Laloor continued...........

Plastic and plastic only....at the processing plant

Imported, as if it is scarce here!!!

These are two photos from the Laloor dumpyard. The source of plastic is not only national, but international too.

Now, what can a forester do? I am constantly pricked Vasu chettan's anxiety about the moral responsibility of experts and institutions. He has shades of our Gandhiji. My GOD, what would had happened if Gandhiji and other greats (including those faceless and nameless ones) had not recognized this moral responsibility while we were enslaved by the British?

Vasu chettan was particularly anxious about the impending SW monsoon (which is quite heavy in Thrissur) which will hit in 30-35 days time. The rain water will create  "point source pollution" in the neighbourhood wells. Sub surface lateral flow and leaching losses of all kinds of materials is a reality that will compound the miseries for this locality.  

The boundary between the plastic mountain and wall can have a vegetative belt

 I could go only to one side of the mountain. To mitigate or rather slow down the magnitude of sub-surface lateral flow and leaching losses, I suggest planting fast growing short rotation trees like Eucalypts or exotic Acacia (mangium or auriculiformis). I am quite aware of the concern of the environmentalists about these exotic species. I am also no lover of this two species either. But, at Laloor, our objective is simple and plain. We need to have some species that grows rapidly, suck up water (polluted one) and possibly, phyto-remediate too. These two species can do that (no confirmation on phyto-remediation). Moreover, these species also have a market as pulpwood (our HNL at Velloor can purchase it under their "Gate Purchase scheme"). If Eucalypts is chosen, it can be worked under the coppice system. This vegetative belt can either be of trees alone or can be a silvo-pasture (with Vetiver alias Ramacham). So apart from being a possible arrester of point source pollution, the aroma of Eucalypts sp. and Vetiver can ameliorate the environment and also provide some seed money for Laloor upliftment through the sale of pulpwood. 

This forestry solution is just a stop-gap arrangement for arresting the water pollutants for the Laloorians. But worth a try, isnt it?