Bottled up

The Liter of Light is a worldwide movement started by Ilac Diaz from Philippines. It works with materials which one might find around the house like a plastic bottle,liquid bleach and water. When put together,it creates a source of light in homes which do not have much access to sunlight and are dependent on artificial light even during the day. After installing these bottles in seven locations in Mumbai,Subramanium and Bhosale along with their team,visited Pune to light up a children’s shelter in Katraj.

“There are so many slum areas in Maharashtra where rooms are not lit up by sunlight. They have to use a bulb or a tube light even during the day,which increases electricity consumption. We visit these slums and install these bottles,” says Bhosale,who is a researcher at Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS),Mumbai. The bottles are filled in specific proportions of water and bleach and is stuck to a plastic sheet. The prepared bottle is then stuck onto the roof of a home with one-third portion of it above the roof. The portion above the roof catches the rays of sunlight and refracts them throughout the bottle,which makes it glow like a 55 watt bulb. The bleach has nothing to do with making the bottle glow and is only used to keep the water clean as it prevents algae,moss and other fungi from growing in it. Each bottle can last for up to five years and requires no maintenance,which makes it hassle free and cost effective.

“We spread the word about our project on Facebook and many people joined our group. One of these volunteers told us about the shelter in Pune where he used to go and teach the kids. He remembered how dark and dingy it was and how the children had to struggle to read because there was hardly any light,” says Subramanium. When the team visited the location of Sumati Balvan,they found that the management had replaced tin roofs with plastic sheets as a vain attempt to allow some sunlight into the rooms. “We met the children and spoke to them about energy conservation as well as how to apply the science they learn in classrooms to practical use. They were thrilled when they saw the glowing bottles. Now they have enough light in their classrooms to read and write without straining their eyes,” he adds.