KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology in association with IGEN (The Institution of Green Engineers) organized a Panel Discussion on “Sustainability of Natural Resources” through Digital Platform on 15th August 2020.
The panel comprised a total of 9 academicians, administrators and activists across India. The Discussion aimed at highlighting the natural resources and eco- systems. The moderator of the event was Dr. M. Akila, Principal, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology and Organizing Secretary, IGEN Nobel Laureate Lecture Series.
In the discussion Dr. G, Ranganath, Prinicpal, Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur, pointed out that the farmers are in need of proper water supply for irrigation, quality seeds, pesticides and fixed prize. He stated that only when technology enhances agriculture, there would be sustainability in agriculture. Dr. P. Devasenapathy, Professor & Head (Retd), Department of Agronomy, TNAU, Coimbatore, remarked on the differences between sustainable agriculture and profitable agriculture.
Dr. P. Ganesh Kumar, Professor, Department of IT, KLN College of Engineering, Madurai, revealed that 70% of water could be saved through smart fertigation method. He listed three domains related to industry that could pave way for sustainable development; namely environment, economy and society.
Dr. Muhammad Ramzan, Vice Principal & Head, Mechanical Department, MMANTC, Maharastra specified on maintaining the optimized balance of resources to ensure sustainability and questioned the rise of unplanned industries and expressed his concern on industrialization.
Dr. M.V. Ranghaswami, Former Director, WTC, TNAU, Coimbatore & Dean Saveetha Engg. College, Chennai, focused more on the water resources. Since the fresh water is utilized not only in agriculture but also in other service and industry sectors, the current irrigation system may appear redundant and require a revamp
Dr. C. Ramasamy, Former Vice Chancellor, Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore said that through the use of Precision farming 40% to 50% of water could be saved in the cultivation of crops, specifically tomato, banana, brinjal. He explained about the Genetically Modified crops, giving cotton as an illustration, and also underlined the importance of organic farming.
Kalidasan, President, OSAI Environmental Organization,Coimbatore, spoke about the threat that would result by neglecting the conservation of Western Ghats and propagated that environmental development is the basis for the sustainability of natural resources.
Dr. R. Asokan, Principal, Kongunadu College of Engg. & Technology, Trichy, mentioned that population growth and urbanization being the reason for consuming more natural resources. Commenting on e-waste, he projected the data that 40 million tons of e-waste is generated every year; out of which only 27% is recycled.
Dr. S. Santhana Bose, Former Dean, TNAU & Head, Department of Agricultural Engineering, RVS Technical Campus, Coimbatore, concentrated on the land resources and provided a data stating that for the formation of one inch of top soil, it takes nearly 300 to 1000 years. He presented the statistics that 53.3% of the geographical area is degraded and annual erosion rate in the southern region is 2.2 tons/ acre.
While concluding, the moderator posed a question regarding the perception of sustainability post Covid 19. In relation to this query, the panel members unanimously predicted that the impact of Covid 19 would sustain for a certain period of time.
The moderator presented an eagle eye view of the discussion at its closure. Putting in a nutshell, she reinstated the deliberations such as catering farmers’ needs in watering, seeding, profitable agriculture, conservation agriculture, Zero tillage and reduction of non-renewable energy and conservation of areas surrounding forests.
This program was the pre-event of a bigger digital meet titled, “IGEN Nobel Laureate Lecture Series” to be held on 25th August 2020. On the said day, the Nobel Laureate, Sir Richard John Roberts shall address the multitude on the topic “Sustainable Agriculture” at 5.30 pm.