Friends of Earth
Go, Hide Quickly!
Mid-September;
monsoon preparing to bid adieu. Bright sunshine after many days of overcast
skies and intermittent showers at Bhopal.
For the lunch
meet at Arera Club, walking from the lawn-side to the restaurant, he spotted a
pink, robust, and long earthworm that had meandered onto the stone pavement and
was hurrying back to its burrow. Probably Eisenia fetida[i],
a European species used by the adjoining horticulture garden for
vermicomposting, and yet to fully acclimatize to the tropical climate and soil.
Club members, of course, will take care not to step on it, but the hungry birds
on the tall trees may not forego such a tasty meal. Make haste, go home quick, he
whispered.
He could not
resist mentioning it to the two friends he met upon entering the restaurant.
How did you
spot it, Mr. M asked?
‘It was a rather
long one, impossible to miss!’
‘Yes, our
Club takes good care of its worms,’ quipped Mr. V with a chuckle.
Too Many Worms!
1996. EPCO
(Environment Promotion and Coordination Organisation), Bhopal was implementing
a Japan-aided project for conservation of Bhoj Wetland of which Solid Waste
Management and vermicomposting were sub-projects, and EPCO scientists had put
up a vermicomposting unit in the garden strip adjoining the Pollution Control
Board building.
EPCO has a
beautifully landscaped, manicured garden which is pleasant in all seasons but
more so in winter when the dahlias, roses, and other seasonal flowers are in
full bloom. EPCO office was a favourite hide-out for Digvijay Singh, the then-CM,
who would drive in there on weekends without the siren-hooting car-cade, and
spend a few hours disposing of several bags of accumulated files. Only his core
staff knew he was very much in town in a secret location, and visitors to the CM
residence, Shamla Hills, were told that the CM was not ‘IN’ which was truthful!
One afternoon,
as he was leaving, ED, EPCO asked: would you like to see our vermicompost unit?
It is fed, along with plant waste from the garden, bunches of water hyacinths (a tell-tale sign of water
pollution) from the adjoining Shahpura lake, he added.
Why not, he
said; spent a few minutes at the unit and complimented the staff for the initiative.
Would you
like EPCO to install a similar unit at the CM residence? That would be a good
promo for the Bhoj Wetland Conservation project.
But isn’t my
residence already crawling with worms? He said with a smile and left.
Annual Vermicide
Stubble-burning
has begun in Punjab and Haryana and would worsen in the coming weeks. Every winter, vehicular and industrial fumes, dust from construction activities, and pollution from other sources transform Delhi-NCR into a deadly gas chamber. Stubble burning further aggravates the pollution. Delhi Air Quality is already ‘Very Poor’ on
21 Oct 2024[ii].
But stubble burning does not foul up just the air; the fire kills earthworms and beneficial
soil macrofauna and microflora which disrupts the ecosystem sustainability and adversely
impacts agriculture. It leads to the loss of organic matter from soil and
affects fertility, water retention capacity, and overall health of agricultural
soils.
A hectare of
good agricultural soil could have earthworm biomass of about one tonne and up
to three tonnes. So, parali-burning amounts to microbial genocide.
Why is it
that we feel remorse only when relatively larger animals are slaughtered; and
spare no thought for the millions of organisms we kill by using pesticides and
an arsenal of chemical poisons every day? Is there a certain threshold, a minimum
body size or weight for the life of other organisms to be considered
significant by humans?
Yet, microbes
have the last laugh; they have colonised every part of this planet, outnumber
humans by a factor of 125 to 1, and they’ve also invaded the human body to make
it their permanent home!
The human body,
with about 30 trillion human cells, and 39 trillion microbial cells is a bustling metropolis of microbes—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other tiny organisms!
Six-inches Deep
Civilisation,
as Paul Harvey famously observed, is just six-inches deep; the "six
inches" referring to the depth of topsoil, which is crucial for
agriculture and, by extension, human survival. The top-soil that produces all the food that nourishes
life consists of vegetative and animal waste that provide essential nutrients
to grow plants and trees, and earthworms are among the tireless underground
engineers who till, aerate, and water the topsoil.
They are
fascinating creatures, too.[iii]
Shouldn’t we
keep earthworms alive, for they keep us alive?
Sanskrit Names for Earthworm
Sanskrit-English Dictionaries (M. Monier Williams; and V.S. Apte) provide these names for earthworm: kinchilika, mahīlatā (महीलता) - a poetic name meaning sub-soil creepers (mahi- earth, lata- creeper)!
Google search produced more names basis online Sanskrit dictionaries:
kiJculuka (किञ्चुलुक), bhūjanta (भूजन्तुः), kṣitijanta (क्षितिजन्तुः), kusū (कुसूः), and kṣitija (क्षितिज).
How to nurture earthworms?
Pretty easy.
Buy a few kilos of vermicompost, and use it in your garden, or in your flower
and vegetable pots. Keep it moist. In a few days you would be happy to see a
small population of earthworms active in your garden. They are happy to process
leaves, grass trimmings, and mulch, and happier still if you feed them your
kitchen waste (spare the spicy, salty curries, oil, vinegar and citrus fruits, please;
fruit and vegetable peels will suffice).
Your garden
will be happy, and your plants will thank you for skipping the chemical
fertilisers.
Solid Waste Management
Solid Waste
Management (SWM) is a huge challenge for Urban Local Bodies in India. As per
the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the per capita waste generation in
India has increased at an exponential rate (0.26 kg/day to
0.85 kg/day). It is estimated that approximately 80% to 90% of the
municipal waste is disposed-off in landfills without proper management practices
and by open burning, leading to air, water, soil pollution.
Vermicomposting
- decentralised at home-level, and centralised at community-level can make a
big difference.
Mati Dhan
Why call
them worms? Why not soil-engineers, soil-managers, or soil-repair and rehabilitation
experts?
Vermin has a
pejorative meaning, and it is time to drop human prejudice against these crawly
workers who are friends of the earth.
Why call their
nutrient-rich output vermicompost? Better to call it Green Manure since it is produced
by Nature and its many agents.
Dr Ajay S
Kalamdhad has named it Mati Dhan[iv].
He led a group of IIT-Guwahati researchers to innovate a two-stage fast
biodegradation technique that can aid municipal corporations in eco-friendly
organic waste management.
Postscript
Comments
Kedar Rout, a dear friend
“I liked
'crawly workers', 'soil rehabilitation experts'...
How about
calling you a worm sympathizer...!”
My response:
Hi, Kedar. How about calling me Friend of FOE (Friends of Earth)?
Surendra Nath, Esteemed Senior Colleague
“Thanks, PK.
Impressed with your innovative & valuable concepts of
1 "
Mati Dhan ", rhyming with Tulsidas's famous Doha:
"Go
Dhan", "Gaj Dhan", "Baaj Dhan"
2 Parali
Burning amounts to " Microbial Genocide"
Focused on
promoting Green Waste Management, so vital for our survival.”
My reply:
Sir, Mati Dhan is the name given by IIT Prof as mentioned in my blog. Thanks
for your kind appreciation. Regards.
Shashi Jain, Esteemed Senior Colleague
“Just read
your learned, insightful and sensitive
blog on such an unusual, seemingly insignificant subject.
Keep writing!”
Me: Thanks,
Ma’am.
Madan Mohan Upadhyay, colleague and dear friend
“केंचुए पर आपने
अच्छा रुचिकर, वैज्ञानिक तथ्यों
से भरपूर ,लेख लिखा है ।
पृथ्वी के अन्य लाखों प्राणियों की तरह ही वह भी एक जीव है
जो अपनी विचित्रता लिए हुए हैं ।
यह अलग बात है कि उनके जीवन शैली खेती पर आधारित मानव जाति
के लिए वरदान है।
एक दूसरे पर निर्भरता नए युग की एक अनिवार्य आवश्यकता बन गई
है और केंचुआ इसका एक उत्तम उदाहरण है”
Mridula Agrawal, Author
“Wonderful, I am simply amazed with, not only your talent, but also the
speed with which you churn out such interesting and informative pieces.
Do you take help from Google or AI? Even with all the help available it's
not easy to write so much.”
My reply:
“Thanks, Ma'am.
I write almost daily for who knows when he'd tap at my back and tell, 'Time
to come with me.'?😊
Yes, I try to read as much as possible on the topic. Sometimes it takes a
few days, sometimes several weeks. I use Copilot, and sometimes ChatGPT, but
basically to access authentic sources. Regards.”
Prof. Lalita Mathur
“What an amazing piece on such a seemingly insignificant , yet relevant
topic, Prasanna ! Excellent blog , very
well written , as always . Loved the title , Friends of Earth " ( FOE).
Was wondering what story could be spun around an earthworm !!!! Till I read it
to the end , getting further convinced that brilliant authors like you could
churn out the most engrossing stuff , holding the reader spellbound !
Congratulations ! Looking forward to many more !”
Me: Thanks, Ma’am for your kind appreciation.
Astik Mund, a friend
Tulasi Das calls earthworm ‘bhumi nagu’ (serpent of subterranean soil?).
Here is the doha from Ramcharitmanas:
रामहि देखि रजायसु पाई। निज निज भवन चले सिर नाई।।
प्रेम प्रमोदु बिनोदु बड़ाई। समउ समाजु मनोहरताई।।
श्रीरामचन्द्रजीको देखकर और आज्ञा पाकर सब सिर नवाकर
अपने-अपने घरको चले। वहाँक प्रेम, आनन्द, विनोद, महत्त्व, समय,
समाज और
मनोहरताको - ॥ २॥
कहि न सकहिं सत सारद सेसू । बेद बिरंचि महेस गनेसू ॥
सो मैं कहौं कवन बिधि बरनी। भूमिनागु सिर धरइ कि
धरनी।।
सैकड़ों सरस्वती, शेष,
वेद, ब्रह्मा, महादेवजी और गणेशजी भी
नहीं कह सकते। फिर भला मैं उसे किस प्रकारसे बखानकर कहूँ ? कहीं केंचुआ भी धरतीको
सिरपर ले सकता है । ॥ ३ ॥
Me: Thanks, Astik for sharing this gem. I didn’t know your read
Ramcharitmanas, too.
Note: Most Odias read Jagamohan or Dandi Ramayan by Balaram Dasa.
C.P. Singh, colleague, and dear friend
Delhi-NCR’s air pollution is caused mostly by vehicular and industrial
fumes, and not by stubble burning, commented C P. Singh. He is right. As per
IITM data, stubble burning accounted for
only 0.92 per cent of the PM 2.5 levels
in Delhi from October 12 to 21, 2024.
(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/pollution/delhi-air-pollution-as-contribution-of-stubble-burning-declines-local-emissions-need-to-better-management)
Ruchi Chabra, Principal, DPS, Jammu
I liked how the article begins with the macrocosmic view of earthworms and
smoothly transitions to realistic environmental concerns, eventually delving
into microscopic issue of the “microbial genocide”. I thoroughly enjoyed this
smooth glide that you brilliantly crafted for your readers. Your stand on
elevating the stature of the earthworms and their habitat, calling them “soil
engineers” that produce “ green manure”, instead of the usual base ‘earthworms
producing vermicomposting,’ is strikingly correct! It’s surprising why nobody
has ever thought of it this way? While there is lot of talk about respecting
environment , your article lays bare the striking facts about earthworms and
naturally evokes a new found respect for them. You could have also referenced
to Sadguru’s Soil Movement here.
What an amazing and a brilliant thread!
Me: Thanks, Ruchi Ji for your thoughtful comments. I’m not aware of Sadguru’s
Soil Movement, but will read up on it. Regards.
[i] Eisenia fetida, also known as the red wiggler or
tiger worm, is a European species, widely used in vermiculture and composting
because of its ability to decompose organic material quickly.
[ii] Air Quality Index (AQI)- Delhi (as on 21 Oct 2024); Source:
CPCB
• Air Quality: Very Poor
• AQI: 310
• Prominent Pollutants: PM (2.5): 36; PM (10): 40
[iii] Earthworms: Fascinating Facts
·
Species: There
are about 7000 species of earthworms in the world, and are found all over the earth except in
permafrost or desert areas.
·
Longest: The
former world record-holder in length was an earthworm named Dave with 15.7 feet
length, who was dislodged by the current Guinness Book of World record-holder -
one from South Africa with a length of 21 feet!
·
Ten Hearts: They
have five pairs of hearts! These tiny hearts pump blood through their bodies.
·
Breathing: They
don't have lungs. Instead, they breathe through their skin, which must stay
moist to absorb oxygen.
·
Regeneration:
They can regenerate lost segments if the injury is not too severe. But contrary
to popular belief, cutting an earthworm in half doesn't yield two new worms.
·
Hermaphrodites:
Each earthworm has both male and female reproductive organs. They still need a
mate to reproduce, though.
·
Life-span: Some
earthworms can live up to 8 years, depending on the species, and environmental
conditions.
·
Digestive
Powerhouses: They can consume up to five times their body mass every day, and
in a year, process and break down about 10 tons of organic material per acre,
significantly enriching the soil.
·
They're truly the
unsung heroes of our ecosystem, silently toiling away beneath our feet.
