Thrissur: When an eco-friendly alternative for plastic bottles was being sought after, Lachen tourist spot in Sikkim came up with an attractive solution - water bottles made of bamboo. Following the trend, now Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) is planning to design bamboo bottles.
It was Sikkim that started moves to ban plastic in 1998. From 2016 onwards, plastic water bottles are banned at government sponsored programmes. Following this, they decided to provide bamboo bottles to tourists in Lachen where population is only 2500.
The bamboo bottles in Sikkim were brought from Assam. Industrial production of bamboo bottles was started by an Assam native man named Dhritiman Borah. The bottles are produced from the bamboo variety known as Bhaluka (Bambusa Balcooa). They are priced about Rs 200-450. They are also being imported.
KFRI bamboo research project started trying to make bamboo bottles on knowing about the story of Sikkim. Dr Shyam Viswanath, Research Director at KFRI, said that the bamboos in Kerala are thicker than the ones in Sikkim and they are trying to grow thin bamboos here.
There are about 140 varieties of bamboos in India, among which 70-80 are commonly found in northeast states. The thick type of bamboo growing in Kerala can contain only limited quantity of water.
Bamboo Research Project Director and Principal Scientist K V Muhammed Kunji said that they are planning to develop lifestyle products from bamboo through Innovation - Science and Technology based Entrepreneurship Development (i-STED). The major challenge is to get rid of the moisture inside the bamboo, he said.
