Environment Study Cell
Activities
Environment Study Cell at MGSIPAP recommends
Seechewals name for the prestigious Padma Vibhushan.
Sant Balbir Singh (October 2011)
The Institute has launched a scheme of Excellence Awards for recognizing the outstanding work of people
including government employees and members of the civic society. The aim of
this scheme is to flag the flagbearers of change. Therefore, MGSIPAP is in
touch with the luminaries working for different causes through its wide
ranging activities. One such man that the Institute respects deeply and holds
in high regard and who has been associated with the activities of the
Environment Study Cell here is, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal. The
contributions made by Sant Seechewal are widely known and appreciated
and to take this recognition further, the Institute has recommended Sant
Seechewal's name for awarding the Padma Vibhushan to him. The Institute
had recommended his name for this prestigious award last year also. The
activities of the Environment Study Cell that Sant Seechewal has been
associated with are seminars & workshops on environmental pollution,
ground water depletion and the relationship between religion and
environment.
In this regard, the excerpts from the D.O. letter written to the Additional secretary (Political) Department of General Administration is reproduced below:
Kali Bein, a 160 km-long tributary of the Beas river is the lifeline of Doaba. Due to population explosion and excessive urbanization, this rivulet gradually got utterly polluted. As a result of the hard labour under the able guidance of Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, this rivulet has been cleaned and revived and its condition now has been totally transformed. In addition, he has undertaken a number of other activities such as plantation of trees, construction of rural roads, setting of indigenous sewage treatment plant at Dasuya at a remarkably low cost. His contribution in the areas of education and sports is also remarkable He has shown how through collective efforts people can work wonders towards finding permanent solution to their prob lems.
Shri Balbir Singh Seechewal does not merely talk or write about the environment as many others do, but he has accomplished Herculean tasks to protect the environment, prevent water pollution and recharge water table through works which would have otherwise cost over Rs.50 crore to the Govt. Shri Seechewal is perhaps the only environmentalist who has actually and physically done so much of concrete work for environment. He has definitely done formidable tasks.
The greatness of the efforts and achievement of Sh. Seechwal lie not only in the magnitude of the work done, but also in the following remarkable models worth emulation which he created himself :-
(i) Indigenous Sewage Treatment Plant, Dasuya:-
The filth of the town is treated by simple method of screening, filtration, sedimentation, rotations etc. and made environmentally acceptable and reusable at a remarkably low cost. The screened sludge is used as manure for crops. The water after this simple treatment is made available for irrigation of crops through underground pipelines.
(ii) Revival of River Course:-
The community mobilization for dredging of Kali Bein(a tributary of river Beas) and removal of hyacinth for revival of this rivulet over a length of 160 km at a extremely low cost., is a great and unique example of work done by an individual. The cost of this venture by Government or contractual agency would have been over Rs. 100 crore at current value. By dredging and deepening, the risk of flooding to which this area was prone earlier, was eliminated.
(iii) Recharging of Ground Water:-
Silt settled in the bed of natural drains had converted itself into a impervious layer. This layer of slit was removed, exposing the under layers of the bed to aeration, increasing thereby considerably the capacity of the soil to absorb water, which ultimately led to significant rise of water level in the vicinity.
(iv) Construction of Rural Roads:-
People had cut berms in the village roads due to which the rural roads had disappeared. Earth was deposited on such berms through community participation. Thus road berms have been rehabilitated in about 400-500 km length of roads in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.
(v) Rural Sewerage and Sanitation -
In 12 districts, he got sewerage system laid at a very economical cost which is an example and model. If this model is adopted the Dream of Total Sanitation can be easily realized.
(vi)Flood Control Measures-
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, through community participation, has undertaken a number of measures to control floods in Punjab :-
1) Rural Sanitation : He got the sewerage system laid in village Uchi Dand(Ludhiana), village Chaggar (15000 population), village Bhaur(Sultanpur Lodhi) and Lohara ( Moga).
2) Mass Awareness Campaign: Under the Right to Life Act, he initiated a campaign to prevent pollution of Kali Bein (News papers clippings enclosed)
(vii) Recent Achievements:-
(1) In the year 2010, the canal has breached near Gaggrapoda village Shahkot. Sant ji constructed a ring bundh to plug in the breach through villagers help and thus saved the village from flooding.
(2) In September 2011, a bundh over Satluj river near Babupur village Shahkot was breached. Santji sought the community participation and restored the bundh within just 3 days Damage to the standing crop was thus averted.
(viii)Assuming Responsibility to Solve Difficult Problems:-
Sh. Seechewal is a person who pays attention to the problems experienced by the community and takes initiatives suo-moto to provide solution by first studying the matter deeply and analytically and then mobilizing the people and his followers for undertaking activity. He ventured into uncharted areas and set examples which no individual could by oneself plan and execute.
(viii) Shri Seechewal is a saintly person. He started the work more than a decade ago but his work was not recognized by the State Government or Government of India even though his deeds were recognized at national/ international forums. He was not conferred with Padam Shri Award because he was not a self speaking person. In view of this, it is recommended that Padma Vibhushan may be bestowed on him.
Contact: Shri ACM Bhandari, Faculty I/C, Environment Study Cell, acmbhandari@mgsipap.org
In this regard, the excerpts from the D.O. letter written to the Additional secretary (Political) Department of General Administration is reproduced below:
Kali Bein, a 160 km-long tributary of the Beas river is the lifeline of Doaba. Due to population explosion and excessive urbanization, this rivulet gradually got utterly polluted. As a result of the hard labour under the able guidance of Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, this rivulet has been cleaned and revived and its condition now has been totally transformed. In addition, he has undertaken a number of other activities such as plantation of trees, construction of rural roads, setting of indigenous sewage treatment plant at Dasuya at a remarkably low cost. His contribution in the areas of education and sports is also remarkable He has shown how through collective efforts people can work wonders towards finding permanent solution to their prob lems.
Shri Balbir Singh Seechewal does not merely talk or write about the environment as many others do, but he has accomplished Herculean tasks to protect the environment, prevent water pollution and recharge water table through works which would have otherwise cost over Rs.50 crore to the Govt. Shri Seechewal is perhaps the only environmentalist who has actually and physically done so much of concrete work for environment. He has definitely done formidable tasks.
The greatness of the efforts and achievement of Sh. Seechwal lie not only in the magnitude of the work done, but also in the following remarkable models worth emulation which he created himself :-
(i) Indigenous Sewage Treatment Plant, Dasuya:-
The filth of the town is treated by simple method of screening, filtration, sedimentation, rotations etc. and made environmentally acceptable and reusable at a remarkably low cost. The screened sludge is used as manure for crops. The water after this simple treatment is made available for irrigation of crops through underground pipelines.
(ii) Revival of River Course:-
The community mobilization for dredging of Kali Bein(a tributary of river Beas) and removal of hyacinth for revival of this rivulet over a length of 160 km at a extremely low cost., is a great and unique example of work done by an individual. The cost of this venture by Government or contractual agency would have been over Rs. 100 crore at current value. By dredging and deepening, the risk of flooding to which this area was prone earlier, was eliminated.
(iii) Recharging of Ground Water:-
Silt settled in the bed of natural drains had converted itself into a impervious layer. This layer of slit was removed, exposing the under layers of the bed to aeration, increasing thereby considerably the capacity of the soil to absorb water, which ultimately led to significant rise of water level in the vicinity.
(iv) Construction of Rural Roads:-
People had cut berms in the village roads due to which the rural roads had disappeared. Earth was deposited on such berms through community participation. Thus road berms have been rehabilitated in about 400-500 km length of roads in Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.
(v) Rural Sewerage and Sanitation -
In 12 districts, he got sewerage system laid at a very economical cost which is an example and model. If this model is adopted the Dream of Total Sanitation can be easily realized.
(vi)Flood Control Measures-
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, through community participation, has undertaken a number of measures to control floods in Punjab :-
1) Rural Sanitation : He got the sewerage system laid in village Uchi Dand(Ludhiana), village Chaggar (15000 population), village Bhaur(Sultanpur Lodhi) and Lohara ( Moga).
2) Mass Awareness Campaign: Under the Right to Life Act, he initiated a campaign to prevent pollution of Kali Bein (News papers clippings enclosed)
(vii) Recent Achievements:-
(1) In the year 2010, the canal has breached near Gaggrapoda village Shahkot. Sant ji constructed a ring bundh to plug in the breach through villagers help and thus saved the village from flooding.
(2) In September 2011, a bundh over Satluj river near Babupur village Shahkot was breached. Santji sought the community participation and restored the bundh within just 3 days Damage to the standing crop was thus averted.
(viii)Assuming Responsibility to Solve Difficult Problems:-
Sh. Seechewal is a person who pays attention to the problems experienced by the community and takes initiatives suo-moto to provide solution by first studying the matter deeply and analytically and then mobilizing the people and his followers for undertaking activity. He ventured into uncharted areas and set examples which no individual could by oneself plan and execute.
(viii) Shri Seechewal is a saintly person. He started the work more than a decade ago but his work was not recognized by the State Government or Government of India even though his deeds were recognized at national/ international forums. He was not conferred with Padam Shri Award because he was not a self speaking person. In view of this, it is recommended that Padma Vibhushan may be bestowed on him.
Contact: Shri ACM Bhandari, Faculty I/C, Environment Study Cell, acmbhandari@mgsipap.org
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