Ivory Tower: GNDU working on waste management through vermicomposting

A research project at the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) is working on cow dung management, specifically focusing on vermicomposting for sustainable waste management and utilising the dung as a bio resource with emphasis on remediating pharmaceutical industry waste.

The Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences of GNDU is currently progressing with its ongoing research project on cow dung waste management through vermicomposting. The GNDU hosted a daylong national conference on ‘Solid Waste Management Using Vermicomposting’ recently, in which experts from Directorate of Environment and Climate Change participated under ‘Mission Tandrust Punjab’.

The experts gave insights into the study being conducted at the GNDU to manage bio waste, including coconut husk, cow dung and other waste, through vermicomposting.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Karamjeet Singh emphasised GNDU’s commitment to environmental sustainability initiatives. He stated that vermicomposting was an eco-friendly technique that enhanced soil fertility. The participants should implement this knowledge at home and in their institutions, he added.

The VC also emphasised that the subject of vermicomposting has been introduced in syllabi of various classes to make students aware of solid waste management.

Prof Saroj Arora, Dean, College Development Council, and Prof Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Patiala, who has previously worked on various projects on the subject, emphasised the importance of vermicomposting in achieving sustainable waste management goals.

Highlighting the role of vermicomposting in waste-to-resource transformation, he said vermicomposting was an effective method to treat organic, bio-waste that otherwise goes to landfills ends up in water bodies. “The ongoing project aims to highlight and implement large-scale vermicomposting applications and other strategies for management of solid waste,” he said.

Gurharminder Singh, Joint Director, Punjab’s Directorate of Environment & Climate Change, outlined local initiatives for solid waste management. A hands-on training workshop was also conducted in vermicomposting centre, Botanical Garden, GNDU, to train the participants in vermicomposting techniques.

Over 250 participants, including participants from various colleges, municipal corporations, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, farmers, entrepreneurs and representatives from industries, attended the conference.