"Greenest Ever" Olympics

By Ajeet Khurana

"Go green," the latest mantra for an eco friendly planet no longer remains the sole prerogative of environment activists and scientists alone with the 2012 Olympic Committee members putting on their thinking caps, all set to win the "green medal."

After six long decades, once again London is the venue for 2012 Olympics and the stage is being set for the mega event. The best shot of the host so far has been regenerating the Lower Lea valley in East London in an effort to spread a very meaningful message across the globe and champion the "greenest ever" Olympic Games.

In order to maintain ecological balance, it is extremely important for any country to protect its rivers, creeks and banks. Lea in London was in grave danger with proliferating number of industrial sites along the banks spitting wastes and effluents all over indiscriminately.

ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), however, partnered with a private agency and initiated a massive clean-up operation. Cleaning such mess is usually a humungous task which calls for robust planning, laborious execution and above all honest intent. The soil along the banks of river Lea was deeply contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and hydrocarbons. At first the litter was removed manually and then the soil was passed through huge soil washers. These giant machines purged two million tones of soil and the clean scum were utilized to build the site.

As far as the river is concerned, it’s sure to meander in full glory for quite some time now. Albeit this is one good example of recycling, instances of intelligent, environment friendly measures to spur the event are galore.

Instead of confining the natural flow of water by building steep concrete banks to prevent flood, engineers have adopted a brilliant new scheme. River Lea has been widened and given a new shape so that at times of flood the water gets distributed in a stretch. Copious planting has been done all around so that the flood water is naturally hemmed by robust trees.

Despite all these measures to orchestrate a completely pollution free oxygen rich Olympics, would it really be possible to dream green with thousands of participants, attendants, officials and airlines bee lining for the show from every corner of the world?

Only time could answer this riddle. Nevertheless whether or not Carbon dioxide level rises in the air, it could be vouched for sure without any second thought, that adrenaline is definitely going to be soaring sky high in the 2012 Olympics.