In this column, TBI editorial brings you articles from experts across India, tackling the challenges that matter most. These insightful pieces offer practical solutions and inspire us to take proactive steps in addressing the issues we face in our communities and beyond.

As narrated by expert Dr Lal Singh, Principal Scientist and Project Leader at CSIR-NEERI. He specialises in ecological restoration, particularly using bamboo for environmental rehabilitation of degraded lands such as fly ash dumps, mining sites, and wastelands.

There was a time when this land looked like the surface of the moon—grey, dry, and covered in thick layers of fly ash. Nothing could grow here. The soil was weak, the air heavy with dust, and the ground cracked underfoot. For years, people believed these areas around Koradi, Khaparkheda, and Chandrapur Thermal Power Stations in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha district were beyond saving.

But today, everything has changed. The dusty ground is now covered with soft green grass. Long lines of bamboo plants, neem, karanj, and other native trees stretch as far as the eye can see. Some trees now stand as tall as buildings, their leaves rustling in the wind. Where there was once silence and emptiness, there is now shade, cool air, and the sound of birds returning.

This transformation didn’t happen by accident. It is the result of years of careful work by the scientists at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI). They created a special method called Eco-Rejuvenation Technology (ERT)—a simple but powerful process to bring life back to damaged and polluted land.

The idea was not just to plant trees, but to heal the soil first. The team treated the land with natural materials to improve its quality, planted native trees that could survive in tough conditions, and slowly built a green cover that could stand strong even in dry weather.

The purpose was clear: to show that land polluted by fly ash from power plants doesn’t have to stay dead. It can be brought back to life with the right care, science, and patience.

The Better India spoke to Dr Lal Singh, Principal Scientist and Project Leader at CSIR-NEERI, who shared how this method is now giving hope to many more places across the country that are struggling with polluted land.

From wastelands to farmlands: How one scientist sparked a powerful green revolution

What began as a simple assignment soon became a life’s mission for Dr Lal Singh. When he first joined CSIR in 2006, he was only trying to prove himself to his seniors. But what followed changed the course of his career—and the lives of thousands.

“I was assigned to convert a uranium tailing pond in Jharkhand back in 2006. That’s when I joined........

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