SYCOM’s ‘GREEN LETTER’ 

…... A Quarterly e-Newsletter

   January 2016– March 2016

Volume I1: Issue VII
Rounded Rectangle: Dear Friends, We are glad in presenting the next issue of Volume II: Issue VII of Sycom’s Green letter. We trust this Newsletter will give all our readers an opportunity to connect with the SYCOM and get updated with the team members and their activities. Our Green letter is back again to highlight the recent activities performed by our team in the field of Solid Waste management, E-Waste management, Water and Sanitation. Sycom is also simultaneously working in the Social Sector like Women Empowerment and CSR projects as well as Sustainable Tourism. In this issue we are highlighting the Need Assessment Study in rural areas of Karnataka carried out by the Sycom Team. This issue of Green Letter got delayed due to certain reasons, our apologies for the same. Thanks to all our readers for their appreciation. Stay tuned for the next issue. The suggestions and feedbacks are always welcome. - Ekta Sharma (Editor) Rounded Rectangle: The TOFTigers PUG Mark accreditation scheme, now recognized by the UN-backed Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), represents South Asia’s first and highest standard in eco auditing for wildlife focused accommodation providers operating in or around wildlife parks, sanctuaries or areas of outstanding natural beauty in both India and Nepal. An auditors’ meet was organized on 26th February, 2016 with the Toft Chairman Mr. Julian Mathews in which the entire team appreciated the efforts and the services provided by Shabarni Roy Chowdhury, who was leaving for Japan. She continues to be associated with SYCOM on developing new Footprint Certification for Hotels & Resorts. Also the new Good Wildlife Travel Guide was shared during this meet which is a superb nature guide for the Wildlife visitors. Text Box: Harihara , Karnataka

As mentioned in our previous edition, Sycom Team  successfully completed the first stage of the Solid Waste management Project  under SBM in Harihara and submitted the Inception report with the implementation Plan.

Sycom Team has   already conducted Site Visits, Sampling, Characterization and field surveys in the Harihara City to analyze the existing situation. The Detailed Project Report would be prepared over a period of the next few months

As a distinct achievement in the  quarter gone by, the Sycom team successfully submitted the  Detailed Project Report on Solid Waste Management on Cluster Based Concept for 41 ULBs grouped under two clusters i.e. Vidisha and Shajapur in association with Delloite (Lead Agency), under Swaccha Bharat Mission (SBM)
Text Box: TOFT Text Box: DPR, MP UADD

In this quarter, the audit of the Patlidun Safari Lodge in Corbett Tiger    Reserve was carried out by the PUG Green Team. The lodge got “Quality    Practice” in its very first audit.
Rounded Rectangle: Sycom team has successfully completed the final stage of the Monitoring and Evaluation of the UNDP project (E-waste awareness & management) undertaken by Chintan. The main objective of the project was to establish a sustainable, replicable and scalable means of e-waste handling without POPs production and set up a collection system for e-waste in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. Text Box: Chintan- E waste Text Box: Wind World (CSR Initiative)

The Sycom team conducted an exhaustive Need Assessment study in Karnataka through Desk Research, Village Level Survey, FGDs and in depth interviews with the residents of the villages. The aim of the study was to focus on Women Empowerment, improvement of educational infrastructure and healthcare facilities in the project areas. The team identified CSR Interventions, budgets & timelines, to have the maximum impact on the Rural Health, Education and Women Empowerment thematic areas in the 13 selected  villages  across 3 districts i.e. Tumkur, Chitradurga and Gadag.of Karnataka.
Text Box: Conferences Rounded Rectangle: Our team member Ms. Ekta Sharma and Ms. Richa attended the “FICCI Industry Interactive Session on COP 21 Outcomes and Implications for India”. The aim of the conference was to highlight the Government’s perspective on the outcomes of COP 21 and its implications for India in an increasingly carbon constrained world.  Also Ms. Richa has attended “FICCI-OSU Interactive Session on Emerging Trends in Solar Technologies”. The session highlighted latest R&D advancements in solar technologies and market-ready applications (in India and overseas) with a particular focus on the role of energy storage, its current market penetration and the prospect of it becoming cost-effective in future Text Box: E-learning workshop Rounded Rectangle: An E-learning trial workshop was organized in Sycom Office, Delhi to examine the capability and effectiveness of the E-leaning education system in the rural areas of Karnataka., and to implement the concept of Smart Classrooms across the country. Rounded Rectangle: Sycom team conducted a Recce visit to the different areas of Ghaziabad to analyze the present situation of women in the waste pickers’ community. Sycom would be conducting a baseline study in Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh on Gender Based Violence for a renowned NGO Rounded Rectangle: Need Assessment Study in the Rural Areas of Karnataka The focus of the study was 13 villages located in three districts of Karnataka i.e. Tumkur, Chitradurga and Gadag. The team visited in all the villages and discussed the issues with the residents. The present status of the rural areas was found to be quite unsatisfied and discussed in this case study. Water supply is through bore wells and the tanks which serve as the common public water sources. The lakes in some of the villages are almost dried out. Drinking water is dirty and contains Fluoride, Magnesium and Iron content which is a major concern. Scarce rainfall affects the water holding capacities of all these sources. The rapidly falling water table in the wells is also a cause. As a result of these constraints, the quality of drinking water in the village is severely impacted. The bad quality of drinking water has also affected the Health of village community, adversely. In some of the villages primary educational system is in the form of functional Anganwadi centers consisting of approximately 25 students each, Government primary school (up to class 5) with approx.three Teachers. For secondary education the institutions are located at a distance of approx.4-5 Kms. For vocational studies and graduation, villagers have to travel far from the villages. There is scarcity of health care system as well as veterinary facilities in the villages. There are no maternal and child care facilities in the village and child births are usually managed by local women. In some of the villages open defecation exist on a large scale. The unpaved roads are a major constraint to travelling and transportation. Based on the Need Assessment and the Prioritization, three Cross-cutting major CSR initiatives have been identified across the 13 villages, spread over 3 districts i.e. Tumkur, Chitradurga and Gadag in Karnataka Mobile Medical van catering to all the 13 villages to improve the availability of primary health care facilities in the rural areas Community Based Water Filtration Unit (600 lph Capacity) at the village level to cater the drinking water needs of the residents in the villages and to reduce the risk of contaminated water consumption Installation of Software Digital E-learning System for the rural areas in Karnataka to provide education through interactive means. There is need to focus on the development of the rural areas considering the issues and suggestion made during the study. For any Information/suggestions, please contact: SYCOM PROJECTS CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD H-22, Jangpura Extn. New Delhi-110014 F|P: 011-24329452, 43580268,9810529609 Email: sycomprojects@gmail.com, Web:sycomprojects.com Rounded Rectangle: Dissertation Text Box: New Projects Rounded Rectangle: Our Director, Pradeep Dadlani as part of The World Bank Mission Team for UP SWM Project visited Lucknow and other towns for finalization of the Regional Landfill Sites in various clusters.

                      

This year we have one Research Associate from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. She is working on a project in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility as per  her dissertation  project. Sycom Green team wishes her all the best for her future endeavour.