Mahabaleshwar: Ban Horse Rides around Venna Lake, Put Up Biogas Plants To Convert Horse Excreta into Energy, Says Gokhale Institute

Vinita Deshmukh 09 January 2024

Economy & Nation

Can you believe that the excreta of a mere 170 horses in Mahabaleshwar is severely threatening the health of 700K (thousand) to 800K tourists who patronise this popular hill station annually? But the good news is that it is possible to eradicate this health menace, primarily by banning horse rides around Venna lake.

A vital research work in health risk assessment due to contaminated drinking water from the Venna lake at Mahabaleshwar, which has been successfully completed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, points to the dangerous viruses and bacteria present in the horse excreta which is aplenty on the banks of the Venna lake due to the popular tourist entertainment of horse rides around it.

With the local and the tourist populations, especially the vulnerable segments of children, diabetics and senior citizens becoming victims to serious stomach ailments, researchers point out the urgency to find and implement solutions.

Also keeping in mind that the horse-owners’ community’s primary bread and butter comes from horse rides, particularly during peak seasons, the Gokhale Institute has proposed strategies that do not affect their livelihood. Hence, the report stresses on the fact that the team found solution strategies for preventing the contamination without disturbing the business activities of Mahabaleshwar which is highly dependent on the tourist population.

The solution strategies advocated by the research team of the Gokhale Institute, headed by Dr Priti Mastakar, revolves around avoiding horse excreta which is 10kg per horse per day, near the Venna lake, the chief source of drinking water in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, by conducting horse ride activity at an alternate site and converting the excreta to energy through a biogas plant.

States Dr Mastakar, in her extensive research report: “Separation of the contamination from the water source, a better location for horse activity that can earn them better and steady income like a horse riding and training centre that can serve both, the local schools, colleges and populations, tourist and local is highly recommended at the earliest.”

Secondly, Dr Mastakar advocates “the provision of a biogas plant that can convert horse waste into biogas and electricity. This biogas can be provided to the horse-owning community free in the form of gas for a community kitchen if the horse owners collect all the equine waste, an incentive to collect the waste as input to the biogas plant.”

Thirdly, she points out the importance of “the involvement of the business community in both Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani as they would be very much interested in keeping their drinking water source clean and would certainly help in implementing the solutions.”

Richard Dias, owner of the famous departmental store, Treacher & Co, who has been campaigning to protect Mahabaleshwar, states, “The dredging of Venna lake proposal was made 10-15 years ago, but nothing was done. Sewage treatment plants are not all working, there are only two of them. The municipality has spent Rs1800 crore but has not completed the work. I feel the golf ground and polo ground are good alternatives for horse riding instead of the present grounds at Venna lake.”

(Tomorrow: Will the government authorities move forward to implement the solution strategies spelt out by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics?)

You may also want to read…

Beware! Heavy Contamination in Mahabaleshwar Drinking Water Due to Horse Excreta in Venna Lake, Warns Gokhale Institute

(Vinita Deshmukh is consulting editor of Moneylife. She is also the convener of the Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyaan. She is the recipient of prestigious awards like the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, which she won twice in 1998 and 2005 and the Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding media person for her investigation series on Dow Chemicals. She co-authored the book "To The Last Bullet - The Inspiring Story of A Braveheart - Ashok Kamte" with Vinita Kamte and is the author of "The Mighty Fall".)

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