eNVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

How can you contribute?

	Respect wildlife.

	Bring back only memories and pictures from the forests

	Please abstain from smoking during your visit to the forests. Forest fires are a common threat to wildlife.

	Animals have the right of way in the forest. Do not speed.

	Maintain absolute silence. Switch off your cell phones and do not play loud music or make noise in a forest.

	Do not wear strong fragrances as it disturbs wildlife

	Avoid loud coloured clothing in the forest.

	Do not litter. It has a devastating effect on the ecosystem

	Ensure all wastes are disposed responsibly

	Avoid plastics, especially plastic bags. Try newspaper and cloth bags.

	Use recycled paper. Even better, avoid too much paper in everyday life

	Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

	Cut back on air conditioning use if you can.

	Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.

If you wish to make a contribution to the community development programs conducted at Kabini, you could make a donation to Kabini Foundation through us. If you want to witness some of the initiatives conducted by the Foundation, our staff will be more than willing to take you there.

The basic thumb rule to running a responsible ecotourism venture is to be true to one’s own conscience. Cicada has undertaken an oath to safeguard the environment and to comply with all government norms and regulations in every aspect of its operation

The 14 Point clearance and certification from all necessary departments to operate Cicada-Kabini

	Clearance from Pollution Control Board for Generators

	Clearance and approval from Pollution Control Board for waste water treatment or sewerage treatment plant

	Kitchen and Restaurant compliance with Health Department standards, rules and regulations.

	Excise department license for the sale of alcohol

	Ferries Inspector's approval for the safari boat (applicable for Kabini river safari)

	Safari vehicle compliance with Forest Department norms and motor vehicle air pollution standards (emission standards, Euro II or Euro III)

	Labour Department clearance for staff employment with regard to Labour act standards and regulations

	Clearance from the Department of Tourism

	Shops and establishment clearance

	Cicada-Kabini land DC conversion for the purpose of commercial use

	Village Panchayat plan sanction for the operation of a resort

	Village Panchayat license to run a resort

	Value Added Tax registration (VAT)

	Luxury Tax registration

Cicada’s ecotourism programs go beyond government norms and regulations. Its environmental initiatives revolve around three basic principles that lay the foundation of an eco-friendly environment - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

A) Solid Waste Management:

Solid wastes can be classified based on the degree of its impact on the environment

Household waste or Muncipal waste
Industrial waste as hazardous waste
Biomedical waste or Hospital waste as infectious waste

The solid waste management system was introduced to ensure reduction and responsible degeneration
of wastes. A study by Green Routes, a consulting
and waste management firm, was commissioned to understand the waste generation at Cicada-Kabini.
It was assessed that 25 kgs of organic waste is being generated on a daily basis. Following the results, an Aerobic Composting method was implemented in which aerobic microorganisms break down waste organic matter to compost in the presence of ample oxygen. The heat generated accelerates the breakdown of proteins, fats and complex carbohydrates such as cellulose and hemi-cellulose making the processing time shorter. Moreover, this process destroys many micro-organisms that are human or plant pathogens and is considered more efficient and useful than anaerobic composting for agricultural production. The manure thus obtained is being used for gardening at the resort. The plant comprises of two stacks (designed for composting waste), a leaf shed (for sorting waste and collection of plant waste) and a motor room. With a capacity of 750 kgs (dimension: 6 ft length X 4 ft wide X 3ft depth)
the stacks can compost the collected raw wastes over
a period of 1 month.
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B) Responsible plastic and waste disposal:

Cicada maintains its stand on minimal use of plastics. However, a plastic free zone is unrealistic in day to day operations; so such wastes are accumulated and disposed responsibly in areas where they are reused or recycled

C) Wastewater Treatment Plant:

At Cicada-Kabini one of the main challenges considering our location on the riverbank was the management of wastewater and how to safeguard the Kabini River and ecosystem from contamination. Our waste water treatment plant is designed to treat 10,000 litres a day and complies with Karnataka Pollution Control Board norms.
Need for wastewater treatment:

Fresh water is wasted across the world and ground water table is going down day by day due to this abuse. If this trend continues, future generations may be deprived of fresh water - the basic essential for survival. Also, untreated sewage water percolates down to the water table and over a period can lead to irreparable biological contamination and epidemic diseases.

Salient features of the plant

Compact in style and needs minimal construction; hence least disturbing to the environment
Consumes comparatively lesser energy, there by saving electric power
Incorporates Dual Media instead of Uni-media sand filtration. This helps in reduction of backwash water requirement and thereby electricity
Sludge generation is negligible and there is no need for sludge recycling
Least user / operator intervention. Does not require skilled labour

Treatment scheme is completely aerobic. Raw sewage gets collected in the collection cum equalization tank and then pumped to the packaged treatment facility. The purpose of this tank is to homogenize the raw sewage, minimize the odour and to feed the subsequent treatment facility with consistent flow.

SSASTP10 Reactor used in the plant consists of SAFF reactor, Settling Tank and Supernatant Tank. In Submerged Aerobic Fixed Film Reactor (SAFFR), biofills are provided as media for microorganisms. Diffused aeration supplies oxygen to the microorganisms which degrade the organic matter present in the sewage. Overflow from this unit, by gravity, shall be collected in Settling Tank where escaped bacteria flocks and settles at the bottom. Clarified water overflows to next compartment which is the Supernatant Tank. The water is then fed to Dual Media Filter (DMF) for further removal of Suspended Solid and to the Activated Carbon Filter (ACF) for removal of traces of Organics with the help of Pressure pump. The filtered water is then disinfected and then used for gardening.

D) Eco-friendly Generators

Designed and approved by Cummins, the power generators meet the most stringent noise levels specified by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), Government of India as per notification number GSR 371(E) dated May 17, 2002 and are certified for noise control levels of 75dbA at a 1 meter distance. The generators are also certified and comply with the Pollution Control Board norms.

E) Bio degradable bin-liners

The bin-liners used in rooms are sourced from Earthsoul, India’s first and only internationally certified company engaged in the production of eco-friendly bin-liners and other similar products.

Earthsoul materials biodegrade at a rate similar to pure cellulose (natural waste plant matter). Mater-Bi is not only a degradable plastic, but also a Bioplastic material based on GM-free corn starch, vegetable oils and biodegradable polyesters. Therefore the material is easily biodegradable to water, CO2 and residual organic carbon (compost), leaving no harmful residues

F) Eco-tourer vehicles:

Cicada safari vehicles are state-of-the-art vehicles designed to offer the safari enthusiast the best comfort and view of the forest. They are remodeled designs of TL 4x4 from Tata Motors - the latest diesel tourers that comply with Euro III (BS III) norms with regard to pollution. These diesel vehicles are also low on noise emissions and do not interrupt the jungle calls and vibes.

	Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) system helps reduce harmful exhaust emission and complies with the BS III standards

	Viscous fan optimizes engine cooling, ensures fuel efficiency and reduces engine noise

	Catalytic converter treats the exhaust gasses to decrease pollutants

G) Recycled Paper:

Cicada uses recycled paper in all its branding communication materials and guest handouts.

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