In a commendable move, residents of a housing complex in Kandivli in Mumbai are making their sincere efforts to make the sustainable living environment.
The 230 families residing in the 20-storey building in Raheja Eternity have reduced their dependence on the electricity grid by nearly 60% by using solar power generated in the premises.
To mark the World Environment Day on June 5, they collected Rs 35 lakh to install a 65kW rooftop solar system. Prior to this, they had replaced all regular lights in the building’s common areas with energy-efficient LED bulbs to conserve electricity.
“There are around 211 panels that generate around 260-280 units per day. But after we replaced all our society tube lights with around 650 LED bulbs, we have reduced our unit consumption substantially. Though the bulbs cost us around Rs80,000, it was worth it,” said Vishal Gharat, a resident of the society.
Out of 863 units of energy, only 337 units of energy is derived from the electricity grid by the society. The are saving around Rs 2.2 lakh per month on electricity bills.
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Besides this, the building also has a wastewater treatment plant that reduces their reliance on public sources.
Recently, homes in the complex have installed water saving nozzles in taps. It helps to reduce the flow of water by half. “We tend to keep the tap open when we brush our teeth or while washing utensils. The nozzle helps reduce the flow from 8 litres to 3 litres a minute,” said Pradeep Surana, another resident.
The society also has a rainwater harvesting system and a big storage tank.
For a greener environment, the residents are also nurturing 20 mango saplings in their lawn and terrace. “Once they grow to the desired size, we will plant these saplings in Sanjay Gandhi National Park. We want to live in a place that is better than it was when we got it,” said Ashish Shrivastava, another resident of the society.
The society also aims to install sensor systems to ensure that the lights will switch on only when someone passes by the sensor. The life of bulbs will also be enhanced by this move, residents added.
