ENC going green to reduce carbon footprint

DELHI, India - March 23, 2015 - PRLog -- VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command is not just leading from the front in protecting the country's eastern seaboard but has also taken a head start in energy conservation and environmental protection to cut down on its carbon footprint.

For starters, the ENC uses solar energy to light up some naval establishments, battery operated listers (trolley) to carry cargo in the Naval Dockyard, and pollution control boom for naval jetties to restrict marine pollution. It has also actively taken up rain water harvesting and vermiculture techniques, apart from planting saplings to counter the deadly effects of cyclone Hudhud. ENC has also declared all residential areas within its limits as 'no plastic zone and strictly prohibited burning of waste inside the units.

In fact, Naval authorities feel that some of these measures can also be replicated by major industries and organizations to minimise their carbon footprint and save energy. Interacting with TOI, Flag Officer Commanding-in-chief and Vice Admiral of ENC Satish Soni said, "We have actively taken up many energy conservation and environment protection projects in Visakhapatnam, especially after cyclone Hudhud destroyed the city's green cover. ENC has decided to restore as much of the green cover as possible through plantation drives and has also devised means to conserve conventional energy in its day-to-day activities by popularising use of renewable energy sources."

Elaborating on ENC's green measures, ENC staff officer for meteorology and environment, Lieutenant Commander Paramdeep Singh Kang, said, "To reduce our carbon footprint, we are extensively using solar energy by installing pipelights in some units of the 104 area. In pipelights, sunlight is tapped, made to reflect through mirrors and stored. Many naval units also use solar panels, heaters and electric scooters. The battery operated listers being used at the Naval dockyard can easily be used by others like Vizag Steel Plant and Vizag Port Trust to shift workers and cargo to and from the ship/ workshop. It will not only be cheaper than diesel vehicles but also non-polluting."

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On measures to reduce marine pollution, he said the Navy has been using buoyant rubberised casing to contain pollutants like oil spillage and floating pollutants like plastic and prevent them from spreading in the waters. "We have also requested the district administration and state government to implement these pollution control and energy conservation measures in other industries as well for boosting Vizag's smart city image and tourism," added Lt Commander Singh.

Besides these, ENC took up a mass tree plantation drive under Haritha Visakha project post Hudhud where 30,000 saplings of sturdy trees like palm, asoka, neem and mango were planted and the plantation efforts would continue for the next five years.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com