Rain Dance 2013

It's been raining steadily now since yesterday. Here are some of the quick snapshots taken a while ago.  

Vetal Tekdi - a bleak future?

Plans are afoot to create an Amusement Park on the Vetal Tekdi in Pune. A part of the much talked of Western Ghats of India noted for their biodiversity, this hill in the middle of  sprawling Pune city is an oasis of greenery and a haven for wildlife. The quarry is like a wetland, that fills up with rainwater and attracts migratory birds in winter. The hill sees many human visitors too every morning and evening- joggers and exercise freaks, nature lovers, kids out for fresh air and a hike. Most important is that people have free access to this hill. 

Well, you might ask, what is wrong with an amusement park?
1. The Amusement park will bring 3 motorable roads up to this hill from 2 different sides. 

2. These roads will bring vehicles in droves, with their exhaust fumes.
3. Their will be cement concrete constructions in the guise of hotels, administration blocks,  and so on.
4. As is found in most Indian 'tourist' places, the bhel and chai and souvenir joints will come up, with all their dirt and blaring radios.
5. This would actually lead to a lot more traffic jams in the approach roads to this hill in the surrounding areas.
6. The current wildlife and natural beauty would vanish altogether with such massive encroachment.

Most ordinary citizens are shocked when they hear of this. Let us hope that better sense prevails with the Pune Municipal Administration and our city planners.

Common Wood shrike - Vetal Tekdi

Wet waste composting in a balcony terrace

We got Marigolds by the dozen!

plants thriving on wet waste compost

the mint plant seems to love wet waste!

Wet waste composting at home can greatly reduce the amount of garbage that gets dumped on the city solid waste disposal system.  
The good news is that all you need is a small balcony or terrace that can hold a few plant pots.  

I began composting the waste since last year and am quite happy with the results. The process I follow is easy and does not use any composting mixes or cultures to accelerate the process, or any special equipment. 

Here is how I do it:

We hardly ever have any wasted cooked food leftovers, so fruit and veggie waste is the only input here. 

Chop, shred, or blend the vegetable stalks, fruit peels, etc in a mixer. Add to the plant pots. 
To date there has hardly been any smell, or problem due to flies or worms of any kind. Yes, the pots do have tiny earthworms so they help break down the waste too. 

If you have empty pots, what you can do:

• Place a layer of brick pieces, stones, or coconut husk at the bottom of the pot. 
• Add a one inch layer of soil. Then add the chopped vegetable matter. Again put a light layer of soil.  
• Turn this mix over lightly every two or three days.   
• Initially for the first 4-5 times you may need to alternate the waste layer with a thin layer of soil. 
• Later on you can just keep adding the waste to the pot and mix it a little with the compost below.  
• You might need to sprinkle a little water once in a while to keep the mixture damp.

Another thing I observed was that banana skins/peels make good compost as they decay quite fast. Adding these in the initial few layers helped compost other waste well. 

Once about 2/3ds of the pot is full, you can plant a sapling in it. After that spread the waste mix around the plant along the edges of the pot.

eagerly awaiting fragrant Nishigandha flowers