Gul Bahao

Yesterday, Nargis Latif, Managing  Trustee of Gul Bahao had a detailed meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of Hamdard University, Dr Nasim  A. Khan.  In the University Campus at Madina-tul- Hikmat where she gave an elaborate account of  Gul Bahao’s  Research Centre in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Nargis claimed that the Centre has succeeded in providing answers to problems of waste management of one of the largest cities of the world i.e. Karachi. What is more, several of the products developed there are geared towards changing the economy as well. According to her Gul Bahaos latest innovations include “fuel pack” a low cost fuel for running power plants and Choora Chara” – fodder  for livestock. Nargis said that the task before the Centre is not only to innovate but to market and do the extensions work as well. In a hide bound society such as ours which she described as “lakeer key fakir”, there is initially a total rejection of anything new, original or creative. She regretted that a good deal of her time is spent in arranging funds for her research work.  Nonetheless she said that she never allowed her research work to suffer even if she had to borrow money from moneylenders at exorbitant rates of 100-120% rate of interest. She said she paid one moneylender eight lacs of rupees as interest for a principal amount of three lacs only. The V.C.  of Hamdard University  took keen interest in Nargis’s  presentation  and asked her to make a detailed survey of the University Campus to find how Gul Bahao’s research work could be applied to the Hamdard University . Dr Nasim offered to have installed Gul Bahaos Chandi Ghar or prefabricated housing in the campus. To start with, he said that the universities plant doing research work on alternative energy stands in need of such a structure. He said that if successful the Chandi Ghar (made from industrial waste) could be used copiously in the fast growing campus of the varsity.

Yesterday, Gul Bahao’s fifteenth anniversary was observed at the Gul Bahao complex located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The luncheon meeting attended by supporters and sympathizers was held in the Chandi Ghar Hall made from clean industrial waste. Giving the background of Gul Bahao movement, its founder and Managing Trustee, Nargis Latif said that the last fifteen years were the toughest in her life. Only after tremendous sacrifices on the part of her team and herself that the Organization has been able to make a name for itself.

Amidst cheers from the audience Nargis said that Gul Bahao’s research work is slowly becoming a centre of attraction for the world. Amongst those who have interacted and visited the Gul Bahao’s Research Centre include representative of the Supreme Court of India, German Consul General, World Bank Consultant, CNN, Clinton Foundation, Chinese delegation and French nationals. On a local level, it is continually attracting students from different Universities of Karachi, namely NED, Dawood College and Karachi University as well as members of local bodies from all over Sindh.

Nargis Latif said the change in society comes in more than one ways viz:

• Political revolution
• Discoveries/innovations

She said that Gul Bahao has opted for the latter. Giving the example of British and American teenagers James Watt and the Wright brothers, she said the former introduced the steam engine which became the harbinger of the industrial revolution while the latter brought up the first aeroplane which transformed the whole world. Nargis claimed that in the same manner Gul Bahao has in the last fifteen years introduced simple techniques which can radically change the socio economic conditions of the country. Here it may be mentioned that Gul Bahao’s innovations are multisectoral  they include :

• New kind of prefabricated construction
• Water purification method
• New kind of fuel
• The Safai/Kamai Bank
• Cheap fodder and compost

During the meeting Urdu translations of the verses of the Holy Quran were read out which it was pointed out is an essential part of Gul Bahao’s movement. Nargis said that there is very close nexus between research work and religion and every discovery that Gul Bahao has made is a reminder of God’s existence. Referring to Sura Fatiha, she said it exhorts people to praise God and one of the ways to praise God is to make discoveries and thank God for it.

A meeting presided by Special Assistant to Chief Minister Mr. Zia-ul-Islam was held at the Chief Minister Secretariat where Gul Bahao’s Nargis Latif was invited to brief Officials belonging to the City Government and the Sindh Secretariat. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss Gul Bahao’s innovation “Chandi Ghar”.

Nargis Latif said that Gul Bahao’s Chandi Ghar should not be devalued because of its low cost and neither should it be limited to a mere project of an NGO. On the contrary, Nargis claimed that it is a unique innovation – the first one of its kind in the world. Its good looks makes it exotic looking she said fit to be used by the Head of State.

In a sharp rebuttal to one of the participant’s questions, Nargis explained that that contrary to some misconceptions the Chandi Ghar is extremely hygienic and can be put to a variety of purposes like;

1) During Haj where temporary housing is required
2) For relief work in earthquakes, tsunami and other natural disasters and wars etc.
3) For military purposes, in war games or in real life battles
4) For oil riggings
5) Mining exploration
6) Tourist industries on the coast as well as in mountainous areas
7) Research work in inhospitable terrain
8) For law enforcing agencies such as guards 80 for mobile schools hospitals
9) Camps on prime land in big cities to be used temporarily. In other words wherever a structure is required immediately in a maters of hours and dismantled quickly they are the answer. Unlike other conventional prefabricated structures Nargis said these are insulated as well as fire resistant.

To a question from the participants about what Gul Bahao expects from the government Nargis replied that the government should immediately call an exhibition cum conference to discuss the importance of the Chandi Ghar its potential in business, export and linking business with research work She said that stakeholders to be invited to this conference should be businessmen, exporters, builders, engineers architects, faculty and students of different universities and as well as the informal sector comprising junk dealers.

To the question why it has not caught on as yet, Nargis replied that is the case with all new innovations that they are always rejected in the beginning. Giving the example of the CNG gas she said six years ago, right from the rickshaw drivers, Suzuki owners, truck drivers, everybody said it would spoil the engines but after years of painstaking marketing things have changed, she said.

Summing up the meeting, Mr Zia-ul-Islam said that the government would give serious consideration to Gul Bahao’s proposals.

Nargis Latif of Gul Bahao was invited as chief guest and key note speaker at a meeting of the Karachi Rotary club east. The topic of her speech was “Waste – A valuable resource”. Nargis Latif started her speech with Gul Bahao’s jingle, “Kutcra Sona Hey” which drew plenty of applause from the audience. She said that while on the one hand Karachi’s garbage has the potential to destroy the city, on the other hand it is a veritable gold mine, one indication being the cottage industry that it sustains.

The speaker presented a hypothesis of a Garbage n’ Gold (GnG) Bank where wet (organic) and dry (inorganic) garbage is bought. She said that Gul Bahao has researched all kinds of waste material being produced in the city and the GnG bank is the center of the scheme. Presently only dry garbage or non toxic industrial waste is being handled here. The GnG Bank has been performing the following functions:

1. Selling the bulk as raw material to middlemen and factories. It was pointed out that there are two markets Godhra and Machar Colony which are respectively taking cloth and polythene. All kinds of paper and cardboard are also sent out. Between March and July 2006 more than 30 lacs worth of wastage was sold out.

2. Waste material related to wood like wood shavings, broomsticks laminated paper, small bits of cloth; even dry twigs are used to make alternative fuel.

3. A good deal of the waste at the GnG bank includes shopping bags and other industrial waste. This lends itself easily to an entirely new concept of bricks called was-tic blocks to be used for prefabricated housing having the common name of “Chandi Ghar” These blocks can be put up in hours and dismantled just as quickly Nargis Latif showed dozens of photographs of houses made up of was-tic blocks to the audience. At this stage. Nargis suggested that a huge market for these prefabricated structures is the Haj season or any other religious occasion where temporary housing is required.

Nargis told the audience that while research on organic waste done by Gul Bahao is comparatively less yet the amount that has been done are worth talking about as organic waste comprises more than 50% of our waste.

Nargis said that the livestock market put up on the super highway at the time of Eid-ul Azha should be an indication of how much potential there is in livestock and hence the use of organic waste like vegetable and fruit peels and leaves. This wastage if collected in a clean manner can be used for rearing livestock in the suburbs of the city or wherever buildings cannot be erected.

The speaker also talked about biomass or trees growing on gutter water or even factory effluents which are polluting the rivers and the seas. For arguments sake even if poisons are taken up by the trees, their wood would not be eaten by humans, the wood would go into making furniture. Towards the end there was a question answer session, followed by a vote of thanks from Mr. Iqbal Alavi, the secretary of the Rotary Club. A memento was also presented to the managing trustee of Gul Bahao.