:: VIKASH :: Habitat

Every living being has the right to good habitat. Human beings as well as all other living creatures make effort all through their life to create a proper and congenial habitat for their living. The history of human civilization is the story of creating magnificent habitats. Vikash believes that every person in a household should have access to decent housing and sanitation, safe drinking water, appropriate green surroundings etc. Human created habitats should be nature friendly and energy efficient. We are obliged to preserve energy for posterity.

Housing : Civil engineering has achieved reliable construction technology for buildings, bridges, roads, ports etc. But the poor in the villages continue to put up and live in the houses, which their forefathers made thousands of years back. They are unable to advantage of advancement of science and technology in construction since it is beyond their financial reach. We have to provide alternative appropriate technology, which will be accessible to them.


A low cost housing model	Building material	An energy efficient building at the demonstration centre	Building material

Vikash takes up action research in stabilizing and propagating alternative housing technologies. These technologies essentially consume less cement, less iron and thereby reduce consumption of energy. We make an effort to design the houses, which will need less energy while living in them.

Disaster preparedness : To empower the communities to live with natural calamities like floods and cyclones, Vikash is facilitating construction of high rise mounds, disaster proof individual houses and multi purpose community shelters.


Restoration of beetle vine cultivation for marginal farmers to build sustainable income +generation	Boat and net distribution to affected people for resuming their livelihood activities	Plant distribution	Food for work

School Building cum Community centre	School Building cum Community centre	Construction of Community Mound	Low cost individual house with pre cast roof

Waste Management : The consumer economy has given a big boost to the global and local economies. The consumer has also become a large producer of waste. The changing life style has resulted in huge package industry, which is generating large quantities of waste. The bigger the consumer, larger the waste. Huge quantities of waste generation have resulted in pollution of ground water, pollution of air and creation of unhealthy habitats in the urban and sub-urban areas. There is an urgent need to manage waste scientifically. Vikash believes in the philosophy of maximizing waste re-use and recycling. It has been working on this issue since 1998. It has been single out for this venture in this part of India.


Sieving after drying	Waste processing in a temporary site in Vikash model	Stage play on clean, green and beautiful city	Stage play on clean, green and beautiful city

Waste Management while protecting the local and global environment also can generate employment. Vikash takes up research to develop technologies and management models, which generate more and more employment to the poor.

There is huge demand for knowledge and service providing agencies. Vikash has facilitated establishment of consultancy organization and professional service delivery organization in the field of waste management. Vikash takes up pilot initiatives. The effort is being sustained by professional agencies.


Waste processing in a established processing centre developed by Vikash	Biofertilizer produced from waste is reused in agriculture	Door to door campaign

Biomedical Waste : Vikash has taken up training, model designing, planning and awareness activities with regard to biomedical waste management. In future it will limit its activities to advocacy, awareness and pilot initiatives. It will transfer its skills to professional bodies to continue the programme
	Workshop on Waste Management	Hands on training on waste management

Water and sanitation : Water and sanitation are the major factors responsible for 80% of human illness. Here water means water used for drinking, cleaning, irrigation etc. Awareness is the key to proper sanitation management and water utilization. Delivery of services or materials should follow the natural demand of the community


Community meeting on sanitation	Individual latrines are constructed for each household	Village Cleaning camps in a indigenous community creates a good feeling of cleanliness


	Street Play on clean water and sanitation	Construction of rings and pans for IHL as a component of Total Sanitation Campaign	Tube wells are installed in the villages to supply safe drinking water

Environment : Vikash has been working on the issues concerning environment since its inception in 1986. Campaign for healthy environment has been the thrust area. It takes up campaign at grass root to provincial level. It works for creation of forestland, protection of biodiversity. Creating awareness with the young citizens has been one of its coveted activities.


Campaign on Plastic Waste Management	Workshop on Rain Water Harvesting	Rain Water Harvesting model	Tree plantation by the School children

Renewable Energy : In the field of renewable energy Vikah takes up propagation of renewable energy devices and energy saving devices at village level. It also takes up applied research activities for designing new technologies.


A research on an alternative model for biogas	Training on improved cooking stoves