Every house in Satageri has solar power, gas connection, and a compost toilet that makes it a smoke-free village
Setting an example of a sustainable environment, the Satageri village, located about 25 km from Karwar district in Karnataka, is a green village. The village until three years ago had to cook on firewood, but now the village has turned itself smokeless.
The village displays solar power, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) connection and toilet in every house. People light their houses using solar lamps; they utilize the waste and turn it into vermicompost (worm process) to use it for gardening and farming.
The population of the village is estimated to be around 270 and has 70 houses. The forest department made Satageri a part of its wing in 2016, which is providing green villages and smokeless villages schemes from the state government.
When the Green Village Pilot Project was announced by the Government of Karnataka, it was aiming to make a village green using renewable energy, biodiversity-rich plantation and the use of recycled water. Satageri has about 12 solar street lights and is one successful example for the Green Village Pilot Project. Suresh Marathe, a farmer from Satageri, says, “Since we received free LPG connections and solar power, people have started contributing a bit to the environment. We make our own compost and our yield is pretty good “.
“Once we started getting used to all the facilities, no family has migrated to cities anymore. Otherwise, prior to this, people migrated to nearby cities in search of better amenities and jobs, he added.
Panduranga Pai, Sub-division forest officer, says,” Satageri is like any other village in our country. People used to collect firewood from the forest and women used to travel long distances to collect fodder and other substances to meet daily ends. This practice is stopped just after LPG was provided and people started doing drip irrigation and other sustainable processes”.
“Each house in the village is constructed under Gram Panchayat Scheme. People used to pay INR200-300 electricity bills every month but now they use a solar light system which has cut down the electricity cost. People are able to save money “, he added.
Shanti Marathe, a housewife, says,” Women here use TV, refrigerator and mixer-grinder using solar power. We have a primary school here and my son goes to a nearby school which is 3 km away. People here are engaged in various occupations like farming, daily wage labour, and small businesses. We, women, work in fields and look after our houses “.
Anil Abbi, an environmentalist says,” This is a very good example for other villages as well. But the question is, there are other ways they can curb LPG and use something even more sustainable”.
