a. Plantation: RWA can take up the tree plantation in their localities. They have to make use the open spaces in their locality for plantation. Even in the houses they must insist residents to take up plantation, vegetable plantation, gardening, etc. Members of the RWA can mobilize the funds for taking up the activity or they can get from the municipality. It definitely decreases the global warming.
b. House to house garbage collection: Role of RWA is very crucial in making the house-to-house garbage collection success. Indiscriminate throwing of garbage causes pollution. RWA can motivate and insist the residents to handover the garbage in the municipality-operated vehicle duly segregating. RWA members can collect the remuneration of the vehicle driver and can pay centrally to avoid inconvenience to him. Usually in smaller towns the per house remuneration to the vehicle driver is 10/- .In the cities like Hyderabad, they are getting 30/-.
c.Rainwater harvesting: RWA can take up the rainwater harvesting in houses, open spaces, schools, parks and temple like places. This also needs mobilization of funds. Desiltation of tanks is also harvests the water. RWA can take up such activity.
d.Protection of water bodies:RWA can protect the water bodies such as tanks, public wells, individual wells for harvesting the water. It saves a lot of energy by maintaining the water table. RWA can protest the encroachment of water bodies. Thus contributing to curtailing the Global warming.
e.Development of roads and drains: RWA can take up the development of roads and drains in public private partnership. In some municipalities, about 30% to 50% contributions have been paid to take up infrastructure works. The RWA is also responsible for execution of works. It ensures the quality of work and arrest the wastage of resources. Thus curtailing the global warming.
f.Motivation: RWA can motivate their residents to follow the eco friendly habits.
g.Green buildings: RWA can insist the construction of green buildings in their locality. They can ask the local residents to use the eco friendly material and also ask to leave the setbacks around the buildings, and to provide doors, windows, ventilators, etc. They can also insist to take up the plantation in and around the buildings.
f.Removal of encroachment: Encroachments would hinder the free flow of the vehicular traffic. This wastes a lot of fuel causing the global warming. RWA can request the municipal officials to remove the encroachments. Initially they can resist the encroachments that are coming up in their localities. Above activity saves a lot of fuel, curtailing the global warming.
g.Energy saving: energy saving is the crucial aspect in curtailing the global warming. In many ways RWA can help to save energy. They can handle the switch on and off of lights, if locality falls in the non-core areas and save the water that in turn saves the energy. Thus curtailing the global warming.
h.Installation of solar utilities: Installation of solar utilities or renewable energies paves the way for the curtailing of global warming. RWA can motivate and insist the installation of solar utilities in their localities. They can also assure the municipal authorities of maintaining the solar streetlights, if those are installed in their locality.
i.Composting: pro-active RWA can take up the composting of solid waste in their locality in the available open spaces. Composting prevents the emission of GHG’s. Thus preventing the global warming.
j.Walking roads: Habit of walking prevents the vehicular pollution and global warming by saving the fuel. RWA can develop the roads for the convenient walking. They can also plant plants along the road for emitting the fresh air. Walking makes the people to habituate to walk in their daily life, especially for shorter distances. Thus curtailing the global warming.
k.Eradication of mosquitoes: RWA can take up the house-to-house garbage collection, prevention of stagnation of water, releasing of Gambusia fish in the stagnated water and water bodies with help of municipality to prevent mosquitos.Also, they can arrange mesh to toilet vent pipes in their area.They can also follow the bio-eradication methods such as propagating addasaram plant and lemon grass , etc.
l.Reduction of consumption: we already know that saving of any resources including money curtails the global warming. Through various means RWA can reduce the consumption of various resources. RWA can also insist the traditional Indian methods for the sustainable development.
m.Population control: It is very crucial aspect in curtailing the global warming. RWA can assist the municipality to intensify the family planning measures. They can also motivate the people of various other locality people, especially poor people. Control of population eases the stress on resources and leads to curtailing of global warming.
n.Poverty alleviation: RWA can organize the poor people of the locality to get the various assistances from the government.In some places I had seen
ararrangement of interest free loans.
.Monitoring of quality of works: Government had made it mandatory to execute the works in transparent manner to ensure the quality of works. Quality of works reduces the wastage of material. RWA can supervise the work to ensure the quality of work, which curtail the global warming by saving the resources.
p.Establishment and maintenance of parks: RWA can take up the establishment of parks in the available open spaces in their locality. They can convince the municipality that establishment and maintenance of park would ease the burden of the municipality.
Q.Elections:
Electoral process plays vital role not only in protecting the democracy but also protecting in the environment.
Role of RWAs starts in the electoral process at inclussion of new voters, deletions of death voters and migrated voters and also carryout the modifications.They can motivate young voters to apply through online.Here , I want to share my experience as Electoral registrartion officer that as on 04.12.2013 the applications received through online is
More than 3000 and manually received are 1700.It is due to motivation of different groups.
The advantages of online registrartion is that it ensures receipt of applications, compulsoury disposal of applications, transperancy, reliability, etc.
Further, it also reduce the dependency on the political parties. On the environment front , it saves alot of paper there by protecting many trees.It also saves the lot of fuel and man days of people.
RWAs can participate in the Grama Sabhas, so as to increase the role of nuetral persons to ensure protection of democracy. Also, they can have their voice for preparation of the error free voter lists.Error free voter list ensures the error free conducting of elections.many malpractices can be arrested through the error free voter list.
RWAS can appoint the BLVs.In this regard EC has also recognised the role and presence of the RWAs in the electoral process.Active officers are recognising the importance of RWAs.
Last but most important is that RWAs can negotiate with political parties for better service delivery and amenities.Also demand for the environment protection activities like earmarking funds for tree plantation, solar lighting, banning of plastic, etc.
The development of any society depends on its power to negotiate with
Its executives.Active participation of RWAs in electoral process ensures the power of negotiating.
