The Kham River Restoration Mission: An inspiring conversation with the winner of our Prize for the Environment
Nala is the Hindi word for “small stream,” a body of water formed by contours in the land.
They flow from mountains, across industrial properties, and into cities in India. When
functioning correctly, they have the potential to absorb excess rainwater during storms and purify
the streams as they flow through aquatic life. However, nalas bear the impacts of increasing
populations in Indian cities with their industrial pollution and solid waste, and they have become
synonymous with the Hindi word for “gutter.”
Luckily, the connotations of the term nala are beginning to change. In her role as the
cofounder and director of EcoSattva, Natasha Zarine’s work on the Kham River Restoration
Mission is restoring the lifeblood of Indian cities like Aurangabad.
Natasha and I spoke in our School of Geography and Sustainable Development building the
morning after Natasha was awarded the St Andrews Prize for the Environment. The competition
for this $100,000 award has been running for 26 years, highlighting small NGOs from around the
world. Following a golf lesson to celebrate her win, she sat down with Alistair Macleod of
Transition St Andrews and myself to discuss her work.
Natasha’s organisation, EcoSattva, carries out the Kham River Restoration Mission by
dealing with contamination upstream, rather than once waste reaches cities. This systems
approach to environmental contamination is an adaptational approach, as opposed to quick-fix
technical solutions that the government has been quicker to invest in. The real merit in their work
lies in adapting a flawed system from the root. Current, perhaps easier solutions would treat
waste that has accumulated after travelling many kilometres across India, polluting ecosystems
along the way. Instead, systems change produces benefits for the entire community, impacting
the cultural perception of the river while producing tangible benefits for public health and
wellbeing. The project reinforces the resilience of the river while creating pocket parks to benefit
biodiversity and the community. These have become spaces for children to play in and for
residents to become immersed in nature.
Throughout the conversation, we discussed the main challenges Natasha and EcoSattva face
in achieving effective river restoration. She calls for activists to hold governments accountable
and to especially support the needs of smaller towns and cities. She explained that although
regulations and enforcement systems are already in place at the government level, they are often
not carried out. Alistair, who works on biodiversity projects here in St Andrews, asked Natasha
how she can provide the “teeth” for these policies, effective enforcement to back up India’s
legislation from the 1970s. She calls for a cultural shift around fining polluters, as landowners
are not held financially accountable despite their questionable environmental practices. There is
a resistance to this at the government level, but Natasha works with local policy makers to shift
this norm.
Moving forward, Natasha is looking to standardise her successes in Aurangabad to
inspire similar projects across India and the world. An app to communicate their methodology
will also be used to empower entrepreneurs, training them in finance, human resources, and other
skills to help them effectively work on restoration projects. With the money earned from the
prize, Natasha’s next project will help to restore a bird sanctuary. She explained that this is an
entirely ecological endeavour, not guided by what the government wants or what people want,
but guided by what is best for nature. The money will support the people whose livelihood will
be affected by the project, making a plan for households who rely on fishing in that area.
Additionally, EcoSattva has moved beyond waste management to improve other aspects
of lived experiences in cities. Improving urban heat island effect through increasing tree density
is just one of many projects under their remit. We will be following their journey from across the
world as they expand their work both in India and abroad. EcoSattva now has a special
relationship with the University of St Andrews, and we look forward to welcoming Natasha back
again. Learn more from their website here.