Campus Talk: Mumbai’s RD National College takes the lead in promoting environment-friendly practices

National College Treated Water Tank

Two solar panels have been installed in the college by the Department of Physics, connected in series with an output of 160 watts per hour and storing capacity of 24 volts. Electricity generated by solar panels is used in the MSc Physics Laboratory. There is an in-house water recycling plant that treats water used in science laboratories and stores it in a tank on the ground floor. This tank then supplies water to flush toilets on the ground, first and second floors. Water from the same tank is used to water the plants of the botany and medicinal garden on the campus premises and also to mop the floors of the college. The college this year also ventured into rainwater harvesting with students’ projects on creating percolating pits in gardens and open spaces around the college.

National College Organic Fertiliser

Students’ participation is the best way to teach environmental sustainability, going beyond the theory in textbooks, according to the college. College principal Neha Jagtiani said: “Environment is something that is going to affect all of us irrespective of the different socio-economic demographics. Bringing such initiatives in colleges, help us reach thousands of households through each student, coming from the young generation which needs to be sensitised about responsibility toward the environment.”

Bhavik Unewal, a second-year Bachelor of Science student from the college, said: “Composting and rainwater harvesting were the concepts I had read in my environment studies textbooks. But I understood the process while working on projects.” Unewal has already started having talks with his housing society in Sion to start a composting plant for biodegradable waste generated in the building.