Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

Hyderabad’s Durgam Cheruvu bags green award

The landscaping at Durgam Cheruvu was developed on international standards with  focus on eco-friendly environment and ambience

Durgam Cheruvu was developed during the period of Quli Qutub Shah rule (1518-1687) for providing drinking water to Golconda.

Hyderabad :

Durgam Cheruvu in Madhapur, which is developed as a tourist spot, has been selected for the prestigious Green Standard Award by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for its beautiful landscaping.  

The landscaping at Durgam Cheruvu was developed on international standards with focus on eco-friendly environment and ambience.  In association with Raheja Group,  the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) developed the Durgam Chervu with the eco-friendly environment, ambience and scenic beauty. So far only three parks were given Green Standard awards.

On the lines of ISO, the Indian Green Building Council also scientifically examines ratings and awards the IGBC award every year.  These awards are given every year.

The IGBC, which is part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was formed in 2001 with a vision to enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025.

Durgam Cheruvu also known as Raidurgam Cheruvu is a freshwater lake located in Rangareddy district. The lake, which is spread over 83 acres is located near Hitec city.

It was developed during the period of Quli Qutub Shah rule (1518-1687) for providing drinking water to Golconda.

The award was given to Durgam Cheruvu landscaping for efficient protection of the water body and for energy efficiency, said Serilingampally Zonal Commissioner,  Harichandana Dasari.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / October 27th, 2019

This Telugu IFA-funded documentary follows women farmers

A still from the documentary ‘Songs of our soil’  

Mumbai-based researcher Aditi Maddali’s film ‘Songs Of Our Soil’ places women farmers of Telangana at the frontline of agrarian rights and agriculture futures

There is a pivotal moment in the documentary Songs Of Our Soil, in which woman farmer Suguna approaches an agriculture meeting and asks, “what about us?” This scene is one of Aditi Maddali’s most meaningful moments in a film which took almost three years to bring together. The film observes the subversive histories of women, like Suguna, in the fight against oppressive societal structures in Telangana through uyyala songs. “You do see these women contemplate their place in society,” observes Aditi.

The Telugu title of the film is Pani Pata Poratam. Aditi began looking at songs primarily from the political movements space; while she was working she started understanding how intricately linked these songs are with politics and land. She noticed agriculture was at the centre of everything, but they were still songs in the movements space.

Aditi Maddala  

In fact, the film’s ideologies refer as far back as the Telangana People’s Struggle of 1948 to 1951, and these songs became part of the movement when a large number of women from marginalised socio-economic backgrounds joined to fight, particularly given land ownership is largely a ‘man’s game.’

Having done research on the project since 2016, it was initially just an idea for Aditi. She hadn’t had funding back then either, she recalls, adding that it was a rather under-researched area, being a sentence in an academic paper at most. “I applied to places for funding saying I wanted to make a podcast series on this,” Aditi explains, “and I got government funding initially but when there was a funders’ meet, I was asked to include devotional songs because uyyala songs are also religious; I was asked to shoot film. It did not work out, though, because my mandate was not around devotional songs and they were unwilling to increase my budget. So I walked out of that agreement.”

A still from the documentary  

In 2017, she started working with Indian Foundation for the Arts who provided great value to her research. With very little research done into this subject, the placement of these songs have not been solidified. Language was one of the most prominent points for Aditi. “The language in these songs is so different! If you look at the songs from the Left Movement, they are all in dialogue form with the prime articulation,” she avers.

It was important for Aditi to understand the right grounding for the term ‘uyyala’ itself, which literally means ‘swing’ but indicates ‘to sleep’ but also ‘awakening.’ Having that concrete appreciation was valuable to the film and this is different between the different generations of farmers with whom Aditi spent long amounts of time during production.

When it came to the end of documentary production, Aditi was stuck on how the film should end — a challenge, given there is no real end to the subject matter. “Those who watch the film may see that the film ends rather abruptly,” she says. But the ongoing fight, she comments, does not.

(A screening and a discussion on Songs Of Our Soil will be held at Lamakaan on September 27, 7 pm.)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Divya Kala Bhavani / September 27th, 2019

IIT-Hyderabad researchers develop method to make biofuel with sugar and salt

The researchers described the novel process that can produce carbon catalysts at room temperatures using sugar, sulphuric acid and salt in the journal ‘ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering’.

Hyderabad : 

Researchers  at IIT Hyderabad have developed a simple and innovative method to synthesise a catalyst that can convert chemicals derived from biomass into a precursor to diesel and jet fuel, the institute said on Tuesday. This catalyst showed better efficiency and selectivity than commercial catalysts to produce C15 oxygenated hydrocarbon, a biofuel precursor.

The researchers described the novel process that can produce carbon catalysts at room temperatures using sugar, sulphuric acid and salt in the journal ‘ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering’. “The dehydration of sugar by concentrated sulfuric acid is high-school chemistry. But the intense heat released is not well-controlled,” explained Dr Atul Suresh Deshpande, assistant professor at IIT-H.

In order to control the exothermic dehydration of sugar, the researchers add common salt. Salt helps in controlled dehydration of sugar, which leads to formation of the desired carbon nanoplates. “Due to the low cost of precursors with practically zero energy input and simplicity of reaction, this process of producing carbon nanoplates can be easily adapted for large-scale commercial production,” added Prof Sunil Kumar Maity.

This development is important for States such as Uttar Pradesh and the two Telugu states which are the largest producers of corn in India. The large amount of corncob waste can now be converted into fuels and allow additional income for farmers of corn, provide a sustainable energy source and reduce carbon footprint in the automobile/ aviation sector.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / July 31st, 2019

Incubated in IIT-Hyderabad, start-up PURE EV raises VC Nannapaneni’s funding

PURE EV has also been developing a prototype of HVDC electric truck/bus lithium battery modules and intends to showcase them in 2020 for potential collaborations.

VC Nannapaneni is working on the development of high-speed and long-range scooters and motorcycles

Hyderabad :

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad-incubated startup PURE EV has raised venture capital funding from Hyderabad-based pharmaceuticals visionary VC Nannapaneni, in his personal capacity. The funding is coming at an opportune moment for the company with its plans for expansion of its manufacturing capacity and R&D initiatives. It is working on the development of high-speed and long-range scooter and motorcycle, which are scheduled for commercial launch in October this year and early 2020 respectively.

PURE EV has also been developing a prototype of HVDC electric truck/bus lithium battery modules and intends to showcase them in 2020 for potential collaborations. PURE EV is now looking to ramp up its EV manufacturing capacity to 2000 units per month by October 2019.

The company was founded in 2016 by Dr Nishanth Dongari, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, and is led by Rohit Vadera, an alumnus of IIT Bombay. The startup will continue to collaborate with R&D laboratories of IIT Hyderabad.

PURE EV recently launched four two-wheeler models – ‘EGNITE,’ ‘ETRANCE,’ ‘EPLUTO’ and ‘ETRON’. It aims to deploy over 10,000 electric vehicles on the road during 2019-20. It has established an 18,000-sqft state-of-the-art facility, co-located with IIT Hyderabad, for cutting-edge research and development and for large-scale production of electric vehicles and electric batteries.

The company had also recently launched its CMVR-exempted electric vehicles commercially in the market and is actively working on building strategic partnerships for vehicle financing and branding collaboration. Nannapaneni, speaking about his reasons for the investment, said, “We hope they are able to succeed in their vision to promote usage of electric vehicles amongst the masses.”

“The funding will be primarily utilised for expanding the manufacturing capacity by installation of an automated assembly line,” said Rohit Vadera, CEO, PURE EV.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / July 11th, 2019

Hyderabad-based couple recycle plastic waste into bus shelters and kiosks

A snapshot of the kiosks for street vendors in Sircilla. Each 8X8ft kiosk is designed by recycling plastic waste   | Photo Credit:  By arrangement

In the last week of June, eight kiosks were inaugurated for street vendors in Sircilla, in a bid to have segregated areas for vendors and ease traffic congestion. Soon, a total of 55 kiosks will come up in different pockets of the town. Each of these kiosks of 8X8 square feet area have been built with boards manufactured by using recycled plastic. Nearly 22,000 kilograms of recycled plastic (roughly 88 lakh milk packets) go into making these kiosks. Soon, Siddipet will also have 45 such kiosks.

The force behind this project is the Hyderabad-based entrepreneur couple Prashant Lingam and his wife Aruna. The duo has a decade-long experience in designing bamboo furniture and housing, after which they tried their hands at upcycled furniture made from old rubber tyres, bottles and drums.

The parking shelter near Miyapur metro station, Hyderabad, is constructed using boards made by recycling plastic waste 

Their compact office in Swaroop Nagar, Uppal, gives visitors an idea of their work. One part of the office has bamboo furniture and décor, while the other part uses chairs and a table made from recycled plastic. An eight by four table has an 18millimetre thick board made by recycling  used milk packets. “The boards have been made using 70% LDPE (low density polyethlene) such as milk packets, and 30% aluminium-coated LDPE sheets,” Prashant explains. The wall panels are also made from recycled plastic and mounted on metallic frames. The couple emphasise that these boards are acid and fireproof.

Recycle, reuse Number of kiosks: 55 in Sircilla, 45 in Siddipet

  • Kiosks are built with boards manufactured from recycled plastic.
  • Nearly 22,000 kilograms of plastic waste (roughly 88 lakh milk packet covers) go into making these kiosks.
  • The paved pathway in Hyderabad Dog Park and the parking shelter near Miyapur Metro station have been built using recycled plastic.
  • Coming up: A bus shelter made with recycled plastic at Kavidiguda, opposite the National Thermal Power Corporation office.

Their upcycled rubber and bamboo furniture caught the attention of GHMC (Greater Hyderabad  Municipal Corporation) in 2013. It was also the time when Prashant and Aruna were looking to do something new, within the ambit of being environment-friendly. They designed bus shelters, near Shilparamam and Swaroop Nagar, where the metal-framed structure had slots for discarded plastic bottles. It was a starting point and Prashant got thinking on how to recycle plastic waste. “We researched for a year, met experts, and looked for industrial solutions. We are now collaborating with a factory in Gujarat to manufacture these boards,” he says.

The segregated single use and multi-layer plastics are shipped to a factory in Gujarat to manufacture the boards, which are then sent back to Hyderabad. While this idea of recycling can be a big win to address the growing plastic menace, a problem the team faces is with sourcing the waste, since most homes and offices don’t segregate waste.

Prashant’s initiative makes two kinds of recycled boards — one from single use plastic waste (straws and covers of chips packets, for instance) and another that uses multi-layered plastic (MLP). The boards made from single use plastics have been used to design a shelter for parking near Miyapur metro station. “If homes and offices diligently segregate their waste, our work will become easier and we will also be addressing the issue of plastic ending up in landfills,” says Aruna, who wants to start an awareness campaign in schools on waste segregation.

Aruna and Prashant Lingam in their office, decked with furniture made of recycled plastic waste  

The Miyapur parking shelter got attention and there were enquiries from international firms who wanted to buy the technology. Prashant and Aruna turned it down: “We started this work to find a solution to our plastic waste, rather than sell the technology and enable international firms to recycle their plastic and export them to India,” they emphasise.

The couple has also used milk packets to design interlocking pavement blocks for the Dog Park in Hyderabad. Each block has used 600 milk packets, and the interlocked paved path extends to 3500 square feet.

Prashant and Aruna mention that the district authorities in Hyderabad, especially the GHMC West Zone Commissioner Hari Chandana Dasari, and authorities in Sircilla and Siddipet districts have supported all their endeavours of recycling plastic waste.

There are further plans. A bus shelter using recycled plastic is coming up in Kavadiguda area, opposite the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) office. The 24X8 bus shelter is a CSR initiative of NTPC. The couple will also be collaborating with UNDP (United National Development Programme) to design bus and parking shelters, and kiosks from recycled plastic for different locations in Hyderabad.

(This column celebrates eco-conscious initiatives. If you know an eco-warrior, write in to hydmetroplus@thehindu.co.in)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / July 08th, 2019

INCOIS Director elected to UNESCO body

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Director Satheesh Shenoi has been unanimously elected Vice-Chair (Group IV), of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for 2019-2021. Group IV encompasses the countries of Australia, China, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Thailand.

UNESCO-IOC has around 150 member States and promotes international cooperation and programmes in marine research, services, observation systems, hazard mitigation, and capacity development in order to understand and effectively manage the resources of the ocean and coastal areas. Representatives of the member states are currently meeting at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France for the 30th session of the IOC Assembly (26 June – 4 July 2019).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 05th, 2019

TSSPDCL bags ‘Smart Cities India Award’

The award recognises pioneering projects that aim to make cities more liveable, sustainable and economically viable by honouring best practices and models, said a release on Friday.

Hyderabad : 

The Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana limited (TSSPDCL) has bagged the prestigious ‘Smart Cities India Award’ for solar rooftops under the category of ‘ Clean & Green City’ at the 5th Smart Cities India 2019 held in New Delhi, for achievements in adoption, promotion & integration of renewable energy under distributed generation model. G Raghuma Reddy, chairman & MD of TSSPDCL received the award.  

Smart Cities India Awards is an annual event designed to felicitate, recognise and encourage individuals, policymakers, companies, government bodies and associations working behind the successful execution of the huge dream of developing 100 smart cities & rejuvenation of 500 cities in India.

The award recognises pioneering projects that aim to make cities more liveable, sustainable and economically viable by honouring best practices and models, said a release on Friday. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / May 25th, 2019

Global acclaim for Anshul’s 2-min ‘eco-comedy’ film

Hyderabad :

Hyderabadi film maker Anshul Sinha’s two-minute film, ‘Waterman’ is garnering appreciation in film festivals all over the world. The almost-silent film gives water a human form to highlight the issue of water scarcity.

“We wanted to make a humorous film that could communicate the message on a global platform,” says Anshul, adding that the lack of dialogues gives it a universal appeal, beyond the barriers of language. The narration was kept light as people often tend to disregard films on environmental issues. One of the challenges was that it took them a month to figure the characterisation of water as human. The film stood second in the eco-comedy video competition in the 8th edition of the International Environment Film Festival, in Washington DC, out of the 250 film submissions.

“We won The Infocus National Film Festival, Hyderabad,” said Anshul recounting the awards won for Waterman, which total up to 8 till date and have nominations in 12 other international film festivals. Anshul has been making documentaries since 2012.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aakanksha Madhavaram / Express News Service / May 01st, 2019

Trial by sun


Mango pulp being processed for solar drying at Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED); (extreme right) Shyamala Rambhotla   | Photo Credit:  Nagara Gopal

Helmed by 94-year-old Prof Ramakrishna Rao, SEED’s zero carbon emission solar cabinet dryers may have answers to counter post-harvest losses

Professor M Ramakrishna Rao is 94. Yet, the retired scientist from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, is the tour de force of Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED), which he established 32 years ago. Drawing from his expertise in physics and renewable energy, he guided the research and development team to design solar cabinet dryers for food processing. Three hundred of these cabinets ensuring zero carbon emissions are being used in 19 states across India by organisations working in the agriculture sector.

Germination of SEED


Prof Ramakrishna Rao   | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Ramakrishna Rao spends his days at the SEED office and incubation centre in Hyderabad , overseeing the operations. He ascends the stairs, one step at a time, to inspect dryers on the terrace. Age may have slowed him down but he’s always enthusiastic to discuss how solar dehydration can help minimise post-harvest losses and develop food products that can fetch farmers additional revenue.

Rao founded the organisation in 1987, after retiring from IISc, eager to use his scientific knowledge to help the farming sector. He did his Masters in physics and PhD from Osmania University, followed by post-doctoral studies in Columbus University, Ohio. SEED is a non-governmental organisation with a governing council headed by Padma Vibhushan awardee Prof Palle Ramarao; several food scientists work in honorary positions. The organisation receives partial funding from Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and has 20 employees.

Helping Rao at SEED is his niece Shyamala Rambhotla, a computer science quality engineer. She returned to India in 2011, after working in a credit bureau in the US for 20 years, to help Rao with his work, and a long-term focus on strengthening the organisation.

In its first decade, SEED developed and tested dryers that used biomass and alternative fuels before zeroing in on solar cabinet dryers. Their solar cabinet dryer design was patented in 1997. The organisation reached out to those working in the agriculture sector to raise awareness about using solar power. It was a slow process. “Not many people knew about using solar power back then. We’ve seen a spurt in the last four years,” says Shyamala.

Branching Out

  • SEED has worked on 100 fruits, vegetables and other produce. Solar dehydrated mango, pineapple, chikoo, guava, fig, mango and mixed fruit are sold as rolls or fruit bars. An environmental chamber checks the shelf life of food products. Some of the products are sold at Karachi Bakery outlets. However, SEED primarily remains a non-profit, research and development outfit.
  • The centre’s library and lab is frequented by food science students for their projects. The organisation’s think tank comprises like-minded researchers and scientists. SEED also has an extension centre at Tholkata village near Moinabad.
  • Six commercial solar cabinet dryers were exported to Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Zanzibar and Kigoma.

Outreach initiatives

SEED has so far conducted 70 training sessions for more than 2,000 farmers, teaching them techniques of solar-drying fruits, vegetables, millets and other produce. A dedicated team develops products. On the day we visit the centre, ripe mangoes have been pulped, transferred as thin layers to trays and placed in the cabinets. A temperature gauge indicates 65° Celsius in the cabinet; another gauge monitors the weight reduction due to dehydration. It typically takes a day for the pulp to dry into a thin film; another layer of pulp is then added and left to dry. The dried pulp is then cooled, cut into segments and packaged as bars or rolls. “Traditional ‘mamidi thandra’ (aam papad) is made by drying mango pulp in open air, prone to dust. Solar cabinet drying ensures hygiene and retains nutritional value,” says Shyamala.


Fruit rolls developed by SEED   | Photo Credit:  Nagara Gopal

Other solar dryers are stocked with finely diced carrots, amla, spinach, rings of onions and tomatoes. An in-built fan removes moisture and ensures uniform dehydration. For leafy vegetables, the solar dryer is fitted with a blue filter to create greenhouse effect that helps retain chlorophyll and hence, the colour. “Dehydrated vegetables can be stored for later use. Soak it in water for 30 minutes and use for cooking just like fresh vegetables,” she says.

SEED designs dryers with loading capacities of eight, 50, 100, 200 and 500 kilograms and is working towards designing a one tonne capacity dryer for use in large firms. Elaborating on the applications, Shyamala explains, “Farmers incur losses when there’s a sudden drop in price, transportation issues or excess seasonal produce. At the mandal level, if community solar dryers are set up with government or corporate help, it will help farmers dehydrate their produce for later use and develop food products. India is big on agriculture production, but we aren’t processing enough.”

A dryer of eight kilograms capacity is priced at ₹40,000 and it goes up to ₹4,50,000 for 200 kilograms. SEED allows entrepreneurs to try the solar dryers at the incubation centre, develop their recipes and test market before purchasing. The pricing remains an issue, admit Rao and Shyamala. “If banks or the government can give subsidies, more farmers will be willing to buy,” says Shyamala. Rao points out that unlike electric dryers, solar dryers don’t have recurring costs.

Solar cabinets are efficient all through the year, barring occasional rainy days. “On such days, we use electric backup (powered by rooftop solar panels). We are working towards developing dryers that can use biogas for power backup,” sums up Shyamala.

(Planet Healers celebrates eco-conscious initiatives. If you know an eco warrior, writer in to hydmetroplus@thehindu.co.in)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad – Planet Healers / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / April 22nd, 2019

TS seeks German support in setting up seed park

Telangana emerging as seed bowl of the country with about 400 seed companies based in the State

The Telangana government has requested the officials of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to extend technological support in establishing the seed park at Banda Mylaram in 150 acres.

The request was made to a delegation of the German Federal Ministry including officials of the Indo-German (seed) Cooperation Project visiting the State. Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy, Principal Secretary C. Parthasarathi, Commissioner Rahul Bojja, Director of Marketing G. Lakshmi Bai, and Director of Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority K. Keshavulu had a meeting with the visiting delegation.

A bilateral agreement was also signed by Telangana and German Federal Ministry for the development of seed sector in the State. Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Niranjan Reddy said Telangana was emerging as the seed bowl of the country with about 400 seed companies based in the State and doing a business to the tune of ₹ 5,000 crore with the help of 1.5 lakh skilled labour in seed production.

Giving a powerpoint presentation to the visiting delegation, Mr. Parthasarathi said high quality hybrid seed of paddy, jowar and maize was being produced in the State and even the seed produced in other States was being processed and stored here due to the most conducive conditions. The Indo-German seed project was also extended for three more years recently, he noted.

Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture Michael Stubgen said there was huge scope for food processing sector too in Telangana and they were ready to cooperate in that area too. He invited the Agriculture Minister to visit Germany for studying the agriculture sector there.

Director of TSSOCA Mr. Keshavulu asked the German delegates to attend the International Seed Testing Association congress being organised here in June-July this year. President of National Seed Association of India M. Prabhakar Rao and others participated.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities > Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 26th, 2019