GREEN AUDIT REPORT - Payyanur College · Bhoomithrasena, Forestry club, Campus beautification committee, Zoological Club, Botany Club, Birds club, NSS, NCC etc) 2. REPORT OF FAUNAL

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GREEN AUDIT REPORT

BRIEF REPORT OF A JOINT EFFORT BY

THE DEPARTMENTS OF ZOOLOGY, BOTANY AND PHYSICS

PAYYANUR COLLEGE, PAYYANUR

DECEMBER 2017

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CONTENTS

Page No.

1. THE TEAM 3

2. INTRODUCTION 4

3. OBJECTIVES 4

4. STUDY METHODS 4

5. RESULTS 5

A. CAMPUS WEALTH AND HEALTH

AREA AND HABITATS 5

FAUNA 8

FLORA 12

SOIL QUALITY 17

WATER QUALITY 19

B. WASTE MANAGEMENT 22

FOOD WASTE 22

PLASTIC WASTES: 22

E – WASTE 23

C. ENERGY AUDIT 24

SOLAR POWER GENERATION SYSTEM: 25

ROOF-TOP RAIN-WATER HARVESTING 26

BIOGAS 26

CARBON FOOT PRINT 26

6. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE THRUSTS 28

ANNEXURES (AS SEPARATE REPORTS)

1. REPORT ON GREEN INITIATIVES IN THE CAMPUS (Activities by Biodiversity club,

Bhoomithrasena, Forestry club, Campus beautification committee, Zoological Club, Botany

Club, Birds club, NSS, NCC etc)

2. REPORT OF FAUNAL STUDIES

3. REPORT ON TREES OF THE CAMPUS

4. ENERGY AUDIT REPORT

5. E - Waste Report

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THE TEAM

Staff and students, Departments of Zoology, Botany and Physics

Coordinator : Dr. P R Swaran, Dept of Zoology

Members : Dr. E Harikrishnan, Dept of Botany

Preethi Rajan M K, Dept of Physics

Dr. Ratheesh Narayanan, Dept of Botany

Vinodkumar T, Dept. of Physics

Suresh S (Dept of Geography, Kannur University Campus)

Student members : Vysakh M K, III BSc Zoology

Jithina Narayanan, III BSc Zoology

Chaithra M, III BSc Zoology

Jyothi K, III BSc Zoology

Saranya KV, III BSc Zoology

Shilpa K, III BSc Zoology

Students involved in tree survey

: Amrutha K, Anjali Viswanath, Anjusha K P, Anusree K,

Reshma C, Athira John, Athira Unnikrishnan, Salabha N,

Sanjana Suresh, Shafeena N M, Shijina C V, Sneha, Yamini S

(III BSc Botany)

Students involved in e waste survey

: Athira Ravendran K and Fathimath Sahala K (III BSC Physics)

Students involved in energy audit

: Athira Varma and Haritha PK (III BSc Physics)

Students involved in faunal survey

: Meera Ravi, Roshni PK and Sanjana S (III BSc Zoology)

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INTRODUCTION

Learning about ourselves should be our foremost concern, especially being a higher

Education institution. Our approach to nature is definitely the basic fact that defines our

future and our very existence. So a self inquiry on the environmental quality of our campus

was attempted to realize how green is our campus and how sustainable are our approaches.

Apart from understanding the issues and planning of measures to solve them, it is an

educational process too, as students from various departments of the college got involved

in the process of audit.

OBJECTIVES :

A comprehensive analysis to determine how green is the campus and our activities with

main focus on the following aspects.

1. Land use pattern – area of the campus under different ecological zones and its

transformation over the last five years.

2. Flora – the plant wealth of the campus

3. Fauna – the animal wealth of the campus

4. Soil quality of different zones

5. Water quality at source and supply

6. Waste – sources and management

7. Energy use

8. Vehicle use

9. Identifying future preferences

STUDY METHODS :

1. Area: GIS maps of the campus, demarcated into different zones based on ground analysis

and the area under each zone is found using software.

2. Flora: Plants were recorded by manual survey. Quantification in different zones is also

attempted.

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3. Fauna: Survey for larger animals. Sampling for soil animals. Quantification attempted for

soil organisms in different zones.

4. Soil: Samples collected from different zones, and tested at District soil testing lab,

Karimbam.

5. Water: Water samples from the source (Open Well) and taps were analysed at Water

Testing Lab, Kannur.

6. Waste management: The amount of waste produced and the current practices of

management are analysed. Amount of e-waste in the campus obtained through survey.

7. Energy audit: energy consumption was obtained from electricity bills. Energy

requirement of all electronic and electrical equipments in the college was obtained

through survey. The light requirements and the methods of reducing consumption

through measures like LED were analysed. Biogas and its issues were also analysed.

8. Vehicle use : the mode of conveyance used by students and staff of the college were

recorded by oral survey in all the classes for students and personal interview for staff.

9. Green initiatives: There are a handful of clubs and organisations within the campus that

contribute to green initiatives. A report of their activities was made.

10. Towards future: The issues related to environment, which were identified during the

study and can be solved in future are found out and listed in this last section based on

the data obtained in the relevant sections.

RESULTS

A. CAMPUS WEALTH AND HEALTH

Payyanur college is situated in North Kerala, about 40 km from Kannur, the district head

quarters. The campus spans to about 104 acres of land (one of the few colleges with largest

area in Kerala). The whole land was donated by the natives to start the college, and the

agreement is that the land can never be sold, but used or donated free of cost, only for

purposes related to education. It is on this ground that the college campus has generously

donated land for the establishment of two university campuses (Kannur and Sanskrit),

Kendriya Vidyalaya and PES Vidyalaya.

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1. AREA AND HABITATS

The area is laterite hilly type with grasslands and acacia as the major vegetation. The area at

present can be divided into 7 zones as in table. The area was mapped using GIS, and

compared with data of five years back. The table below shows the change in area in

different zones during the last 5 years.

Sl

no

Zone 2012 2017 Difference (m2)

Area

(m2)

Area (%) Area

(m2)

Area (%) (m2) (%)

1 Barren land

(courtyard, rocky

area barren)

50461 22 59199 26 + 8738 + 17

2 Buildings 11698 5 12078 6 + 380 - 3

3 Exotic trees

(acacia/casuarinas)

78864 35 64344 28 -14520 +18

4 Grassland 60889 28 60939 27 +50 -

5 Ground 4977 2 10212 5 +5235 +105

6 Mixed vegetation 16684 8 16460 7 -224 1.3

7 Water body - - 341 1 +341 100

Total 223573 100 223573 100 0

The area under barren land include areas like courtyards of buildings and rocky areas. The

increase in barren area by 17 percent is mainly due to the construction of new building (its

courtyard) and the soil dumped area. The area mostly cleared for the new building was

acacia plantation, and some area under acacia was replaced with native vegetation. The

ground area was almost doubled by clearing acacia.

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Campus map 2012

Campus map 2017

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2. FAUNA

Payyanur College has a large campus area of around 100 acres that include different

habitats – natural as well as altered systems. It is originally a typical midland laterite hillock

with high ecological significance comparable with Madayippara. So understanding the

biological wealth of the system is very important at least to understand what we lose by

different activities like building, ground etc, and take up adequate conservation methods.

Animal species recorded in the studies already done in recent years were compiled from

project reports of BSc students (table 1)

Table 1. Animal species recorded from the campus over the last 5 years

SL. NO. GROUPS

NO. OF

SPECIES

17 Centipede 1

18 Diplura 1

19 Earwig 1

20 Fly 5

21 Homoptera 3

22 Isopods 2

23 Lepisma 1

24 Millepede 2

25 Mite 1

26 Pseudoscorpion 1

27 Springtail 4

28 Thrips 1

Total 248

SL. NO. GROUPS

NO. OF

SPECIES

vertebrates

1 Mammals 10

2 Birds 29

3 Reptiles 14

4 Amphibians 5

Invertebrates

5 Annelids 4

6 Molluscs 5

7 Beetles 15

8 Grasshopper 10

9 Hymenoptera 36

10 Isoptera 13

11 Lepidopterans 43

12 Dragonflies 10

13 Spider 19

14 Cricket 8

15 Blattidae 2

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For the present analysis, soil fauna were selected for detailed study. Soil organisms play a

vital role in determining many soil characteristics. By their activities, they improve the soil

chemically, physically and biologically and thereby create an ideal situation for the plants to

grow. Soil organisms, being highly sensitive to environmental changes are among the

ecological indicators that indicates the health of a system. So by studying them we can

understand how healthy our campus is.

Methods of study

College campus is a heterogeneous area with both natural and altered habitats. Two types

of distinct habitats each were selected from this for the study as follows.

NATURAL

i) Grassland

ii) Shady scrub jungle

ALTERED

i) Herbal garden

ii) Acacia plantation

Organisms are collected through three techniques (Macfadyen, 1953)

Pitfall trap

Hand sorting

Berlese funnel

Pitfall trap Burlese funnel

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The diversity indices were calculated online using biodiversity calculator at

https://www.alyoung.com/labs/biodiversity_calculator.html.

Results:

Table 2 shows the overall diversity in nutshell and Table 3 shows the dominant group of

organisms in terms of number of individuals. A total of 860 organisms were collected

belonging to 96 species. The diversity index values are high. For example the Shannon value

ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 usually, and here the overall diversity is close to the highest value

(3.346). likewise Simpson index ranges from 0 to 1 and the minimum value indicates

maximum diversity. Here the overall Simpson value is just 0.063.

Table 2. Overall diversity of soil organisms in the campus

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Herbalgarden

Acacia Grassland Shadyjungle

No. of orgnsm

No. of sp.

HABITAT No. of organisms No. of species Shannon-

Weiner index

Simpson index

Herbal garden 222 39 2.786 0.09327

Acacia 162 38 2.911 0.08312

Grassland 279 35 2.489 0.1412

Shady jungle 201 27 2.348 0.1567

Total

(Campus

diversity)

860 96 3.346 0.06334

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It is interesting to note that Acacia has the highest value for Shannon index and lowest value

for simpson index (highest diversity). However, close examination of the data shows that

majority of the species belongs to two major groups – ants (16 species) and spiders

(8species). Both of them are actually surface/litter organisms and not true soil species.

Acacia is almost like a naturalized system in the campus, with many years of existence. The

shade it provides, together with least soil alterations and thick litter layer must be providing

adequate habitat for some organisms.

The lowest value for diversity indices – lowest Shannon and highest Simpson – was obtained

for Shady area. This is probably due to the continuous human interaction and dumping and

burning of waste materials in the area.

Table 3. Number of different group of organisms (individuals, not species) collected from

four different habitats (dominant groups are given in bold letters)

Habitat Herbal garden Acacia Grassland Shady jungle

Earthworm 2 0 0 0

Mites 10 1 78 1

Spider 6 15 2 2

Pseudoscorpion 2 2 0 0

Centipede 5 1 1 18

Millipede 2 1 1 0

Woodlouse 45 18 4 11

Lepisma 2 1 0 0

Springtail 33 18 39 55

Campodeids 1 1 0 0

Cricket 3 1 5 3

Earwig 1 0 4 0

Termite 18 34 52 1

Thrips 1 1 2 0

Bugs 2 0 0 0

Beetle 18 3 2 10

Ants 69 60 77 83

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Wasp 0 1 2 0

Fly 2 1 8 4

Gastropod 0 3 0 8

Conclusions

The college campus has rich overall diversity of soil organisms that indicates its ecological

importance.

Any alterations in these habitats, should ensure minimum damage to this rich diversity.

Large area in the campus is already altered for ground and buildings.

Acacia, though an exotic, is almost naturalized in the campus. It is evident by the highest

diversity values. Further in depth analysis on the type of organisms and their role in the soil

is needed for concrete conclusions.

The record of lowest diversity values in the most disturbed area (human interaction and

pollution) highlights the need for immediate steps to conserve the area.

The study has limitations of time and space. Over the year collection in more areas would

give more concrete results. Also detailed study of specific groups like ants, spiders etc in

different habitats would give more clear information on the variation in their diversity.

2. FLORA

The plants of the campus so far recorded from different studies were documented and

given below in section A. A detailed study on the trees present in the campus, their number

and specialities were analysed and given in section B.

Section A. plants of college campus already recorded

Payyanur College Campus, Kunhimangalam Grama Panchayath, Kannur District is a midland

hills and are characterized by lateritic plateaus and scrub jungles. Lateritic rocky surfaces,

grasslands and scrub jungles of these hills are rich and diverse habitats of vast varieties of

flora and fauna. The floral diversity is very rich with different species of shrubs, herbs,

climbers, creepers and trees that are growing at the rocky surfaces and in the slopes of hills.

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The alternation of very wet and dry conditions creates an unusual ecological situation that

supports a unique flora. The vegetation of the area can be grouped mainly into grasslands,

and scrub jungles. The vegetation of grasslands can again be categorized into wet and dry

phases based on the season. These grasslands are rich with many species of seasonal

herbaceous plants and grasses. The scrub jungles are with various shrubs and climbers.

The floristic study in Payyanur College campus conducted by Department of Botany with

Biodiversity Club Members resulted in the collection, identification and description of 370

taxa of flowering plants. Among these plant 183 species are herbs, 74 are shrubs, 63 are

climbers including lianas and 40 species are trees. The magnitude of the species diversity is

clear when it compared with that of other regional Floras of Kerala. Many of the top families

of Western Ghats are well represented in Edanadan hills also. Fabaceae with 44 species is

the largest Angiosperm family followed by Poaceae with 32 species.

SL.

NO. FAMILY

NO. OF

SPECIES

1 Amaranthaceae 10

2 Anacardiaceae 2

3 Annonaceae 2

4 Apiaceae 2

5 Apocynaceae 6

6 Araceae 3

7 Aristolochaceae 1

8 Asclepiadaceae 5

9 Balsaminaceae 1

10 Caesalpiniaceae 8

11 Cannabaceae 1

12 Capparidaceae 5

13 Cariophyllaceae 1

14 Commelinaceae 3

15 Cucurbitaceae 5

16 Dioscoreaceae 4

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17 Dipterocarpaceae 1

18 Droceraceae 1

19 Euphorbiaceae 22

20 Fabaceae 48

21 Flacourtiaceae 1

22 Gentianacea 4

23 Gesneriaceae 1

24 Hypocrataceae 1

25 Hypoxidaceae 1

26 Lamiaceae 9

27 Lauraceae 2

28 Leccythidaceae 1

29 Leeaceae 1

30 Lentibulariaceae 2

31 Liliaceae 3

32 Lynaceae 1

33 Lythraceae 1

34 Malpighiaceae 1

35 Malvaceae 11

36 Melastomataceae 4

37 Meliaceae 2

38 Menispermaceae 5

39 Mimosaceae 7

40 Moraceae 5

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Section B. detailed exploration on tree species of the campus:

The study was done to document the number, types and specialities of the tree species of

campus, except for the trees planted under special projects like Johncyvanam, herbal

garden, RET etc. So the aim was to document the unprotected tree species, to ensure

protection in future.

27 species of trees are present in the Payyanur College Campus. The number of plants in

each species and average diameter are given in Table 1. The whole campus except the

places of conserved plantations of Botany department was taken for the survey. For

considering as a tree an approximate height of 5m is considered; also excluded some shrubs

(Canthium sp,) and Bamboos with a height of more than 5m. For taking the number of tree

plants only those with a height of 5 m. are considered. The diameter was measured 5 c.m.

above the ground level. The leaves are collected and photographed. The photo of the bark is

taken from a height of 1.5 m. of the tree trunk. The colour, structure and ornamentation

patterns in the bark are noticed. Observations were summarized in Table 2 and Table 3.

Table 1.Number and average diameter of trees present in Payyanur College Campus

Sl. No Name of the tree No of plants in

Payyanur campus

Average

Diameter

in cm

1 Acacia auriculiformis 128 85.2

2 Acacia mangium 2 132.35

3 Alstonia scolaris 2 129.4

4 Anacardium occidentale 10 147.6

5 Artocarpus heterophyllus 5 86

6 Caryota urens 3 144.5

7 Cassia fistula 4 125.8

8 Cassia siamea 5 99.9

9 Casuarina equisetifolia 15 163.7

10 Cocos nucifera 8 95

11 Delonix regia 6 146

12 Erythrina indica 2 56

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13 Ficus benghalensis 3 475

14 Ficus religiosa 5 220

15 Hopea ponga 5 105.3

16 Lagerstroemia indica 8 80.3

17 Macaranga peltata 20 116.3

18 Mangifera indica 20 181

19 Phyllanthus emblica 10 139.4

20 Plumeria alba 2 32.4

21 Pongamia pinnata 2 96

22 Strychnos nux-vomica 2 98

23 Swietenia mahagoni 24 136.4

24 Syzygium cumini 4 163.5

25 Tamarindus indica 4 132.3

26 Tectona grandis 12 134.1

27 Trema orientalis 20 81.6

Eight sp. are deciduous trees while the others are evergreen. 15 spp. of the trees have

simple leaf where as 11 spp. have compound leaf. Phyllodes are present in Acacia where as

cladode is present in Casuarina. Large leaves are present in the case of palms- coconut and

fish tail palms. Small leaves are present in the case of Tamarindus and Phyllanthus. The

largest leaf bearing dicots are Tectona and Macaranga.

Observations on the bark are given in the Table 3; but for the classification morphological

and anatomical studies are to be carried out in future. The leaf and bark morphology can be

used for the taxonomic key preparation which will help a common man to identify the tree

species around him.

Based on the Nativity, eighteen plants are Asian, native to America are two, native to Africa

are five and there were four Australian plants and two of the trees have a worldwide

distribution (Casuarina and Trema). The study of distribution pattern of the plants may give

the history of human invasion and plant evolution along with other associated organism

evolution. The phytosociological changes attributed to the introduction of a nonnative plant

is not addressed so far.

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All the plants were useful in one way or another; so the deeper and wider studies are to be

carried out for the future prospectus and conservation. Plants endemic to India are found to

have a lesser phytochemical details as in the case of Hopea ponga.

SOIL QUALITY

Soil samples were collected from the four study habitats and dried by spreading on a plain

sheet of paper under room temperature. The soil samples were then packed air tight and

was sent for analysis to District Soil testing lab, Karimbam, Taliparamba. Major parameters

analysed were the soil PH, dissolved minerals, organic carbon (%), Phosphorus (kg/ha) and

Potassium (kg/ha).

The result of the soil analysis is given in table 1. It’s possible relation with faunal elements is

discussed in the respective heads.

Table 1. Result of soil test

Sl.no Spots PH Dissolved

Mineral

Organic

carbon(%)

Phosphorus

(kg/ha)

Potassium

(kg/ha)

1 Herbal garden 6.1 <0.40

Moderate

1.95

High

15.68

Medium

183.68

Medium

2 Acacia 5.13 <0.40

Moderate

2.30

High

12.54

Medium

170.24

Medium

3 Grassland 5.2 <0.40

Moderate

2.05

High

12.99

Medium

156.80

Medium

4 Shady Jungle 5.1 <0.40

Moderate

2.31

High

16.57

Medium

268.8

Medium

Herbal garden

It is an artificial plantation of herbs, shrubs and trees. The daily irrigation and use of

biofertilizer (cow dung) is a unique property of this habitat. So the moisture content along

with manures influence the vegetation and fauna composition. It is generally a shady area

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due to presence of leafy trees and shrubs. The pH of the soil is moderate (6.1), may be due

to the application of cow dung. Dissolved mineral content is also moderate (<0.40). High

organic carbon content (1.95%), moderate potassium (183.68kg/ha) and phosphorous

(15.68kg/ha) are other peculiarities.

Acacia

The area is dominated by the exotic Acacia auriculiformis trees and saplings. Acacia

mangium and Casuarina are the other exotics in the campus, but they do not form a

continuous stretch. Acacia are known to have allelopathic characters, that may negatively

influence the soil fauna both directly and indirectly. The soil do not receive direct sunlight

and the area is almost naturalized due to many years of existence. pH of the soil is

comparatively low (5.13) which indicates the acidic nature. The organic carbon content is

2.3% (high) . The other constituents of soil such as dissolved minerals (>0.40),

phosphorus(12.54kg/ha) and potassium(170.24kg/ha) are present in moderate amount.

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses. Grasses like

Andropogon, Arundinella, Agarostus, Ischaemum etc are found abundantly. Grassland has

sparse trees. The grasses in this zone are mixed with herbs like crotalaria, leucas, ixora etc.

This place receives direct sunlight. It forms the feeding land of grazing animals like cow, goat

etc. pH is relatively low with the value of 5.1, that mark the land as acidic. Organic carbon

content is high with 2.05%. Phosphorus is present at an amount of 12.99kg/ha (medium).

156.8kg/ha (medium) of potassium is also present in the grassland.

Shady jungle

The area is dominated by lianas and a few trees like tamarind, and cashew which forms a

shady habitat. So the sunlight does not reach there directly. The temperature does not vary

as open land. So it promotes the growth of algae, fungus ,etc and it encourages nutrient

cycling. So the organic content is very much. In this habitat human interaction is relatively

high. It is the dumping site of concrete waste and other wastes. It is a dry rocky area. Leaf

litter ,compost materials, rotting wood all makes suitable habitats for organisms. The soil

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test result shows low pH (5.1), moderate dissolved mineral content (<0.40), high organic

carbon content (2.31%), moderate potassium (268.8kg/ha) and phosphorus (16.57kg/ha).

3. WATER QUALITY

Entire water requirements of the campus are met from a single open well. It is collected in a

concrete tank and distributed to various places in the campus. Two water samples were

taken for analysis – one directly from the well and the other from the tap at most distance

away from the tank (from the tap at herbal garden near Botany department). The samples

were collected as per the protocol and got analysed from the water testing laboratory of

Kerala Water Authority, Kannur.

Sample: Open well(W1)

Sl no Characteristics Unit Desirable

limit as per IS

10500:2012

Permissible

limits

Actual contents

Sampling point

1

1 Turbidity(NTU) NTU 1 5 0.4

2 pH 6.5-8.5 No

relaxation

4.8

3 Electrical conductivity µs/cm 37.4

4 Temperature ˚C 28.4

5 Acidity Mg/litre 16.0

6 Alkalinity Mg/litre 200 600 12.0

7 Total hardness

as(CaCO3)

Mg/litre 200 600 14.0

8 Calcium(Ca) Mg/litre 75 200 3.21

9 Magnesium(Mg) Mg/litre 30 100 1.46

10 Chloride (as Cl) Mg/litre 250 1000 12.76

11 Iron (as Fe) Mg/litre 0.3 1.0 Nil

12 Nitrate (as NO3) Mg/litre 45 No

relaxation

Nil

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13 Phosphate (as PO4) Mg/litre Nil

14 Ammonia Mg/litre 0.5 No

relaxation

Nil

REMARKS: Very low pH.

BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Sl.no source MPN of coliforms in 100 ml MPN of E.Coli

1

Open well(W1) nil Nil

Sample :Tap water (W2)

Sl no Characteristics Unit Desirable

limit as per

IS

10500:2012

Permissible

limits

Actual

contents

Sampling point

1

1 Turbidity(NTU) NTU 1 5 Nil

2 pH 6.5-8.5 No relaxation 5.2

3 Electrical conductivity µs/cm 38.9

4 Temperature ˚C 27.9

5 Acidity Mg/litre 12.0

6 Alkalinity Mg/litre 200 600 10.0

7 Total hardness

as(CaCO3)

Mg/litre 200 600 12.0

8 Calcium(Ca) Mg/litre 75 200 2.4

9 Magnesium(Mg) Mg/litre 30 100 1.46

10 Chloride (as Cl) Mg/litre 250 1000 38.29

11 Iron (as Fe) Mg/litre 0.3 1.0 Nil

12 Nitrate (as NO3) Mg/litre 45 No relaxation Nil

13 Phosphate (as PO4) Mg/litre Nil

14 Ammonia Mg/litre 0.5 No relaxation Nil

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REMARKS: Very low pH.

BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Sl.no source MPN of coliforms in 100 ml MPN of E.Coli

1

Tap water (W2) 7 Nil

REMARKS : Bacteria detected.

In both sample 1and 2, the turbidity is below the permissible level. The turbidity is due to

the presence of particles suspended or that dissolved in water that scatter light. It makes

water appear cloudy or murky. Less turbidity in sample is due to less amount of Calcium,

Magnesium, Chloride, Iron, Nitrate, Phosphate and Ammonia. Most of the elements are

absent in the sample.The absence of iron in water sample marks a serious deficit of mineral

content.

The less turbidity of water is due to less mineral content. Thereby it may lead to

malnutrition in animals.

Acidity, alkalinity and hardness of water are also below the desirable limit. The pH of both

samples is less than 7, ie, acidic.The lower pH levels increase the risk of mobilized toxic

metals that can be absorbed, even by humans. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water

are most common minerals that make water hard. Since this dissolved Ca &Mg content are

less, water shows less hardness .according to the standard of US department of interior and

the water quality association both of the sample contain soft water (0-17mg /l).

Soft water is less abrasive in nature. . Even though it can be used for cleaning purpose it is

very susceptible to pH fluctuation which can happen with even smallest addictives like fish

wastes.

Bacteriological analysis is inevitable in water quality assessment. Sample 1 contains no

coliform bacteria but 7 coliform bacteria were detected in sample 2. Absence of E Coli in

collected samples indicates the water is free from faecal contamination.

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B. WASTE MANAGEMENT

1. FOOD WASTE

Food waste is generated and managed at four points as follows

1. Washing area behind western block - there is a composting unit set up here by the NSS

which converts the food waste into compost. It is a scientific system purchased from

RAIDCO, Govt. of Kerala, and it functions well with solid food waste. an initial mixture of

cowdung and dry leaves along with addition of bacterial solution at weekly intervals ensures

proper functioning of the system. There is a pit near the unit where the wastes like paper,

plantain leaves etc which are used to bring food are deposited.

2. Washing area beside life science block: a similar composting unit is set up as mentioned

above. The food waste is collected in buckets

3. Girls hostel : there is a biogas unit which converts the food wastes into biogas, which is

used for cooking in the hostel canteen

4. Canteen : a biogas unit is set up here too which converts food waste and other kitchen

wastes into biogas and used for cooking

Altogether, the quantity of food waste produced is comparatively low. More than 95% of

the students are day-scholars and majority of them bring food in boxes. Some of them takes

the food remains back to home with box.

2. PLASTIC WASTES:

Different measures adopted helps to reduce the plastic waste production to minimum.

1. Steel glasses maintained by NSS, and different Departments like BBA, Hindi, for common

use for programmes in the college. This makes sure a disposable glass free campus.

2. food is not given in plastics from the canteen.

3. students do not throw any plastic wastes in the campus.

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4. there are two large bins supplied by Panchayath, kept in the campus, one in front of office

and other near western block, for collection of plastic wastes if any, which will be collected

back by the Panchayath for recycling.

Being an educational institution, the issue of plastic waste is not felt as a serious issue and

hence no special methods of its management is practiced in the campus.

3. E - WASTE

A detailed survey on electronic and electrical equipments being unused in the campus was

done by physics students and the detailed report is presented separately. The table below

shows the data collected.

LIST OF ITEM

NOT

REPAIRABLE REPAIRABL

E OLD

WORKING

BUT NOT

USING

TOTAL

COST

UPS 30 3

66000

CPU 53 2 2

855000

MONITOR 29

23

364000

PRINTER 15 2

68000

SPEAKER 25

15000

SMPS 5

4500

MOUSE 17

3400

WATER

PURIFIER 2

6000

KEYBOARD 32

1

13200

PHONE(FAX) 1

8100

STAND FAN 1

3000

MULTIMETER

4

2400

CRO 1

1100

SIGNAL

GENERATOR 1

17000

POWER

SUPPLY 14

57000

PROJECTOR 5

35000

INTERCOME 8

12000

LANDPHONE 6

13200

24

MODEM 1 1

1500

REFRIGERATO

R 1

1

22000

INDUCTION

STOVE

1

3000

COMPUTER 5

123000

STEP UP 3

27000

HEATER

1 3000

TV

1 10000

TABLE FAN

3 4500

STABILIZER 2

3000

OVEN 1

10000

ELECTRIC

BURNER 1

1000

COOLER 1

29490

256 16 26 7 1781390

The data depicts a serious situation and is an eye opener for future plans as how to reduce

and recycle e-wastes.

C. ENERGY AUDIT

A detailed energy audit was done by Physics students. The total energy consumption of the

campus, renewable energy use, other energy saving/ generating measures etc were

documented. A proposal was also made as to how much energy we can save if the tube

lights are replaced by LEDs. Summary of energy audit is as follows.

Total power requirement in one month : 4008 kWh

Total annual power requirement : 4008 x 12 = 48096 kWh

Total power obtained from renewable

energy source/month (Solar) : 2400 kWh

Total power obtained in an year : 2400 x 12 = 28800 kWh

25

Percentage of annual power requirement met

by the renewable energy source : (28800/48096) x 100 = 58.88%

Total Number of LED tubes : 281

Annual lighting power met through LED : 281 x 24 x 5 x 30 x 12 = 12139.2 kWh

Annual lighting power met though

fluorescent tube : 71 x 40 x 5 x 30 x 12 = 5112 kWh

Annual lighting power requirement : 12139.2 + 5112 = 17251.2 kWh

Percentage of annual lighting power requirement

met through LED : (12139.2/17251.2) x 100 = 70.37 %

Energy sensitive moves in the campus

1. Solar Power Generation System:

The college has installed 21.6 K V solar panels and for optimal production the panels should

be washed clean every week. Other kinds of maintenance are done by the service providers,

Team Sustain. This proposal in the year 2012-13 was a pioneering effort in the history of

Arts and Science Colleges in Kerala as the first college thinking of generation of green

energy. The solar initiative assumes greater dimensions of significance if put in the context

of the national endeavour for energy sustainability and the global scenario in relation to

non-renewable energy resources. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was approved in

2011 as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and the objective was

to “establish India as a global leader in solar energy, by creating the policy conditions for its

diffusion across the country as quickly as possible”. The Mission adopted a 3 - phase

approach, Phase 1 (up to 2012 - 13), Phase 2 (2013-17) and Phase 3 (2017 - 22). Payyanur

College joined the bandwagon of the JNNSM in the first phase itself and possibly became

26

the first college in the Kerala State to actualize the green energy initiative with the

unanimous approval of the project by the Board of Management. The action plan involved

steps like choosing the service provider, negotiating the prospects, and overseeing the panel

installation and ensuring the optimal functioning. The project of installing the 21.6 KW grid

interactive, roof-top solar power generation panels was thus installed. 155- 1800 KW power

was generated since then every month. The grid connection facility was not available in

2012-13 and application for grid interaction is submitted once the government of Kerala

introduced the scheme.

2. Roof-top rain-water harvesting

The second major green initiative was to harvest roof-top and overhead rainwater by

making a ferrocement rainwater harvesting pond with 8.75 lakh litre holding capacity. The

overflow pipe of the college water tank was also linked to the tank to save the spillage. The

overflow of the dug pond is rechanneled through a filtering mechanism and allowed to drain

into the nearby tube well. This artificial tank, built in the gradients of the landscaped hillock

on which the college stands, saves nine lakh litres of water from flowing downhill and

flooding the highway NH 17, finally filling the Arabian Sea a few kilometres away. Thus the

second project turns out to be a multi-purpose one.

3. Biogas

Two large biogas units (3.5m3 capacity) are set up in the campus, one near the canteen and

the other near the girls hostel. The system is important in 3 ways – 1) it prevents the food

waste issue of the campus; 2) it provides good fertilizer for biofarming in the campus and 3)

it provides biogas for burning a stove for about 3 hours a day.

4. Carbon foot print

The carbon release is an important measure of how sustainable we are. there are many

different ways carbon emission by an individual. Vehicle use is one of the most important

factor among that. Here the students from Department of Zoology, made a survey among all

in the whole campus and the data is as follows.

27

Department Two wheeler

Four

wheeler

ZOOLOGY 11 0

BOTANY 9 0

CHEMISTRY 11 0

PHYSICS 9 0

MATHS 7 0

HINDI 9 0

FUN.HINDI 20 0

ENGLISH 12 0

MALAYALAM 5 0

BCOM 15 0

BBA 11 0

POLITICS 4 0

ECONOMICS 11 0

HISTORY 10 0

Total 144

0

STAFF 37 26

None of the students use four wheeler for coming to college. 144 students use two

wheelers, though not regularly. This comes to 9.25% of the total students. It is promising to

see that more than 90% of the students use public transport facilities to come to college.

28

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE THRUSTS

1. The total green cover of the campus is being reduced – making the campus more

green should be an area of future thrust. Qualitative degradation also needs to be

corrected by replacing exotics like acacia with native plants.

2. The campus harbours rich biodiversity as evident from the studies on animals and

plants. The different habitats in the campus need to be preserved for a sustainable

existence and as a message for the student community and general public at large.

3. The chemistry of soil and water of the campus calls for some scientific interventions

4. Food waste and plastic wastes are not posing serious threats at present. However

more vigilant measures and awareness programs are needed to make our campus a

model one.

5. E waste, though not a visible issue at present, is going to be a serious issue in the

near future. Steps to reduce, reuse and recycle e wastes are to be planned in a

scientific way.

6. More rain water harvesting projects can be taken up in the campus as we have a vast

campus of over 60 acres land.