Help Tourism

Help Tourism with Expert Klaus Schaette started 2008, at first, a pilot project in Lava, Neora Valley addressing the waste problem, to avoid burning all waste in open fire on the streets, a common practise in India; a smelling, health hazardous procedure and not envi-ronmentally friendly. This time, we addressed the waste problem in three new areas up-coming for Tourism, where people already feel the awareness, that littering waste creates problems.

In Assam, Bongaigaon and Abhayapuri are fast developing into a new tourist destination and acting as a Gateway to Manas National Park, Tiger-, Biosphere Reserve and World heritage site. The Bamungaon picnic spot, is next to the newly opened Astha nature camp.

Picnic spot

This beautiful picnic spot at the green hill-ocks, co-managed by community and forest department, is said to be a demonstration site of participatory conservation; as already visited by many local tourist, it looks like a dumping site, littered with paper, plastic, cans and bottles.

The local N.G.O (Bamungaon eco society) asked Helptourism for assistance, a good opportunity for us to give the locals an exam-ple on proper waste management.

In Abhayapuri we found used oil drums and a work-shop, where the incinerator was built.
Our program started on February 8th at the picnic spot for around 40 interested people.

Manufacturing a simple incinerator from an used oil drum

We all collected the waste, separating it for recy-cling, dumping or burning; to burn only the light plastic in the newly built incinerator without smell and smoke. To keep the picnic spot beautiful, we introduced waste baskets, a Pit for dumping and one for compost (organic waste, dry leaves). At the end, the local NGO invited all for a waste free lunch on organic plates. With the NGO we discussed offering local food specialities to picnickers, instead of selling chips packages, thereby avoiding the pollution of the picnic spot with plastics.
In Bansbari, Central Manas Forest Re-serve, the Forest Department and the Helptourism Tourist camps Maozigendri and Ultapani were our partner in the pro-gram. Altogether we could attract almost 100 participants, included local schools for the joint activity.

The separation and burning can be seen in the pictures.

In Ultapani, a village in the Manas Bio-sphere Reserve, the local guides organized our program. We had more than 100 participants, among them many interested villagers. The separation and burning was a big attrac-tion with training effect, the dumping pit had been prepared at the spot.

In Singalila Forest Reserve, Manebhanjan near Darjeeling, West Bengal the Local Guides Asso-ciation had asked Helptourism to assist in the Waste Problem at the Singalila Trek. They showed us the waste at the Trek; in our discussion we developed a self-help concept with baskets, dumping pits and Incinerator.

Community workshop "Waste Management in Singalila"

They organized a training program with almost 40 guides, Forest Guards and villagers.

The simple system of waste management presented in the program, is a self-help concept and primarily for remote areas, as Tourism Camps, with limited access to recycling. It is about waste separation, to keep the place clean, introducing waste baskets and a Pit for Dumping and Compost. The burning is reduced to “light plastic (Plastic-bags and wrappers) in a self-built incinerator, generating more heat, to avoid smell and hazardous smoke.

Not for Burning are:

• pieces for recycling as Water-bottles (PET), PVC (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass- bottles and metal
• Organic waste, kitchen waste, dry leaves and straw give excellent compost

Aluminium foil packing are a major waste problem

These packages for chips, tobacco and sweets are on sale everywhere; once empty, you find them littered all over the landscape. They will not rot like paper, cannot be recycled nor burned, since they are coated with metal. To clean the environment, they should be kept only in a dumping pit!!
But they are rather good for the business, the industrial food industry.

by Klaus Schätte – kschaette@freenet.de

Help Tourism, together with Expert Klaus Schaette took the initiate to address the
waste problem as in the pilot project in Lava, Neora Valley in 2008.

What is the waste problem?

As all over India, as well in the Sunderban Jungle Camp,
all the waste is burned in a smelling and hazardous procedure; half burned plastics,
Glass and metal pieces remain. This is not an environmentally friendly practise,
especially not for the fragile ecosystem of the Sunderbans.

Mr. Schaette introduced a simple system of waste separation to avoid smell and hazardous smoke;
only burning the “light plastic” (Plastic-bags and wrappers) with paper in a self-built incinerator.

Not for burning but for recycling are Water-bottles (PET), PVC,
hard plastics (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass, tins, cans!

A Dumping Pit is necessary as not all is right for burning, nor recycling.

Batteries are for separate dumping only, as collection for recycling is rare in India.

Organic waste, especially dry leaves and straw should not be burned, because they give
excellent compost!

Now the Help Tourism Sunderban Jungle Camp has additional ecology features:

• to practise waste separation, avoiding the common habit, to burn all the waste in open fire,
  exposing smell and hazardous smoke
• using the kitchen waste, to develop compost for vegetable garden and trees in compound
  - to prepare its own organic vegetable garden
• the village community is now ready to copy the system.

A similar Campaign has been introduced to the new HelpTourism Camp in Chilapata, Dooars, as well
as in Chilapata village, in the Buxa and Jaldapara Reserve and in Sukna, a village near Silguri.

A bit more than three months have passed since the German expert Klaus was a main speaker at a workshop on Waste Management in Lava. That days, the meetings were well attended, the community was quite enthusiastic and the incinerator, that Klaus had introduced and explained, had been burning till late that night. He was very interested to find out how much of the communities’ self-commitment was left and how much of the waste was gone, and we as well we’re quite curious. So we called at Lava to get some feedback. Few members of the Lava Hotel & Restaurant Association, of the Driver Welfare Association and the Forest Department were around to share their experiences: A process has started and few cleaning and burning sessions have been organised. Both local people and visitors have recognised that something is happening. The Forest Department has adopted Klaus’ technology of the staggered grills for the construction of three incinerators that are located on strategic points in Lava. Places for waste-separation have been set aside next to the incinerators but practical implementation is only in the very beginning. Cleaning and burning are currently organised rather in form of events than with a clearly defined responsibility for permanent service and maintenance. Having two dedicated “village cleaners” for four incinerators is an odd relation. A broader community involvement, the establishment and use of a recycling and collection system, and a general commitment towards a cleaner Lava are issues that are addressed in formal and informal meetings. But the villagers are realistic enough to know that it is a long way.

Our summary: The collection and burning sessions have been quite effective. Lava appears much cleaner than before with many of the green areas unlittered. People still talk about waste and its treatment – the intention to bring this issue into the discussion worked out. Talking is not walking – and people have understood that well and the search for stable solutions continues.

A small boy passes by on his way back from school. Unpacking a toffee the sweet goes into his mouth and the wrapping on the street. As it was always done. As it was just done one minute early by the old man that had finished his beedee pack. A workshop can “Promote waste free tourism destinations” and get things started, but habits don’t change that easy.

A community workshop on waste management was held in Lava village in Kalimpong Subdivision of Darjeeling District. A German Expert spent three days in the village to train the villagers on waste separation and proper disposal.

The village is a popular tourism destination and the increasing amount of non-biodegredable waste has become an eyesore both for tourists and local people.

The programme was a joint initiative of ACT-Association for Conservation and Tourism, Help Tourism, Lava Hotel Owners Association, Lava Drivers Welfare Association, the village panchayat, and Byapari Sangathan.

Read the full summary of the workshop.