Written by Nethra Singhi
From a barren land with a limited water supply and fluctuating electricity, the Agastya Kuppam Campus is now a lush green ecosystem with sustainable and eco-friendly sources for water and electricity. How did we do it? Read below.
The vision behind the Kuppam Campus
Ramji Raghavan, the co-founder and chairperson of Agastya, understood the importance of harmonising with nature while learning, or rather, the importance of the environment in which one learns. His vision was that the campus must have beautiful views and calming natural spaces that aid education.
Hence, the idea from the start was to build a sustainable space for learning rooted in the local biodiversity of Kuppam. We took the help of renowned environmentalist Dr Yelappa Reddy, to do this.
The Execution
First, Professor Renuka Prasad, Head of Geology, Bangalore University, helped conduct a soil assessment study to assess the type of rocks in the area, its hydrological layers, the type and porosity of the soil present, etc. to determine the kind of landscape they were working with.
In accordance with this, multiple check dams and irrigation channels were constructed that increased water storage in the area and replenished water levels underground. To combat the electricity problem, the primary natural resource of the area was harvested. Meaning they installed solar panels, windmills, and biogas fueled structures. Thus, the campus became sustainable, which improved the site’s natural landscape.
From barren land, it was now land on which life could flourish. Many species characteristic of the Deccan Plateau and flora and fauna local to all the three states the campus borders (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) are now present and well nurtured.
Flora introduced to the site includes Neem, Jamun, Peepal, Red Sanders, Bamboo, and Bulea Monosperma or Flame of the Forest. These aided in recharging groundwater levels that in turn helped native species grow. The campus is now overrun with shrubs and greenery that many visiting children and teachers love and think is integral to the Agastya experience.
Agastya has not stopped here on its mission to be environmentally conscious. It also introduced ecology in its curriculum before the state government and has conducted many environmental programs on the Kuppam grounds. One such notable program is the My Tree Program, where students visiting the campus are each given a tree that they observe and help grow every time they come to the campus during their course. This makes them conscious of the nature around them and also helps their analytical skills.
While the whole campus is deemed the Ecology Lab, the in-house ecology lab hosts several automated models that demonstrate several animals and plants’ life cycles and processes. It also provides sustainable solutions to life problems such as drip irrigation systems for farming, biofuel to reduce the carbon footprint etc.
There are also several conceptual gardens like the Mulikavana and Saraswati Kund designed for specific learning processes and highlighting the different natural features of the campus.
The Campus Today
An IISC team consisting of nine researchers, including Mr Harish Bhat and lead scientist Dr Ramachandra, published a research report of the Agastya Campus. This report recorded the environmental and ecological developments on the campus between 2008 and 2014. There was a detailed analysis of all the species of flora and fauna existing on campus. The study concluded that the campus and areas around it reported increased vegetation cover from 11.9% in 2001 to 18.76% in 2014.
Today, there are around 600 plants and about 223 animal species, including birds, spiders, amphibians, as well as 104 species of butterflies (as recorded by Dr R Bhanumati). We built a Butterfly Park in 2014 on our campus in an effort to increase environmental education for teachers and students. Several endangered species of the Eastern Ghats were also found in the vicinity. Some notable ones are the Indian Jackal, Pangolin, Spotted Deer, and subspecies of migratory birds like the Harriet and the Rosy Pastor from North America, Siberia, Tajikistan, Russia, and the Himalayas.
Agastya won the Andhra Pradesh Green Award in 2018, recognising its efforts in creating an ecologically sustainable preserve that serves as the seat of learning. You can read more about our environmental plans here: https://issuu.com/agastyasparks/docs/the_roots_of_creativity-ecology
