It is Diwali time again, and Development Alternatives celebrates its anniversary, adding one more year to its youthful existence marked by a vibrant dynamism, always on the move, gaining momentum on its tireless journey of adventure and challenge to attain its goal of creating sustainable livelihoods in large numbers. Yet, in the midst of its work environment of flux and excitement, there is need for a pause, the need to view things in retrospect; to assess and analyze the successes and failures. Diwali is also the time for celebration and dreams – dreams of a brighter future. Development Alternatives had its genesis in a dream for a better India through the sustainable development process that improves everyone’s life to-day without jeopardising the lives of our children tomorrow; promotes efficient use of resources, environmental harmony, and a just and equitable social order. With more than 300 million people living below the poverty line in a society where all institutions have been created by the privileged few to ensure the perpetuation of vested interests, establishment of a just and social order appears to be a Utopian idea. But a dedicated team of professionals – scientists, and technologist, upon reflection, decided that it need not be so. Application of science and appropriate technology, efficient management of environmental resources could create sustainable livelihoods that generate income for people, give meaning and dignity to their lives. And, when people have a regular income, they raise themselves above poverty level. Thirteen year’s experience has proved that all dreams are not necessarily amorphous – some can be given substance and transformed into reality. The year in retrospect Pragmatism and a can do attitude have been the driving forces behind Development Alternatives’ achievements so far. It has taken long strides in R&D work in energy related areas, building technologies, and textiles machinery. It has consolidated its technologies and products and then sought new ventures branching out with new initiatives in new directions. Development Alternatives believes that its products and services have high revenue generating capacity through manufacturing and marketing particularly through franchising. During the year it has built up a strong marketing force that handles handmade paper, shelter and energy technologies, textiles machinery and textile products. It has been identified that Development Alternatives is the potential supermarket for appropriate technologies that can generate thousands of jobs in the rural areas that have hitherto been left out of the development process. The organization has an all India presence now with regional offices in Bundelkhand area of UP and MP and Tumkur/Dharmavaram districts in south India. In the east, networking with other NGOs is progressing very well and new partnerships for creating livelihoods are developing. TARAgram The activities of Development Alternatives encompass a wide range and our expertise in land and water management, development of wastelands, our ability to mobilize peoples’ participation in the development projects is acknowledged nationally and internationally. The array of building technologies is eminently amenable for dissemination and transfer of skills – so are the technologies in textile and recycling sectors. The need for an “Appropriate Technology Centre” has increasingly been going up the priority ladder as one of the important missions. The year 1996 has seen the fruition of the endeavour in the creation of TARAgram at Orchha, near Jhansi – a hallmark of excellence created through economy, enterprise, and efficiency – a beacon focusing the light towards sustainable development pathway through capacity building at grassroots level, empowerment of women through literacy, skill acquisition and employment – by enabling micro-enterprises to be set up by local people with their own initiatives and some financial assistance made available by financial agencies. A single window system is operational at TARAgram. A major initiative and diversification feature in 1996 is the commissioning of a 100 KVA generator at TARAgram that uses gas generated by a ‘Gasifier’ using biomass as fuel. The technology has been developed by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the equipment has been fabricated by NETPRO, Bangalore. This is a unique demonstration project implemented in partnership with DASAG, a Swiss engineering company active in energy field, especially promoting technology using renewable energy sources.
The present national energy scenario is grim. Economic development is hamstrung by acute shortage of power. Bridging the gap between the demands of industrial consumers, urban areas and the large consumers such as the Railways calls for financial resources amounting to billions of rupees. And the hitherto unelectrified villages have little or no chance at all in being brought within the T&D fold. The village economy can not improve without micro-enterprises, which require power for their operation. Energy is the single most critical input for all economic activities and upgradation of the quality of village life. Generation and supply of power on a ‘micro’ level using renewable energy sources is a distinct viable alternative to supply from the centralized grid system. To meet the pent up demands for energy in the rural areas, thousands of these “independent rural power producers” could be established with resources raised from the community, NGO funds, local small industries, international funding mechanisms such as GEF, and Joint Implementation projects under Climate Change Convention. Development Alternatives has the wherewithal to play a major role in IRPP and has formed ‘Decentralized Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd’. as a collaborative venture between its commercial wing Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) and DASAG. The marketing strategy of DESI envisages operating about 20 units by 1998 in UP/MP/Bihar/Karnataka in three clusters of 4-7 units. Research in Energy Sector Development Alternatives has been very active and deeply involved in the study of energy consumption in the construction sector. A very comprehensive study titled “Energy in Construction Sector – Structural Transformation Project” has been completed. The construction sector in India is responsible for a large share of the CO2 emission into the atmosphere. This is due to large scale of construction activity, and increasing use of energy intensive materials like cement, steel and bricks. The energy consumption patterns and resultant emissions from production of these materials are assessed with a view to identifying how the total emissions could be stabilised without limiting supply. The inevitable growth of population and societal expectations over the next few decades will require a significant augmentation of supply. To minimize the net CO2 emission, the only viable solution clearly lies in developing a sustainable building production system based on alternative low energy building materials and more energy efficient technologies. The net energy saving possible from a series of actions involving technology improvement and partial material substitution in walling, has an energy saving potential of 33% compared to a technology-as-usual scenario, based on existing technology. A further 50% energy reduction is possible through the use of industrial wastes in combination with lime. While the study has on one hand focussed on technology issues – options and factors that influence technology change and substitution, it also simultaneously identifies measures at he policy level needed to trigger these technology changes. Finally, the study has identified structural transformation processes required over different time horizons to activate the judicious use of resources leading to a sustainable building economy and stabilization of emissions. The study was commissioned by the Swiss Development Co-operation and INFRAS/AIE. VSBK Trials at Datia Field studies have been conducted at Datia, Madhya Pradesh with Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln technology this year. VSBK has proved to be the cleaner production technology in comparison to Bull’s Trench or the Clamp type kilns. The VSBK set up at Datia will be operated over the next year to ascertain the economic viability and market response of bricks produced in the VSBK. Environment Management The activities of the Environment Systems Branch have been marked by growing demand on its expertise in environment management. The consultancy groups have had their hands more than full with projects of great import and significance. The recognition of the global presence of this branch got clearly established with its selection for preparation of the “Environment and Social Report for Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, as a financial intermediary, was required to submit and obtain approval of the World Bank of a policy document – “Environment and Social Report”. Development Alternatives was commissioned to prepare this document in six months time. This project consisted of formulating environment and social policy and procedures, and outlining the organization support required to implement the procedures. The purpose and aim of the ESR is to provide the Institution an overall framework to guide it in the identification, assessment and management of environmental and social concerns at he organizational and at the project level. The environmental and social framework for IL&FS has been designed to be consistent, inter alia, with the BOOT/BOT framework. The ESR outlines the various policies, procedures and assessments that will enable IL&FS as a financial intermediary to ensure that a project is developed in consonance with the ESR and is adequately protected from attendant risks. In the wake of this project, came the assignment for a similar report – the client on this occasion, the Powergrid India. The project has designed an environmental and social policy for India’s power transmission agency. It critically reviewed the prevailing organizational mechanisms and suggested new systems and modifications to old ones to set into place procedures for making the company more environmentally and socially sensitive in its power transmission projects. Land and Water Management The projects under implementation by regional offices at Jhansi and Bangalore, had been progressing on schedule. In Tikamgarh district (MP), the ‘Water for Life’ project has been completed. In April, 1995, United Distillers of U.K. in collaboration with the UB Group of India, a part of their social responsibility programme, provided an amount of Rs. 20 lakhs for alleviating the water crisis in four villages in Newari block of Tikamgarh district. Two checkdams have been constructed to improve the water regime in the area. Handpumps and wells have been upgraded in these villages. Development Alternatives, Bangalore has been vigorously pursuing the “Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development “ project all through 1996. This project was initiated in May 1995 in Chiknayakanhalli Taluk of Tumkur Dist. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Regional Remote Sensing Service Centre/Indian Space Research Organization, Bangalore. This project is part of the 90 taluks where the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment has committed funds for implementation as soon as the action plans are ready and approved. The project covers an area of approximately 1200 sq.k.m and consists of about 234 villages grouped in 28gram panchayats. Mapping of six themes, namely; landuse/land cover, hydrogeomorphology, soils, slope, drainage, settlement and transport networks was undertaken using IRS Satellite data and toposheets of the Survey of India on a scale of 1:50,000. Thematic maps on all the above themes as well as derived maps from the same have been prepared. People related information has been collected from secondary sources as well as primary field surveys. As an NGO involved in this national programme usually undertaken by government agencies in most parts of the country, Development Alternatives has been able to mobilize people’s participation through panchayat meetings with all the 28 gram panchayats in the taluk. The information gathered from gram panchayat meetings and other participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques have been analyzed along with the natural resource information from satellite imagery and toposheets to prepare action plans for the taluk. Global Climate Change A forthcoming major event in the Development Alternatives’ calendar is the Conference on “Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ): Developing Countries” on January 8-10, 1997 in New Delhi. The conference objectives are:
More than two hundred delegates are expected to participate in this conference and great expectations have been raised on the outcome of the conference. (Please see August and October 1996 Newsletters for more details on AIJ). DEAN Launched Nearer home, to monitor the environment of Delhi, the DEAN (Delhi Environment Action Network) programme has been launched involving twelve schools. The Jal Tara Kit developed by Development Alternatives is a familiar equipment with all environmentally conscious schools. Institutions and Policy The benefits of development efforts did not reach the rural sector of society primarily because of centralized top-down planning and bad governance marked by corruption at all levels and total absence of transparency. In the final analysis, the highest form of development has to be co-eval with good governance. The success of development process depends on the participation of people, their empowerment, their ability to be vigilant of the actions of the powers that be, their exercising the right to information and demanding at all times transparency in governance. Development Alternatives has taken up the peoples’ causes through its advocacy partner – ‘People First’ who have produced a series of documents, and papers. Many of the ideas propagated by ‘People First’ have generated interest in the civil society and some have found acceptance with at least one state government in power. The information service of Development Alternatives, DAINET is fully operational and endeavours at state of the art level functioning. DAINET is accessible by all levels of users, not least the grassroots organizations who have hitherto been starved of information on sustainable development. A large part of the work of Development Alternatives naturally lies in communicating its insights with others. For this, the organization has an extensive publications programme, and a monthly newsletter that reaches thousands of readers all over the country. It also produces regular programs for broadcast on national television, covering a wide variety of issues on environment development. This year has witnessed the launching of the Hindi Newsletter – “Vikas Vikalp” as the medium to reach the unreached in the Hindi speaking regions of India. Conclusion At Development Alternatives, in our journey through the year, we have learnt to take the rough with the smooth. Obstacles have been many. Thee have been a few disappointments and failures too. But they are few compared to the successes. Nevertheless, we are aware that we cannot rest on our laurels. There are miles to go and new dreams to dream. Success achieved so far and the unwritten and unspoken commitment to make this world a better place for some of our less fortunate fellow human beings and our children will spur us to remain on the move a simple maxim embodied in the Upanishads as “charaiveti” – keep moving. Communication Unit
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