A university sparked outrage from students after cow dung was smeared onto classroom walls in an attempt to keep the spaces cool in the summertime.
Pratyush Vatsala, the principal of Delhi University, posted a video showing her plastering the manure onto the walls with her ungloved hand.
In traditional Indian knowledge, it is believed that a coating of cow dung can decrease the temperature by a few degrees.
Vatsala was mocked after a clip of her applying the manure was shared on social media.
In the video, the principal, who is wearing trainer shoes and dressed in a teal-coloured sari, moves her arms around in a semi-circular motion, applying the cow dung.
She stands on a stool to reach the top of the room while a man next to her holds a container carrying the excrement.
Vatsala insists she is trialing the technique as part of a faculty-led research project investigating how traditional Indian practices can combat sweltering heat.
She has promised to publish the results of her research.
A university sparked outrage from students after cow dung was smeared onto the walls of classrooms in an attempt to keep the spaces cool in the summertime. Delhi university principal Pratyush Vatsala posted video showing her plastering the manure onto the walls with her ungloved hand
In traditional Indian knowledge, it is believed that a coating of cow dung can bring the temperature down by a few degrees. Vatsala was mocked after a clip of her applying the manure was shared on social media
Vatsala told PTI: ‘It is under process. I will be able to share details of the full research after a week.
‘The research is being carried out in porta cabins. I coated one of them myself because there’s no harm in touching natural mud.
‘Some people are spreading misinformation without knowing the full details.’
In a message to those who attend the university she added: ‘Efforts are being made to make your teaching experience pleasant.’
However, angry students, who had previously complained of the heat, plastered cow dung on the walls of her office in protest and suggested that she could now uninstall her air conditioner.
‘We want fans and air conditioners, not the stink of cow dung in our class-rooms,’ said one student.
Another said the research would ‘be carried out in her office as well.’
Temperatures in Delhi are soaring, with forecasts predicting intense heat as high as 41C over the next few days.
This is not the first time cow dung has been used in a surprising way. In 2021 researchers used the manure to turn seawater into freshwater.
Vatsala (pictured) insists she is trialing the technique as part of a faculty led research project looking at how traditional Indian practices can combat sweltering heat
In the video, the principal, wearing trainer shoes and dressed in a teal coloured sari, is seen moving her arms around in a semi-circular motion, applying the cow dung on the walls. Nearby, a man is holding up a big pan which carries the dung
Scientists at Northeastern University developed a process that turns the bovine feces into a filter that purifies otherwise undrinkable water – an innovation the team hopes can address the global water crisis.
By blasting the manure with intense heat, scientists broke it down to a carbon powder that was made into a foam.
The foam floats on the seawater’s surface and when sunlight hits the area, water beneath the black material turns to steam and passes through it as drinkable liquid.
There are some 1.42 billion people living in areas stricken with water scarcity, according to UNICEF, and only three percent of water on Earth is drinkable.
With this in mind, many scientists are tirelessly working to transform ocean water into freshwater.
The running solution is a filtration system that removes salt from the water, a process called desalination, but such devices come with downfalls.
Yi Zheng, a professor at Northeastern University, said in a statement: ‘Material is kind of expensive to fabricate, and the material itself is not sustainable.
‘Furthermore, ‘the entire process for water desalination consumes electricity.’
Building upon the filtration idea, Zheng looked for a more sustainable power source – sunlight.
However, the process would not need solar panels, but a filter that is activated by sunlight.
Zhang collected a trove of cow manure from local farms and hit the material with heat up to 3,092F to kill off any bacteria.
Once the bacteria was removed, the manure had transformed into a carbon powder that Zhang turned into a foam to filter out the salt from ocean water.
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