As far as the Centre is concerned, the tree planting is a continuing programme inasmuch as its schools continued to plant trees on special occasions like Environment Day and August 15 to make the children conscious of the need to replenish the ever decreasing tree cover. World Wide Fund for Nature, Nature Club of Wilson College, NCC Students of SNDT College, Nature Club of Bhavan’s College – all from Mumbai – have been regularly visiting us for several years for planting trees in our area. They continue to return to our campus for camps, meetings, recreation and, often, simply for the love of nature.

Fight against pollution in the Patalganga river:
The Centre has been fighting against pollution in the Patalganga River. It had organized many agitations and hunger strikes as part of the fight, to create awareness about pollution and to fight polluting industries.

Patalganga Water Partnership:

As part of Global Water Partnership, South East Asia Water Partnership and the Indian Water Partnership, the work on Patalganga Water Partnership was started in 2002 with the Indian Water Work Association and was completed in 2007. During the period, the Indian Water Works Association was the host agency. Yusuf Meherally Centre has been associated with this activity right from the beginning. At a meeting of the Patalganga Water Partnership, which was held at Nagpur on June 2007, Yusuf Meherally Centre was nominated as the host organization for future implementation of the programmes in this regard from 2007 to 2025.

Transfer of rural technology:

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ( BARC) Mumbai has developed certain simple technology which are easily transferable to rural areas, which in turn could improve the economic condition of the beneficiaries. The package is called “Advance Knowledge Technology Implementation (AKRUTI)”. The Centre proposes to take up this, for implementation with the technical inputs of the BARC. Once this is done, it could be popularized not only in and around our Tara Project Centre, but the whole of Konkan area comprising of Raigad, Thane, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts and beyond.

The programme and its Implementation pattern:

AKRUTI as developed by the BARC has the following technologies for demonstration and experimentation:

i)     NISARGRUNA – Biogas plant for biodegradable solid waste.
ii)    FSD – Foldable Solar Dryer.
iii)   DWP – Direct Water Purifier.
iv)    STK – Soil Testing Kit for organic carbon.
v)     VTD – Vibro Thermal Disinfestor.
vi)    Fruit extraction process.

The Centre will develop these technology units, which are eco-friendly, with the technical help of BARC and convert them as an extension center too. We have since started working out the implementation of NISARGRUNA- Biogas plant for biodegradable solid waste that will trap methane which can be used as a fuel source.

Dissemination of Technology developed by Indian Institute of Technology Powai (IIT-Bombay) Mumbai, ,to make diesel oil from waste of edible oil manufacturing, used cooking oil and non-edible oils:

A team of researchers from IIT Bombay has designed and helped install the plant at YMC-Tara. The necessary infrastructure is created by the Centre on its land at Tara, Raigad District. This will be a pilot project. It was inaugurated on December 17, 2008. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) funded the non-recurring cost of the plant. The plant will be run by the experts of IIT Mumbai for three months before being handed over to the Centre to be operated by its staff. Initially, it will use edible oil waste collected from hotels as the raw material.

Our project area has a sizeable tribal population and other backward classes who belong to Below Poverty Level categories. They are primarily marginal farmers and farm labourers who would be the immediate beneficiaries. The project will eventually be extended to cover the whole of the Konkan region that has a total population of 1.30 crore, including 14.93 lakhs tribals and 4.60 lakhs schedule castes.