TARAgram A Model for Rural Industrialisation
Geeta Vaidyanathan

Eco-Design
Any sustainable society must be based on design processes and production systems that are sensitive to the limits of the ecosystem.  The flows of energy and materials must be minimised and, to the extent possible, local resource flows being given preference to long distance ones.  The construction sector which is responsible for the built environment, including shelter as well as infrastructure, draws heavily on the resources of the earth and can cause extensive damage to the natural environment. The design and construction of human settlements and industrial units must therefore take  special care to integrate the satisfaction of human needs with the concerns of resource efficiency and economic viability.

TARAgram is the appropriate technology resource centre of Development Alternatives, located in Orchha in central India.  (TARA stands for “Technology and Action for Rural Advancement”, and is the brand name of the products of Development Alternatives.  “Gram” in Hindi means village).  The mission of TARAgram is to develop techniques and institutions that can regenerate the resource base and make it available for utilisation in an efficient, equitable and environmentally sound  manner.  TARAgram serves as a model to bring  together social, environmental and technological knowledge to generate sustainable livelihoods through decentralised  production systems.  Such livelihoods are needed in large numbers throughout the developing world to improve material standards while maintaining the physical resource base. 

TARAgram manufactures products using biomass and other local raw materials.  These, at present, include paper, building materials and energy; new ones are being added continually.  In addition to serving also as a demonstration facility for such livelihood technologies, TARAgram provides on-the-job and course-based training for personnel from microenterprises that wish to set up similar plants. 

The captive power plant converts renewable biomass fuels (including mainly local agro-wastes and unusable weeds) into 80 kW of electricity using a highly efficient gasifier and diesel generating set.  The power plant will shortly be working at its full rated capacity of 100 kW.  A pyrolysis unit also generates excellent charcoal from local biomass.  These fuel conversion technologies have been developed by various research institutions in India and are optimised for local conditions.  The electricity generated supplies the needs of the entire campus, including the manufacturing plants, training  establishment, the artisans’ village, and other facilities for community interaction like an open air theatre. 

The handmade paper unit, representing a micro enterprise based on front-line technology designed by Development Alternatives employs more than 70 people, mostly women who earlier had no source of income.  Its raw materials include cotton rags from nearby urban markets and textile mills, used paper and waste biomass.   The paper unit occupies more than 500 sq.m of covered and open area for pulping, lifting, drying and finishing of paper.  The layout and placement of workstations have been carefully designed to simplify and reduce movement of materials, energy and people, leading to considerable savings in piping, wiring and human effort.

Indeed, the basic design principles of the entire village seek to maximise the functionality of the production facility and minimise the use of external energy and the movement of raw materials, water, finished goods, and  people .

The design and materials for the building were also chosen to maximise the use of local skills and building forms.  The structure therefore uses a series of arches  built with hand moulded stonecrete blocks.  Where the building is not exposed to water, the walls are made of compressed earth blocks.  In dry areas, the roof is made with Tara micro concrete roofing tiles (TARAcrete) supported by steel trusses made from locally available used boiler tubes.  The roofing tiles are coloured green to blend with the foliage.  To maintain the high standards of cleanliness needed in finishing of paper, the roof is made of ferrocement channels.  The materials used for construction are largely of low to medium energy intensity.  Wherever possible we have used waste and recycled materials available locally.  Use of industrial building products has been minimised.  The resource utilisation for construction of TARAgram is shown in Figure 2.  The entire TARAgram complex averages 0.12 tons of cement and 4.5 kg of steel per sq.m of construction compared with conventional building technologies which consume 0.21 tons of cement and 14.5 kg of steel for a building with the same performance.

Water Management

Being a production facility, TARAgram needs assured water throughout the year.  In fact, its requirement is approximately 100,000 litres of fresh water per day.  Designing the site for sustainable water management assumed, therefore, prime importance.  The initial site work was entirely devoted to water conservation structures including gully plugs and drainage channels.

To ensure adequate ground water recharging, a checkdam has been constructed on a stream that borders the site.  The reservoir thus created retains water throughout the year and ensures adequate charging into an open well which is the main source of water for TARAgram operations.

The geo-hydrological formations fortunately ensure that the water is of potable quality and, because of  the recharge caused by the checkdam and in contrast to most other places in the area,  water s available throughout the year.

Within the paper manufacturing  process,  great care has been taken to recycle the water as much as possible.  While the total water requirements of the paper production unit are 115,200 litres of water per day,  recycling and selective grading of more than 50% of the water reduces the requirement for fresh water to less than  55,000 litres.   Finally, the water exiting from the paper production process is passed through settling tanks to reduce the total dissolved solids.  The treated water is directed to the building material section for a second reuse.  A small quantity of the treated water is also used for watering of the site and for horticulture.  The water discharged from other production processes is allowed to percolate through the gulley plugs provided on site to effectively close the loop. 

The resource usage for building construction can be classified into three categories:

Figure 2

Energy Requirements

The energy requirements of TARAgram are primarily electrical energy for motors and pumps; heat energy for assured drying of paper and water heating, and cooking energy for site requirements.   Several alternatives were explored for setting up a power generating utility based on self-sufficiency and the use of renewable resources.   As a result, the  100 kW power plant uses a biomass gasifier based on technology developed by the Indian Institute of Sciences of Bangalore together with a commercially available diesel generating set.  An initial assessment of local availability has established renewable resources of approximately 500 tonnes per annum of Ipomea, more than sufficient for the 1 tonne per day required for the power plant.  There is no conflict in the use of this material since it has no other uses.  Environmentally, since it is pyrolised in the gasifier and not burnt in the open, emission of toxic fumes are avoided.  This unit has been commissioned and is working efficiently.  The collection and preparation of the Ipomea has also led to the setting up of  small household enterprises.

The waste heat from the exhaust system and the cooling water will be utilised for drying of paper and biomass products.  A heat exchanger system with forced convection is being set up to extract approximately 60 kW of heat equivalent for drying operations. 

The design of the production system is based on inputs of biomass and re-cycling of wastes.  The biomass can be effectively regenerated by efficient management of land and water resources.  The closing of the loops for water, biomass and materials is shown in Figure 3.  The net outputs of this system are sustainable livelihoods, handmade re-cycled paper and appropriate building materials.  The scope of  TARAgram is being extended to integrate other resources that can be made available with long term renewability, by using local skills and through  technology development.  The project will aim to demonstrate economic viability of Sustainable Production Systems while ensuring maximisation of products into the local economy.   q

by Geeta Vaidyanathan (Senior Architect, TARAgram, Orchha) and
Dr. Arun Kumar, Vice President, Technology Systems, Development Alternatives

  Back to Contents