Seventh part – role of engineers:
Movements started. This led to movements like clean Ganga, energy conservation etc. We saw the importance of efficient use of firewood in the development of wood burning stoves. One example was ASTRA ole with efficiencies of 30%. The study of choolas was mocked at by several faculty in engineering colleges. Similarly, when we started studying rural technologies and biogas plants and solar energy devices, we got a lot of backlash and mockery from a very large number of faculty including from IITs and IISc. Some suggested it will take us backwards in development. Fortunately, people accepted it but still did not work on it or include it in teaching. Only renewable energy like solar and wind energies got an acceptable status now. When Karnataka Government proposed Bedthi Hydroelectric project, I did a calculation to show that energy balance is better with run of the river plant and not a storage reservoir. So, no big dams were needed. Cost came down. Ecology got preserved. But it was not accepted. Only political pressure stopped it. So the aspects of preserving nature and resources conservation is the responsibility of engineers.
Eight part – further elaboration
The last statement saying engineers are responsible for nature has brought comments. So this is a clarification post to explain better hopefully.
When I said engineers are responsible, I did not mean they alone are. Responsibility is there very much for all including common people like us. I am not doing these posts to blame engineers, but to make them aware of social and environmental constraints. Engineers perform certain tasks like building dams, paper and sugar factories etc. The government wants a detailed project report (DPR) before approval of a project. I have read a number of them. They glorify the benefits. But in reality, something else happens. Engineers construct dams. They should be aware of the use of water. There was a holistic view and serious concern for society by Sir Visvesvaraya when he built the krishna raja dam on Cauvery. He took care of the canals and asked a promise from Mandya farmers not to cut trees in their fields and not to shift to sugar cane. His concern for overall use is clear. Similarly, he took a holistic view for the construction of Bhadravathy Iron and steel plant in 1937. He didn’t want coking coal to be transported over 2500 plus kilometers. He experimented with charcoal. It is the first time in the history. His concern for environment made him to give 10000 ha to the factory for sustained production of charcoal. He also brought iron ore through overhead trolleys thereby avoiding destruction of forest area by movement of trucks and saving diesel. When the Thippagondanahalli water reservoir supplying water to Bangalore City was breached in 1937, engineers wanted to empty the reservoir. He said it is criminal to empty the reservoir. He devised ways of repairing the breach without emptying water. It was another innovation. This was used in 1981 when Bhadravathy dam breached. Engineers wanted to empty the reservoir to repair. I was in the government and told them about what Sir M V did? They agreed to repair without emptying the reservoir. Let me take you to mid-1960s. The sharavathy hydro project was operational. No takers for energy. Bhadravathy steel plant switched to electricity for firing the blast furnace- the worst thing to do. That destroyed the viability of the plant. When I was asked to look at KEB s Bangalore City electrical distribution in 1969, the chief engineer explained their methodology. He said chickpet area will not grow as it is crowded. But reality is different. I have to tell, let us get answers from rigorous forecasting techniques. There are many more examples I can quote. Most dams accumulate a lot of silt there by reducing capacity and life. If engineers concentrated on foresting of the water catchment area, this could be minimized. They could not be bothered. These tell us the importance of the need for a universal view.
Hope I have clarified the point about responsibility.
Ninth part – more explanations:
It looks like we need more explanations. There is a strong feeling that engineers are not be blamed. Many decisions are political. I agree engineers alone are not responsible. Administrators at senior positions and politicians have a much greater share in responsibility. But knowledge will give them a tool to put their views. I can give more examples of responsibility. Take the case of a rayon factory in Harihar. It was happily letting of effluents into Tunga Bhadra river. This led to health problems for people. But they continued for a long time. The effluents could have been treated to retrieve energy. Another paper mills was polluting water sources in Mandya by letting black liquor into a stream. Water became undrinkable. So, people suffered. There is no politics here. I can quote a lot of instances because I was handling environment in the government. A simple solvable problem will open our eyes. The water supply to nanjangudu town has a take-off – inlet -after the industries upstream polluting the river. So, people got polluted water. A simple change of take-off being shifted upstream would have solved the problem at least immediately. Because pollution control is still after 40 years a mere show. Well I can go on
But this makes it clear engineers have to be courageous and professional and have holistic knowledge. Knowledge of society, nature and people is essential for good decision making. Value system adds to this.