BHUVANA GREENS: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bhuvana Greens - Work in Progress

Panoramic View 28th May, 2011

Retainer wall in progress

Retainer wall in progress 2

Tower 1 Basement columns work in progress

Tower 2 Basement work

Tower 1 Basement work

TOWER 1 :

PODIUM FLOORING AND COLUMNS CONCRETE IN PROGRESS

MAIN FOOTINGS/ RAFT REINFORCEMENT AND CONCRETE WORKS IN PROGRESS

RETAINING WALL WORKS IN PROGRESS

TOWER 2 :

PODIUM FLOORING AND COLUMNS CONCRETE IN PROGRESS

MAIN FOOTINGS/ RAFT REINFORCEMENT WORKS IN PROGRESS

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Bhuvana - Work Progress, 14th May, 2011

Footings Work in Progress 1

Footings Work in Progress 2

Panoramic View 1

Panoramic View 2

Panoramic View 3

Retainer wall work in progress

RMC Supply in progress for site work

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Waste Segregation

A kabadiwala is welcomed with much fanfare at Indian homes, with people disposing of old newspapers, books, cans etc. This is a form of segregation we have been used to see, since childhood, when on lazy Sunday mornings we would take pride in "cleaning" the trash. This was a religious routine in our homes.

But as time has moved ahead, so has the needs to refine this method. Segregation of waste is the method of separation of waste, so that accordingly the waste which is not bio-degradable can be recycled or re-used. Actually a part of the waste can be converted to compost or manure, the other can be recycled, only a very small part of it has to be discarded.

Household waste should be disposed off separately as wet and dry waste. Toxic wastes like batteries, medicines, bulbs should be disposed separately. Wet waste, which consists of leftover foodstuff, vegetable peels, etc., should be put in a compost pit and the compost could be used as manure in the garden. Dry waste consisting of cans, aluminium foils, plastics, metal, glass, and paper could be recycled. If we do not dispose of the waste in a more systematic manner, more than 1400 sq. km of land, which is the size of the city of Delhi, would be required in the country by the year 2047 to dispose of it.

Door-to-door collection of waste is another method of segregation, but it is not a common practice as yet in India except in the metros where some private organizations are doing such work. The rag picker plays a very important part in the segregation of waste.

It is now becoming more and more essential to look for methods by which the garbage load on the land can be reduced. It has been seen that at present segregation of waste at source level seems to be the best.

A large number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are working in the field of solid waste management such as Clean Ahmedabad Abhiyan in Ahmedabad, Waste-Wise in Bangalore, Mumbai Environmental Action Group in Mumbai, and Vatavaran and Srishti in Delhi. They are all successfully creating awareness among the citizens about their rights and responsibilities towards solid waste and the cleanliness of their city. These organizations promote environmental education and awareness in schools and involve communities in the management of solid waste.

The role of the rag picker

Rag pickers are the people who are actually going through the garbage bins to pick out the ‘rags’. These rag pickers, women, children, and men from the lowest rung in the society, are a common sight in most cities and towns around the country. Rag picking is considered the most menial of all activities and it is people who have no other alternative that are generally driven to it. Rag pickers contribute a great deal to waste management as they scavenge the recyclable matter thereby saving the municipality of the cost and time of collecting and transporting this to the dumps.

The rag picker has a special role to play in the segregation of waste in India. He is one of the focal points for the recycling of waste. He is the person who, in spite of all the dangers that he faces, goes on relentlessly picking through the garbage bin, looking for waste that could be useful to him. He sells all the material he picks to the whole sellers and retailers who in turn sell it to the industry that uses this waste matter as raw material. The main items of collection are plastics, paper, bottles, and cans.

Rag pickers are well coordinated in their method of working. Among themselves, they have a good understanding for operating by area. Each group takes specific items from the bins. It has been observed that more and more women and children are getting involved in the business of rag picking. This is a matter of concern as these children who should be spending their time in schools either studying or playing are instead putting themselves at risk by handling waste. While picking through waste, the rag picker puts himself at a great risk and is always prone to disease as the waste that he rummages through can be infected.

We can indirectly help the rag picker by carefully segregating the waste that is generated at our homes, thereby facilitating his search for materials that are useful to him. He will not have to scavenge in the bins for long hours.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Securing Homes

I order to safeguard our houses and our valuables, a proper locking system is a must - have for any home. For several decades, simple locks were used to lock any any building. This was followed by brass padlocks with multiple levers and row pin cylinder type locks combined with electronic locking system. For extra safety, many houses are equipped with iron bars for the front and back doors. A peephole with a lens fixed to the front door and a safety chain are also ways of checking the credentials of the people before letting them in. In addition, steel grill doors are much in vogue today.

As the city has grown, residential localities have extended to areas beyond the heart of the city by many kilometers, with a subsequent increase in the chances of burglary. Security concerns are especially high in places where working couples have to leave their children alone and when elderly people live. Modern technology has come to force to address security problems for such buildings. Electronic security systems installed in houses and apartments raise an alarm against possible intrusion. Taking all these factors into consideration, many builders today are increasingly showing interest in installing the same in multistoreyed apartments and other buildings.

How the system works

There are different kinds of electronic security systems with different functions. A simple alarm system against an attempt to tamper the door to several hi-tech ones available in the market.

A video door phone is a system which helps residents identify a visitor through a monitor installed inside the house and communicates without opening the doors. This also has the facility of operating the door by remote control.

Another is the intrusion alarm system. Here, a control panel is installed inside the house. It is fitted with magnetic connector for the door, motion detector, glass breaking detectors and sensors for the windows and other possible accessible places. Any obstruction noticed by the system raise an alarm. This is a useful precautionary device. Many companies which provide these security systems have a Central Monitoring System. In this warning signals from individual customers are recorded and monitored. In a Central Monitoring System, Infra red signals are turned to sense obstacles which are over three and half feet in height and weighs more than 25 kgs in order to restrict false alarms. Even biometric systems are available which can be seen at Tirumala Temple where flow of people is very high. In this advanced technology scanning of fingers and retina can also be undertaken.

Different types of signals like fire accident, medical emergency and others can be identified and the police, the doctor or fire station, depending on the emergency can be contacted.The system provides early warning against attempt of burglary or any emergency like sudden illness; it helps not only save valuables but also the lives of the inmates of the house. An auto dialing system can also be fixed to these systems where prioritized numbers can alert the police, family members or the doctor. CCTV (Closed Circuit Television ) and an Access Control system which restrict the entry of unauthorized people are also available as a part of electronic security systems. Some of these systems have other unique features like identifying pet animals so that false signals are avoided to a certain extent. Panic buttons to identify leakage of gas alignment, electric shock circuits are other features provided in these systems. All these systems are safe, easy to operate and cannot be easily tampered with is the opinion of many suppliers who are in the market since a long time.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Every Drop Counts

1. Don't let the water run when washing your hands, brushing your teeth or shaving. Depending on your mixer, you lose about 7 to 20 litres of water this way - per minute. Turn off the water in the meantime or use a glass of water for brushing your teeth. For a wet shave, it is sufficient to fill the basin with a small amount of water before starting to shave.

2. For a full bath, you need about 140 litres of water. Showering however, consumes far less water, particularly when using a shower with EcoSmart Technology. An economic shower which uses only say 6 litres per minute, the water consumption is only 18 litre for a 3 minute shower without any sacrifice of comfort.

3. If solar energy is unavailable, heating water is bound to require fossil fuels. Therefore, those who save hot water reduce the production of greenhouse gas. In a household with four people water saving showers reduce the consumption of carbon dioxide by up to 700 kg per year.

4. A large portion of domestic water consumption - about 35 litres per person per day - is the water used for flushing the tiolet. Installing an interrupt control or a dual flush system is particularly worthwhile, since small flushes usually don't require more than 3 litres of water. This can save up to 10,000 litres of drinking water per person per year.

5. Domestic appliances like washing machines and dishwashers also use a considerable amount of water. When buying new appliances, pay attention to their energy efficiency class and chose a model of class of class A, or even better , A+, A++.

6. Of course, you can save most water by using it twice. A domestic grey water recycling system which can be easily integrated in to the planning of new homes or reconstruction projects, purifies, purifies the water used in bath and shower and makes it available as clear water - for example for flushing the toilet or watering the garden. Even collecting rain water by means of a water butt can have significant impact.

7. Even our buying habits have an influence on water consumption. For example, producing 1 kg of paper made from fresh fibers creates 100 litres of waste water, while the production of recycled paper uses only 15 litres of water per kg, saving natural resources at the same time. When buying toilet paper or writing paper, choose products from a well known eco label.

8. Enormous amounts of water are used in food production as well. For example, the artificial irrigation of vegetable fields in dry regions entails huge environmental problems. A diet which is geared towards seasonal and regional availability is not only better for the environment, but also better for your health.