By Dr Vikas Nimesh & Bibhudutta Sahu
For the past 4 weeks, we have been busy rolling out article after article on the potentials of electrification of fleet transport in Meghalaya. We have also been traveling across the state, especially Garo Hills, exploring less damaging means of transport in the region. We have extolled the virtues of E-Vehicles over the fossil-fuel vehicles but are not blind to the challenges in the state. At the same time, we are experiencing power cuts lasting up to 7 hours and water shortages. The struggle to changeover from fossil fuel-based economies to renewable energy ones is real and confronts each one of us. The developed countries have stolen a march on us with the technology and innovation. That is not to say that the developing countries lack innovation or technology but that the governments are torn between addressing the clear and present malaise of poverty and development with the fine balancing act of combatting climate change. Make no debates or arguments because the climate is already changing in the state of Meghalaya. During our travels across the state, we are witness to the carving of the hills, cutting of the forests, rise of the concrete jungles, saturation of vehicles on the roads, rising temperatures and increasing pressure on water sources. In the end it will boil down to the haves and have-nots. The question for us in Meghalaya is: Are we playing to our strengths and building some thing for the long run or ruining everything for the short-term gains and long-term destruction?
Human nature is fickle and exposes the widening chasm between policies and practices, words and actions, intentions and actions, needs and wants. But there is hope in the various corners of the state with the bureaucracy, civil society organizations, media and policy makers willing to punch above their weight to make a change. So let me dwell on three critical areas of intervention that could have a domino effect on the way we address climate change through the key sectors within our control.
“Many of the major public health challenges will only be addressed if we engage with processes that shape our living environment”.
The health sector is a key constant and a measurable indicator for development. The statizens will continue to require hospitals, PHC’s, CHC’s, allied health services including ambulances. Each component of this sector relies in some way or another on electricity that is run on fossil fuels. Can we explore the possibility of running non-key components of medical facilities on renewable sources of energy? Expert interventions in the field of energy efficiency could provide incentives for the institutions as they make the transition. A critical component of intervention could be the utilization of the e-vehicles as ambulances for the health sector. A phase-wise introduction of vehicles that could be connected to renewable energy sources could be a practical approach to mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Charging points and solar panels could be set up near the PHC / CHC’s for vehicles to recharge with adequate space being accorded to the vehicles. These charging points can double up as transitionary stations for ambulances and other health sector vehicles.
Education & Energy Efficiency
“An environment-based education movement–at all levels of education–will help students realize that school isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.” Richard Louv
We take pride in preaching to the pupil about the importance of protecting the environment, saving electricity, and optimizing the utilization of every drop of water. But when it comes to the practice of the same, we refuse to promote public transport for our students. Why is it that a few schools in Shillong refuse to wake up to the climate change challenge and start sending out circulars to discourage parents dropping their children to school in private vehicles? The situation requires careful introspection from the perspective of parents, students and schools collectively identifying the concerns and solutions that address the issues of public transportation from a concerned citizens perspective. It is shameful to see vehicles with just one child being transported to school within a 5 km radius.
It’s time for the elite schools to shoulder the responsibility and pave the way for responsible education in practice. Collaboration and convergence between the education, urban affairs, transport and renewable energy departments and schemes is the need of the hours. We cannot afford a lackadaisical approach to One of the principals suggested that schools could have different opening and closing timings to reduce the congestion on the roads. This should go hand in hand with responsible schooling that would include measures such as use of school buses (e-vehicles) for the pick-up and dropping of children. Just imagine the productivity of the state if parents could focus on their work without the interminable delays related to school duties. Schools and colleges have the required space for solar panels, charging points and the security to ensure against the vandalism of property. Educating our children is not a status symbol competition or bragging rights about vehicles, it is about making them responsible statizens of Meghalaya. Educational institutions should desist from encouraging parents from dropping their children to schools in private vehicles. Since the necessary infrastructure is not in place for e-vehicles, a first step would be to car-pool with a maximum capacity of 4 students per vehicle.
Government Departments shouldering the responsibility
The 09:30 -10:30 rush hour madness is not a sight to behold and neither is the 16:30 – 17:30 rush hour exodus from government offices. All the parking lots are occupied by government vehicles with no scope for the public to park nearby and reach out to the government officials. Serving the public begins with setting the example of adopting to travel by public transport as an organizational culture. Only then will the public benefit from this seismic cultural shift as policy-makers and the government machinery identifies the real-life gaps from hands on experience within the public transport system. Creating cleaner and greener transport systems and building the necessary eco-system is part of the Meghalaya Policy.
Way Forward
We need to think out of the box as these are moments that will define the future of cities for the future. Instead of complaining about the foibles and what we do not have, we must look around the vicinity and macgyver with the tools and knowledge around us. And the clearest method is to change that which is within our control. And that is why this is the prime time for intervention in the sectors of health, education and the government offices. The newly elected government can put into place policies that nudges it’s statizens in the right direction towards an environment-friendly state that places them in prominence from a regional perspective. For Meghalaya, nature and it’s people have always developed an intrinsic relationship owing to the indigenous faith and the stewardship role granted to Christians. It’s time to live up to the billing and calling from an intrinsic spiritual understanding and manifestation. Switching from fossil-fuel based transportation to E-vehicles is a step in the right direction.