Archives: Case Studies

The Rann Utsav is a vibrant annual festival celebrating the cultural heritage of Kutch. This renowned festival is a major tourist attraction, witnessing an average footfall of 5000 people. Dhordo, a small village in Bhuj taluka of Gujarat, serves as the gateway for Rann Utsav.

As is often the case with any event witnessing large numbers of people attending, toilet maintenance was becoming a huge challenge in Dhordo, and they turned to us for a solution.

The Great Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh, measuring over 7000 sq. km, and one of the world’s largest salt deserts.

The Rann Utsav is an annual 3- to 4-month-long festival that celebrates the colour, art, craft, and history of the region. A signature event bolstered by Gujarat Tourism, the Rann Utsav sees a large number of people from around the world attending.

Typically not on the beaten tourist trail, the Kutch area is not well-equipped to handle such a concentrated influx of travelers.

Dhordo village, set on the edge of the India-Pakistan border, is further renowned for its white desert and the bird-watching opportunities it offers. Combined with Rann Utsav, the increase in people started to put a severe strain on the village’s toilet and sanitation facilities.

Making things worse was the inclement weather in Kutch, ranging from 50 degrees Celsius in summer to as low as 0 degrees in winter, rendering traditional sanitation management options ineffective.

Our solution was our powerhouse, Bioclean BD, combined with Bioswitch. Bioclean BD degrades fecal waste into simple compounds like carbon dioxide and water while also ridding any foul odours.

We treated a toilet system in Dhordo during Rann Utsav with Bioclean BD. The treatment procedure was divided into two phases – an initial loading dose of 9 kg followed by a maintenance dose of 2 kg for 3 months.

The porous surfaces of the toilet were cleaned using Bioswitch, which resulted in a greater cleaning action without using any toxic chemicals.

The results were immediate. And multi-faceted.

The COD and BOD levels of the expelled from toilets were reduced by 75%. Offensive odours were completely eliminated. There was a visible reduction in sludge buildup.

And the best part?

The treated water could be reused to water around 70 trees in the vicinity.

Mr. Rao has a 20-acre aquafarm in Vellore, Andhra Pradesh, where he carries out freshwater shrimp farming.

He faced challenges in maintaining water quality, which led to decreased yield and a direct impact on his profits.

He was referred to us for a solution.

Shrimp farming in India is now a major source of livelihood for people in coastal areas.

In recent times, fisheries in India have been recognized as an important economic activity, consequently leading to a flourishing sector with varied resources and potential.

Aquaculture in India has historically been mainly concentrated around the giant tiger prawn (P.monodon).

Freshwater prawn farming has received increased attention only in the last two decades, driven primarily by increasing consumer demand.

This increased attention (and demand) comes with concerns about obtaining maximum high-quality yield while protecting shrimps from disease outbreaks and maintaining healthy pond environments.

• Read: Antibiotic overuse and Probiotic Use in Aquaculture.

Mr. Rao shared these concerns. Maintaining water quality on his 20-acre farm was a huge challenge for him, as it was related to increasing yield to meet demand.

When Mr. Rao turned to us, our technical advisor in Andhra Pradesh had a ready solution already – Bioclean Aqua.

Bioclean Aqua is a natural and organic soil and water probiotics for fish, containing a mix of beneficial soil microbes that are natural and safe, and can enhance soil biology and maintain a healthy environment inside the pond.

These microbes maintain an efficient nitrification cycle in the pond, thereby maintaining a healthy pond environment.

The microbes also biologically degrade organic sludge and stabilize the dissolved oxygen levels in water.

Healthy water quality promotes growth rate and, hence, the production of shrimps, while an improvement in the FCR directly impacts animal weight.

Bioclean Aqua maintains pond water quality, promoting better growth and higher, good-quality yields in aquaculture.

• Also read: Disease management in the aquaculture industry using probiotics

We advised Mr. Rao to use Bioclean Aqua at a concentration of 250 g per acre 3 days before stocking and continue with a maintenance dose of 100 g per acre every 10 days up to harvest.

 

The results were almost immediate. Within a month, Mr. Rao could notice the difference.

The pond water quality parameters were effectively maintained.

The pH level in the pond was maintained stably between 7.8 and 8.2.

And the pond water color remained light green up to harvest.

The bottom of the tank was clean, with minimal to no black soil.

Most importantly, the shrimp looked fresh, and there was no foul odour emission.