An interview with M. B. Nirmal, founder and Chairman of Exnora

A civic movement in Chennai which empowered the people to deal with the problem of garbage disposal.

How did you formulate the idea of involving the people in the civic movement?

I feel that the greatest advantage India has, is its people and by mobilising this manpower resource we can solve many of the problems we are facing today and emerge victorious.

I noticed that in any civic activity undertaken the people who are going to be the most affected are seldom consulted. They are not involved in either in the process of planning or implementation and as a result of it remain far removed from the whole situation.

By empowering these people to tackle the problem on their own it would be easier to solve. What I do is motivate the people to come out with new ways and plans to tackle the issue and set up an efficient system of operation for solving it.

Do you think that civic amenities in India should be privatised?I feel that privatisation is only a short-term solution. For example, if the aim is to only keep the city clean then privatising garbage disposal is a good idea. The private collector will dispose off the garbage to dumps outside the city. The city might become clean at the cost of the outskirts.

It is high time we started looking at long-term solutions, to change the mindset of the people. This can be done starting at home - we have introduced a system where in we educate the people as to how to separate domestic waste as biodegradable and non- biodegradable making it easier for the collection service.

There are agencies that are ready to pay for this domestic waste because it can be converted into manure. The aim should be to achieve a zero percent waste generation and establish a cycle wherein this waste gets generated back into providing energy.What are the job opportunities in this field?

There are plenty of job opportunities in this field and the main requirements are that you need to be very conscious of your cause and highly motivated to fight for it. People in this field need to possess the zeal and drive to save the country from pollution to make it a better place to live in.

There are plenty of private agencies willing to actively go into waste management and tackle environmental concerns. They need a dedicated work force to educate the people, plan, set up and implement various projects. I managed to tap the resources of retired professionals and housewives who actively participated in every project and helped me to make the movement a success.

We are also involved in setting up rainwater harvesting projects vermiculture and other initiatives, which will help in the optimum use of earth's resources and reduce the production of waste through recycling.

What do you predict for the future of this country?

Non-renewable resources will be over in another thirty- five years and then we will have to turn to alternative sources of energy like, wind, solar and tidal energy. At that time energy generated through waste will be a major contributor. Therefore we have to realise the importance of effective waste management and the advantages of learning to recycle in order save earth from degradation.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

(malini-suryanarayanan@yahoo.com)