Pune : Bustling with more than 1.3 billion people, there is a huge pressure on resources and sustainable living that is in turn leading to India grappling with several environmental issues like air and water pollution, and those related to plastic and solid waste management. According to a WHO report, 9 of its top 10 polluted cities in the world are in India. The Ganges is amongst the 10 most polluted rivers in the world. Notably, India lost an average of 63 football fields worth of forest land every day between 2014 and 2017. The country produces almost 1,00,000 metric tonnes of waste every day. There is an urgent need for us to find long-term sustainable solutions.
Recognizing the problem, Discovery Channel, India’s leading destination for factual entertainment, premiered a four-part original docu-series ‘Planet Healers’on 8th March,featuring eight of India’s most promising environment friendly start-ups, who are innovating ways to pave a path to a sustainable tomorrow. Hosted by Bollywood actor, Jim Sarbh, the series will deep dive into the journey of how these start-ups are working out innovative technology led solutions to environmental hazards faced by our country.
“Planet Healers is not just a TV show; it is an attempt by Discovery to create mass awareness about environmental hazards faced by our country which will have significant long-term impact,” said, Zulfia Waris, Vice President, Premium & Digital networks, Discovery Communications India. “We have focused this series on individuals who have dedicated themselves to create innovative technology led solutions for the conservation and preservation of our planet. They are common people with uncommon ambitions and incredible self-belief who are making a difference.”
The selected startups are spread across India, one of them being from Pune- RUDRA. Rudra collects plastic waste, such as bottles, bags, food pouches, wrappers, cable covers, etc., from different houses around the city and recycle it into fuel, gas and sludge. The poly-fuel is a mixture of diesel, petrol and kerosene, with very high calorific value which can be used in boilers, furnaces, stoves, in agricultural firms, etc.
Dr. Medha, Co-Founder of Rudra, said, “It is a great honor and validation to be featured on Discovery Channel, a dream come true. The reach and prestige of Discovery is huge,and we are happy that we can reach out to many people across the globe through them. This will help us in creating awareness of our technology and effort.”
“A deer died after consuming plastic before our eyes. And that moment changed our life forever and gave us the resolve to start this fight against waste plastics. We can bring change only if we work collectively; and all it needs is a small action from each one of us,” added Dr. Medha.
Other startups featured in the series are Urban Kisaan- empowers people to grow their own safe, fresh and high-quality food with the help of Hydroponic farming technique. Absolute Water converts 17 lakh liters of sewage water into drinking water every day while Saahas Zero Waste specializes in treating and recycling waste without disturbing the ecosystem. NaMo E Wasteis working towards not just recycling but also ensuring safe disposal of e-waste. Afforest creates natural, wild, maintenance free, native forests using Miyawaki technique. Farm2Energy provides a robust and integrated biomass supply solution for the advanced bio-fuels & bio-power industries. Chakr Innovation has created world’s first retro-fit emission control device for diesel generators which can capture over 90% of particulate matter emissions.
Pune based startup Rudra will feature on Planet Healers, a Discovery Channel Original on 29th March 2019, Friday at 7 PM on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD World.
