Report
on the
SRI HEMKUNT SAHIB ENVIRONMENT
SAFAI SEVA PROJECT
1999
One of the dustbins installed as part of the Safai Seva Project
BOOKMARKS
Environmental Problems Project
Components Safai Seva Report 1999
Safai Seva Strategies 2000
Environmental Messages: Punjabi
and English
Environmental Slogans: Punjabi or Hindi
or English Gurdwara
Announcement
Each
year, the four-month yatra to Sri
Hemkunt Sahib brings more than 1,50,000 people to the Bhyundar Valley.
Along with these visitors come some serious environmental impacts to
this remote mountainous region:
1.
WASTE
ACCUMULATION
Inadequate waste disposal facilities for
non-biodegradable waste (plastic, metal, and glass¾can
be recycled) and biodegradable waste (organic food, cloth, and paper¾can
be buried or burned)
2.
WATER
POLLUTION
Inadequate sewage disposal facilities (new toilets
and septic tanks can be constructed; old ones too near water supplies can be
disinfected and closed)
3.
DEFORESTATION
Harvesting of firewood (diesel and kerosene burning
stoves can be used)
4.
DESTRUCTION
OF FLORA AND FAUNA
Illegal collection of medicinal plants, picking of
wildflowers, over-grazing by livestock, human encroachment on animal habitat
(fines can be levied on those who harvest wild plants and allow their mules
and cattle to graze in fragile high-altitude meadows; further development in
the area can be slowed or stopped)
Chief among these impacts is waste accumulation. The Sri Hemkunt Sahib Environment Safai Seva Project has been designed to clean all the accumulated waste between Gobind Ghat and Sri Hemkunt Sahib and prevent further accumulation.
Sacks of garbage collected along the pilgrimage route
The
Project has three components:
1.
INFRASTRUCTURE
First, waste disposal infrastructure has to be put in
place: dustbins for collection of
garbage; sites for dumping and sorting; facilities for incinerating and
recycling; and all required materials and supplies
2.
SYSTEMS
Second, waste collection and disposal systems have to
be designed and implemented to clean the accumulated waste and maintain
cleanliness in the years to come
3.
EDUCATION
Third, all of the people who live and work in the
area, as well as those who come for the yatra
and trek, have to be educated about how to keep the natural environment clean
All three aspects need to be designed with their sustainability in mind: the aim of the Project is not only to clean the environment this year, but every year. 1999, the first year of the Project, has brought together local panchayat and environmental committee members, gurdwara management and staff, concerned business people and volunteers, as well as yatris and trekkers, in a cooperative effort. The challenge of the year 2000 and the new millenium will be to work together and keep the sacred places of Bhyundar Valley and the holy waters of Hemkunt, Hem Ganga, and Alaknanda clean … the Creator, for Creation, and for the Community.
Garbage accumulated behind Gurdwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib
This
year work has begun on all three components of the project.
The work completed includes:
1.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The
Project was designed on the principle that, wherever possible, garbage should
be re-used or recycled to deal with the garbage problem; for example, dustbins
were made from used diesel drums and paint cans, and garbage was collected in
used flour and cement sacks
80
dustbins were manufactured at a workshop in Rishikesh by fitting empty drums
with brackets and mounting them on poles which, when fixed in cement, enabled
the bins to tip for easy emptying
40
small and 40 large dustbins were installed along the yatra
route at places where garbage accumulates: zigzags in the path, tea shops,
villages, and resting places
Additional
small dustbins were prepared for placement along the steps below Sri Hemkunt
Sahib
Garbage
dumping and sorting sites were established in Gobind Ghat, Gobind Dham, and
Sri Hemkunt Sahib
2.
SYSTEMS
A
local environmental committee, the Sapat Shring Ban Chetana Society, was
formed to address all the environmental problems in the Bhyundar Valley
A
permanent committee of Friends of the Sri Hemkunt Sahib Environment was formed
to oversee safai seva in years to
come
Informational
meetings were held with all users of the area:
local villagers; gurdwara trustees, management, and staff; yatri
jathas; shopkeepers, lodge owners, and their staff; kandi
wallahs and ghora wallahs;
environmentalists, trekking agencies; hired sweepers; local and regional
government officials; military officers; labourers; and tourists
Polythene
bags and take-away cold drink bottles were banned in District Chamoli
Volunteers
were organized to determine sites for dustbins; put up signs, posters, and
stickers; remove graffiti; educate shopkeepers and yatris;
and collect and burn garbage along the yatra
route
Sweepers
and Nepali labourers were hired to clean up existing dumping sites in the
villages and along the path and to sort collected garbage for recyclables and
burn the rest
In
a two-day clean-up blitz using volunteers and Nepali labourers, all garbage
was collected from behind the buildings in Gobind Dham, filling 125 bori (jute and plastic) sacks with recyclable plastic, glass, and
metal, at a labour cost of Rs. 10 per bag
Biodegradable
(organic) waste was burned by gurdwara staff in Gobind Ghat, Gobind Dham, Sri
Hemkunt Sahib, and along the path
Mules
were hired to carry collected garbage down to Gobind Ghat
Trucks
were hired to carry collected garbage from Gobind Ghat to Rishikesh for
recycling
3.
EDUCATION
Presentations
were given in front of hundreds of students at Sikh schools, colleges, and
gurdwaras about Sri Hemkunt Sahib and the importance of safai seva
Articles
were published in Sikh and Punjabi newspapers and magazines about the work of
the Project, requesting yatris to do
safai seva
All
dustbins were painted with the words "DUSTBIN for your seva PLEASE USE ME" in Punjabi, Hindi, and English and stencils
with the same message were made available in the gurdwara store at Gobind Ghat
100
signs were produced with rhyming devotional and environmental messages in
Punjabi, Hindi, and English and posted along the path
2000
posters were produced with beautiful images and text emphasizing the
importance of safai and seva as part of the Sikh spirit and listing safai seva requests and instructions in Punjabi, Hindi, and English
Safai seva workers at the end of a day's work
What
follows are the steps toward waste collection and disposal infrastructure,
systems, and education that need to be taken to ensure the cleanliness and
safety of the yatra route in the
next millenium:
1.
INFRASTRUCTURE
DUSTBINS
Maintain
the 80 dustbins installed during the 1999 yatra
season
Install
20 small dustbins at intervals along the stairs below Sri Hemkunt Sahib
Install
additional dustbins in the courtyard of each gurdwara, along the path wherever
garbage accumulates, on the ghats
beside the Alaknanda River, and on the shore of Hemkunt Lake.
Ensure
that all dustbins are painted with the words "DUST BIN for your seva
PLEASE USE ME" in Punjabi, Hindi, and English
Stencils
for painting dustbins are available in the gurdwara store at Gobind Ghat
EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, AND SUPPLIES
Identify
a single place on the property of each Trust gurdwara as the designated
garbage dumping and sorting site and dig a pit where biodegradable waste can
be buried or burned
Construct
large, permanent masonry garbage boxes at Sri Hemkunt Sahib, Gobind Dham, and
Gobind Ghat, and large metal dumpsters within the compound of each gurdwara in
Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Joshimath, and Gobind Ghat
Install
a furnace in Gobind Ghat to incinerate biodegradable garbage and equipment to
process plastics into recyclable pellets
Construct
a trolley path from the gurdwara to the garbage pit
Provide
Project workers with supplies including used and re-usable bori sacks, gloves, shovels, trolleys, T-shirts or jackets with the
project name and the word "sevadar"
printed on them to publicize the work of the Project, and other supplies as
required
Make
a supply of bags available at the bridge in Gobind Ghat and hand them out to yatris
and trekkers along with instructions about garbage collection along the path
along; an additional token and registration system will ensure filled bags are
brought back
Place
a collection box donations toward Environment Safai
Seva in each gurdwara
2.
SYSTEMS
GARBAGE
COLLECTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM
Appoint
an on-site manager to oversee and coordinate all aspects of the Project and
give that manager responsibility for: pollution
control; seva requests (benatis)
of yatri jathas and
organization of seva; maintenance of
project infrastructure including signs, dustbins, and dumping sites; hiring,
supervision, and payment of contractors, labourers, and sweepers; and
collection, sorting, transportation, and recycling of garbage
Appoint
teams of sevadars, organize teams of
volunteers, assign teams of sweepers, and hire teams of labourers to collect
accumulated garbage from around Hemkunt Sarovar, in the Hem Ganga Stream and
Alaknanda River, alongside the path, and behind shops, lodges, and gurdwaras
Hold
a training session for sevadars
before the start of each yatra
season and teach them about hygiene, waste disposal, and environmental
responsibility
Immediately
stop dumping garbage into rivers, streams, and forests
Instruct
all staff, labourers, and sweepers (gurdwara, health department, zila
parishad, and private) to use only the established dumping and sorting
site in each village for all collected garbage
Employ
additional workers to sort non-biodegradable, recyclable waste (plastic,
glass, and metal) from biodegradable, organic waste (food, paper, and cloth)
then dump biodegradable waste in the pit for burning or burying, and put
non-biodegradable waste in bori
sacks or plastic bags for recycling
Closely
supervise all sweepers, hold regular inspections of the quality of their work,
raise their pay if they work well, and if they do not, replace them on an
annual or bi-annual basis
Appoint
members of the local environmental committee, the Sapat Shring Ban Chetana
Society, to oversee the work of the sweepers and labourers
Recruit
groups of volunteers from youth clubs (e.g. Boy and Girl Scouts), community
service organizations (e.g. NSS - the National Service Scheme), schools and
colleges (including Trust schools), and yatri
jathas to spend a day or a week doing environment seva
Hire
a team of workers to empty all dustbins between Sri Hemkunt Sahib and Gobind
Ghat on a weekly basis and put the garbage in bori
sacks to be transported by mule to the motor road
Hire
the same mules and porters which carry gurdwara supplies up to carry collected
garbage down
Offer
sweepers and labourers Rs. 10 for each full sack of garbage collected and
deposited in Gobind Dham or Gobind Ghat, and offer ghora
wallahs and kandi wallahs Rs. 10
for each full sack of garbage brought down to Gobind Dham or Gobind Ghat
Ask
ghora wallahs and kandi wallahs to make sure their customers throw garbage in
dustbins, not on the path
Hire
trucks to transport garbage to the city for recycling, or encourage yatri jathas to carry
garbage (prasad!) on their buses as seva
Make
arrangements with a kabari to buy
recyclable plastic, glass, and metal and use the proceeds from the sale as an
incentive for the workers collecting and sorting the garbage
Organize
a large-scale clean-up before the yatra
opens and after it closes each season
Conduct
a semi-annual inspection tour at the start and end of each yatra season of all gurdwara properties, especially behind the
buildings in Gobind Ghat, Gobind Dham, and Sri Hemkunt Sahib
Encourage
cooperation between all users of the area:
gurdwara trustees, managers, and staff; local villagers; shopkeepers
and other business owners; labourers, sweepers, kandi
wallahs, and ghora wallahs;
officials and workers from government departments, yatri jathas and trekking agencies; military officers and men;
groups of volunteers
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
The
villagers of Bhyundar Valley have registered an environmental committee ¾the
Sapat Shring Ban Chetana Society¾and
have promised their full support in cleaning and preserving the environment
along the route to Sri Hemkunt Sahib and the Valley of Flowers
They
will:
1.
Cooperate with the initiatives of the Project Team
2.
Hire and supervise sweepers and labourers if the Trust will cover the
labour cost
3.
Enforce regulations for shopkeepers
REGULATIONS FOR SHOPKEEPERS
Institute
environmental regulations for shopkeepers along the yatra route, their staff, and any sweepers or labourers they hire
They
must:
1.
Throw no garbage from the business behind the shop or into the forests
or rivers
2.
Provide a dustbin in which all plastic, glass, and metal garbage is
collected for recycling
3.
Collect all food, paper, wood, and cloth garbage in a separate dustbin
or in a pit and periodically burn it
4.
Request the cooperation of customers in using the dustbins and keeping
the natural surroundings clean
5.
Agree to display an environmental sign or poster within shop premises
6.
Remove all garbage and building materials when the shop is vacated
Any
shopkeeper who fails to follow the regulations will not be permitted to do
business along the yatra route the
following season.
Petition
local or regional government to issue licenses to shopkeepers with the
provision that licenses be revoked if shopkeepers do not comply with the above
environmental regulations
LIASON WITH GOVERNMENT
Organize
an annual delegation of representatives from the Trust, the local panchayat,
and environmental workers to approach the D.M. Chamoli, the S.D.M. Joshimath,
and officials from the departments of forests, health, and public works to
request their administrative cooperation in solving the environmental problems
associated with the yatra
Lobby
the courts to bring injunctions against soft drink bottlers who produce
non-refillable bottles, and against polythene bag manufacturers
Request
the government to provide facilities as follows, and offer our initiative and
services to clean up the region in exchange:
1.
Inspect the yatra route on a
semi-annual basis
2.
Bring in a waste disposal engineer/consultant to draw up a sewage and
garbage (especially plastic) disposal strategy for mountain environments
3.
Enforce bans on polythene bags and take-away cold drink bottles
4.
Give local authorities the jurisdiction to fine anyone caught littering
5.
Provide electricity for the proposed recycling facilities in Gobind
Ghat
6.
Expedite the repair and paving of the path (especially in Gobind Dham)
by the P.W.D.
LIASON WITH MILITARY
Continue
to meet with officers from the army and I.T.B.P. and request that they
organize jawans and trainees to
assist with the clean-up, particularly on steep slopes
CLEANING OF HEMKUNT TRUST PROPERTIES
Thoroughly
clean all properties along the yatra
route on a weekly or monthly basis as follows:
1.
Sweep dust and cobwebs from ceilings, walls, and floors in rooms,
bathrooms, and toilets
2.
Wash walls, doors, window ledges, and floors
3.
Scrub toilets, sinks, and bathroom walls
4.
Replace soiled and damaged floorcloths and bedding
5.
Appoint all rooms and bathrooms with mirrors and clothing hooks
6.
Remove all garbage for disposal or recycling
3.
EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Give
presentations in colleges, gurdwaras, and to yatri jathas; submit
newspaper and magazine articles; produce posters and signboards; design an
informational website for the internet; and make announcements in the
gurdwaras to spread an environmental and devotional message to keep Sri
Hemkunt Sahib clean
SIGNBOARDS
Maintain
the weather-proof polycarbonate signboards with vinyl tape lettering put up
along the yatra route during the
1999 yatra season
Research
sign printing/painting methods and determine which are the most economical and
durable and produce new signboards containing the devotional and environmental
messages and seva requests in
Punjabi, Hindi, and English attached to this report
Install
prominent large signboards at each gurdwara and tea shop cluster from
Rishikesh to Sri Hemkunt Sahib, and especially at the bridge across the
Alaknanda River at Gobind Ghat (message attached)
POSTERS, BANNERS, AND STICKERS
Print
informational posters containing seva
requests for the yatris' health,
safety, and cooperation in keeping Sri Hemkunt Sahib clean and sacred
Have
large cloth banners printed and hang them in gurdwaras and tea shops
Volunteer
to post the self-adhesive posters (available in the gurdwara store at Gobind
Ghat) in the sleeping rooms and halls of the gurdwaras, in the lodges and
businesses, and in the tea shops along the yatra
route
Put
stickers on every yatra bus and car
and in gurdwara bathrooms and rooms
Ensure
that all posters, banners, and stickers feature the name of the Sri Hemkunt
Sahib Environment Safai Seva
Project
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ensure
that regular announcements are made by the granthi
after each Ardas in every Trust
gurdwara with a message that is both environmental and devotional, and which
contains a clear benati (request)
for seva (sample announcement
attached).
Make
a seva request (benati) of each large jatha
that they hire an extra ghora wallah
or porter to collect and carry garbage during their yatra
When
yatris sign in at the reception desk
of each gurdwara, instruct them to use dustbins and do safai seva during their yatra
4.
ADDITIONAL
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE CLEANLINESS AND SAFETY
SRI HEMKUNT SAHIB
Construct
a jhora ghar
Clean
and improve the ladies' ishnan ghar
Construct
a wall along the bank of the Hemkunt Sarovar to prevent dirty water from
running back into the sarovar and
polluting the water
Drain
areas of standing water which are breeding places for mosquitoes and disease
Repair
leaks in the roof of the gurdwara
Fine
ghora wallahs caught grazing their
mules in the fragile high-altitude meadows surrounding Sri Hemkunt Sahib
GOBIND
DHAM
Divert
dirty water which flows from the langar
hall in Gurdwara Gobind Dham, across the path, and into a lake of sewage
behind the lodges
Pave
the path through Gobind Dham and install street lighting
GOBIND GHAT
Set
up a checkpost at the bridge where yatris
are required to leave a cash deposit and take a receipt for every plastic bag
they are carrying
When
yatris return and present the number
of items on their receipt, they receive a refund and an additional incentive
for extra garbage collected along the yatra
route
Regulate
porters and ghora wallahs with a
registration and token system and fix rates
Set
up PCO STD ISD facility
THE YATRA
ROUTE
Install
drinking water taps or tanks along the yatra
route
Erect
accurate milestones
Provide
a suggestion box in each gurdwara
Disinfect
the areas along the yatra route
where mules urinate and defecate
Improve
existing toilet facilities by constructing septic tanks for proper sewage
disposal and fixing plumbing and electrical systems
Construct
additional toilet facilities along the path and at Sri Hemkunt Sahib
Remove
all empty metal cans and ghee tins
from bathrooms and toilets as they are a health hazard
Ensure
that every bathroom is equipped with a bucket, a plastic mug, clothing hooks,
and a mirror
Drain,
clean, and re-fill the sarovar at
Gurdwara Rishikesh
Emphasize
the maintenance and improvement of existing facilities over the development of
new ones
Two
sevadars at the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa in
Rishikesh
(the author of this report is on the right)
Punjabi
Please
have this message translated into Hindi.
Sri
Hemkunt Sahib Environment Safai Seva
Project
Air
is our Guru, Water is our Father, and the Great Earth is our Mother
- Guru Nanak
This
natural beauty was created by God and blessed by the Guru.
Please do not pollute the air, water, and earth.
During
your yatra to Sri Hemkunt Sahib we
humbly request your seva:
1.
Kindly do not throw any garbage out of the bus windows, onto the
footpath, or into the forests and streams.
2.
As your personal seva, collect
one bag of toffee wrappers, plastic bags, and other garbage from along the yatra
route, and put it in a dustbin.
3.
As your jatha's seva,
transport bags of collected garbage on each bus and car from Gobind Ghat to
the city for recycling.
4.
Tell your relatives, friends, and travelling companions about the
importance of keeping God's creation and the Guru's place clean.
Thank
you for your seva.
MESSAGES FOR SMALL SIGNBOARDS
