Cleaning Lakes Ecologically

Dal Lake in the north of India is an iconic location that was restored to its natural beauty by turning an infestation of weeds into rich natural fertilizer. Aquatic plants had accumulated over the years, creating an unsightly mess and posing a threat to the local ecosystem. Maninder Singh is the founder of Clean ‘Effen’ Tech (CET) which harvests thousands of tons of lake weeds every year, dries and enriches them, then grinds them into fertilizer to sell to local farmers. His project at Dal Lake was to construct a value chain that would see the lake, the local ecology, the local economy, and his own profits all flourish together. It now processes up to 70,000 metric tonnes of lake weeds each year, yielding 22,000 tonnes of organic fertilizer. Local workers harvest the weeds and send them to CET’s production plant. There they are freed from pollutants before being dried, shredded, enriched, and pulverized. The fertilizer is sold to local farmers for 25% less than the cost of chemical fertilizers. “We have made an impact by enriching over 4,400 acres of land, improving soil health, and supporting sustainable agriculture practices.”