caters up to 30 per cent of my everyday usage,” the sustainability practitioner says.
SOLAR POWER
Chennai being blessed naturally with sunny days, has helped him cut down on electricity too. ‘I use the on-grid supply only during evenings and when it rains,’ he states.