NEW DELHI: On a day when President Pratibha Devisingh Patil was celebrating the completion of her third year as the first citizen of the country, Rashtrapati Bhavan became the first urban habitat in the country to get ISO 14001:2004 certification. Under the flagship project Roshni, the estate has adopted several green and energy-efficient measures which include solar lighting, vermicomposting, waste segregation and rainwater harvesting.
The certification implied that all standards set by the International Organisation of Standards (ISO) for environmental management systems are in place at the 340-acre President's Estate.
Data released by Rashtrapati Bhavan revealed that it had saved more than Rs 90 lakh in power bills in the first half of 2010 as compared to the corresponding period the year before. "Between January and June 2009, 78.95 lakh units of power were consumed. In the same period this year, consumption had come down to 64.03 lakh. This is due to the several energy-efficient measures that have been adopted here, including large scale use of solar power,'' said officials.
For efficient energy management, bulbs have been replaced with CFLs. Street and security lights have been synchronised with sunrise and sunset so that they come on only when it is sufficiently dark. Occupancy sensors have also been installed in some rooms where lights now come on only when someone enters the room and turn off as soon as the room is vacated. Solar water heating systems are also being used in 398 quarters.
Solid waste management has also been taken up in a big way. Waste segregation is taking place at the household level from where biodegradable waste is taken for composting. According to officials, 400kg of waste per day is being composted to produce organic manure that is used in the President's garden. The women self-help groups working inside the estate have also prepared 320 quintals of vermicompost since October 2009.
A bio-gas plant with a capacity of 25 cubic metres and which uses 600 kg of cattle dung each day to provide cooking gas for 70-80 persons has also been set up. Piped natural gas is also being provided to each household and is also used in the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen, departmental canteen and the laundry.
Eight rainwater harvesting structures cover the entire area of the estate because of which the level of groundwater rose by .88 metres between June and October 2009.
President Patil asked union minister for urban development Jaipal Reddy, who was also present on the occasion, to plan all upcoming habitats on a similar model to ensure that they were energy efficient from the start.
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