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ECO-RESTORATION and PRESERVATION Over the past 30 years Dr. Sanon has been working relentlessly to preserve the Himalayan ecosystem. His contribution ranges from grass-root work to national and international workshops. He has been : 1. One of the key figures in stopping Limestone Quarrying in the Mussoorie Hills. 3. Responsible for promoting water harvesting in the Himalayan regions. 4. The pioneer of collective tree plantation campaigns in the Mussoorie region. 7. The first practicing physician appointed as a Resource Person by the Ministry of Agriculture.
STOPPING LIMESTONE QUARRYING IN THE MUSSOORIE HILLS Mussoorie, a tiny hill resort spread over 64.5 square kilometers was helplessly undergoing open strip mining for Limestone. This was not only marring the landscape but also adversely affecting the socio-economic sustenance of Mussoorie by preventing the water recharge of springs, which provided water to this town. Dr. Sanon joined a handful of citizens forming the ‘The Save Mussoorie Society’ headed by Princes Sita of Kapurthala, Maizie Gantzer and May Badhwar. He was the motivating force behind the participation of all the educational institutions and citizens of Mussoorie in the outcry and protest against limestone quarrying in the area. Subsequently, a Rajya Sabha Committee on petitions (A Standing Committee of the Upper House of the Parliament of India) visited Mussoorie. Dr. Sanon presented the issues of health, air pollution and inversion of smog consequent to limestone quarrying and limestone based polluting industries in Doon Valley to the Committee on November 29th. 1983. He also contributed facts and matters strengthening the public interest litigation at the Supreme Court of India to stop limestone quarrying in Mussoorie. As a result of these massive efforts limestone quarrying was stopped in the hills of Mussoorie.
TOWN PLANNING and the MASTERPLAN OF MUSSOORIE
Dr. Sanon studied in detail, the hydrological sensitivities of Mussoorie- a town wherein the urbanization process was devouring the very hill slopes which were responsible for silently absorbing rainwater to feed the numerous springs that supplied water to this town. To highlight these sensitivities he produced the first and only documentary film on the state of environment of Mussoorie titled “Mussoorie calls for help” (1988). To highlight the same he presented video cassettes of this documentary to the people in power. Debris consequent to the rampant construction of buildings was being indiscriminately dumped on hill slopes not only preventing the natural regeneration of greenery but also suffocating outlets of water springs. Action taken by Dr. Sanon protected the Douglas Dale Spring (January 27th, 1987) as well as the K.B. Rao springs, Bhilaru and Ginsey springs, the upper catchments of Arnigad and the dwindled water source at Rani Villa (various plantation campaigns). Dr. Sanon was also invited to address the Cabinet Ministers committee meeting at the Uttar Pradesh Government Secretariat (February 1st , 1989) in order to highlight the mistakes the Town Planning Committee was making in drafting the Master Plan of Mussoorie. As a result of Dr. Sanon’s recommendations several fundamental changes were made at the policy level in order to ensure a more balanced development for Mussoorie in the years ahead.
THEN (Jan27th 1987) NOW (April 19th 2007)
Dr. Sanon highlighted the importance and the need to tap roof top rainwater besides promoting rainwater conservation in the middle and lower reaches of a water catchments. He promoted water conservation by digging earth pits along water drainage lines which has been named “Khadai Taal” in Hindi . These concepts were imparted by Dr. Sanon to almost 15,000 progressive farmers from 2,800 rural blocks as he trained them under the NWDPRA (National Watershed development Project for Rainfed Areas) Dr. Sanon was the first individual to organize tree plantation campaigns in Mussoorie (July 21st 1986). Thereafter, collective tree plantation campaigns were carried out by him at numerous locations, each time over degraded Micro water catchments of Mussoorie. These plantations were held at:
Bhilaru water catchment (August 22nd, 1987) Infectious Diseases hospital hill slope (August 20th. 1988) Laxmanpuri hill slopes (July 25th. 1993) Oak Grove School Mullingar Hill - The Woodstock School K.B.Rai Spring - ITBP Campus (August 19th, 1994)
Students awaiting their turn to plant a sapling on a rainy day
Dr. Sanon seen here addressing students at the K.B. Rai spring micro-water catchment (August 19th, 1994)
"The show must go on..": Plantation in the midst Tree plantation campaign with the Woodstock School students at the IDH Estate. Dr. Sanon addressing the the first tree plantation campaign in the of political turmoil and Section 144 (August 19th, 1994) (August 20th, 1988) Mussoorie region (July 21st, 1986)
THEN (July 21st. 1986) NOW (April 19th 2007)
These two pictures were taken from the identical site after a time span of 22 years. The first picture shows students digging pits for saplings on the bare hill side. The second shows the result of the hard work. The bare hill is now covered with tall conifers and the meandering road is barely visible. Reaching the hill top too was not as easy a task as it was 22 years ago, thanks to the dense vegetative cover !
THEN (July 21st. 1986) NOW (April 19th 2007)
The red arrow showing the white cottage -- The only proof that the above two photographs are of the same site.
THEN (July 21st. 1986) NOW (April 19th 2007)
Two photographs of the same site 22 years apart . Notice the tall conifers (and the satisfied environmentalist) on the left side of the road.
BHILARU WATER CATCHMENT THEN (--------) NOW (April 19th 2007)
Dr. Sanon was the first to highlight the risk of air pollution in the Doon Valley while he addressed an elite audience at The India International Center on on March 14th, 1984 ( covered in the national newspaper ”The Hindustan Times” titled “Dirge of dying Doon”). Subsequently he presented a paper at the K.E. Petroleum Institute, Dehradoon, highlighting the risk of of air pollution and inversion of currents of smog, risking the population of the Doon Valley during winter (July 1st, 1985). He studied the topography of the Doon valley and sought co-operation of the Defence Research Development Organization (Ministry of Defence) by their conducting a study of the status of air pollution in the Doon valley (July 14th, 1986). This paper was addressed to the Government of India and discussed personally in a closed room communication by Dr. Sanon with the Principal Secretary, Industries of Uttar Pradesh.
The Doon valley was witnessing a mushrooming of limestone based industries fired by the rising fossil fuel consumption. This was subjecting this beautiful valley to much higher levels of smoke emission. The silent effort made by Dr. Sanon resulted in the declaration of the Doon Valley as a “non-polluting industrial area” and contributed to the closure of all combusting industries in the region. He was also appointed as an “Amicus Curie” on this matter to the High Court of Allahabad (Public Interest Litigation Civil Miscellaneous Writ Petition No.23178 of 1998). Working on this subject at the grass-root level, Dr. Sanon promoted the use of pressure cookers amongst villagers. This reduced the burning of fossil fuels by two-thirds and helped in conserving the green cover manifolds, thereby lending to absorption of much of the atmospheric Carbon dioxide.
Hands-down training in the Dr. Sanon seen here with members of the Inner Wheel Club Mussoorie Fuel-efficient pressure cookers compared at "Almas" village, distributing pressure cookers. Each household was to traditional cooking using pans. gifted a cooker.
In 1985 Dr. Sanon and his wife, Dr. Venu Sanon (a pathologist) took water samples from different locations of Mussoorie and found many of those to be contaminated with E. Coli on bacterial culture. By a recky of the town, and tracing the sewage lines, it was detected that the main sewage pipe leading to the Bhilaru cess tank was leaking at multiple points. This pipe went aerially across a gully supported by wooden logs on a suspension bridge. These wooden logs had decayed at many points leading to tilting and breach of the sewage pipeline and joints. This was a matter of grave soil and water pollution because this untreated sewage was falling close to the major source of Mussoorie’s water supply, the Bhilaru and Ginsey water springs. This issue was brought to the knowledge of the local as well as State authorities through the Prime Minister of India (dated: ____). As a result of his efforts, the administrative machinery moved swiftly to correct the fault.
RESOURCE PERSON – NATIONAL WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR RAIN FED AREAS Dr. Sanon was nominated as a resource person by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to impart training to farmers from the entire rain-fed agro climatic zones of India. 2800 rural development blocks (units of rural development areas) attended a training module developed by Dr. Sanon – His areas of thrust were introducing the farmers to the advantages and mechanisms of self-help thrift groups (SHTG- rural micro banking), formation of informal cooperative groups and insight into watershed based household production systems. These training workshops were conducted over 2 years in which soil and water conservation officers (state appointed agriculture scientists) led their teams for the training. |
Copyright ©
2007
Sunil Sanon, MD.
Website designed and maintained by
Saurabh Sanon, MD.
Photographs Copyright © 2007 Saurabh Sanon, MD
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