Many scientists and researchers have been trying to find solutions to problems related to urban water supply, wastewater management and reduction of energy use in urban areas but very few have succeeded. Rahul Banerjee is one who has. Banerjee, a resident of Indore, is a Civil Engineering graduate from IIT and was earlier associated with the Narmada Bachao Andolan. He has come up with home-based cost-effective solutions to do his bit to address the many growing problems in the country associated with urbanization like the high cost of management of basic services such as water and sanitation among others.
Banerjee has built his house in such a manner that it does not need any additional support from the Municipal Corporation for drinking water and sewage services and that too, at a very low cost. The initial infrastructure cost around Rs.50,000 with a current running cost of Rs 200-300 per month.
There are soak pits for ground water recharge, a rainwater harvesting structure and a small sewage treatment plant to treat the domestic waste, which is then used for gardening purposes.
The video titled 'House of Solutions' gives an overview of these sustainable solutions.