S Vishwanath, a Bengaluru-based water conservation skilled — popularly referred to as ‘Zenrainman’ on social media — believes that nationwide mainstream media reporting at the metropolis’s water shortage downside has been “utterly excessive” and that “everybody must calm the hell down”.
“For those who outline a disaster as a city-level one, the answers shall be discovered at a metropolis scale. The Executive will say ‘We’ll construct a big dam at the Cauvery referred to as the Mekedatu and that can convey 3,000 million litres of water an afternoon and clear up Bengaluru’s water downside’. However in reality, it’s an area downside of aquifer cave in. If we outline the issue appropriately, we can have the fitting answers for the town,” says Vishwanath, chatting with The Higher India.
“Incidental tales of other folks status in a queue the place a borewell has damaged down in an RO plant or of a few individual the use of rainy wipes to scrub themselves aren’t useful in any respect. Sure, authentic issues within the metropolis want to be highlighted, however in the event you chase issues all day with 100 cameras, it’s loopy,” he provides, “This sort of reporting isn’t serving to any person in any respect.”
Vishwanath — a civil engineer and concrete planner with greater than 3 many years of revel in within the water and sanitation sector — has up to now labored at the Karnataka Water Coverage in 2019. He’s additionally a Trustee of the Biome Environmental Consider, a Bengaluru-based non-profit.
So, how would he outline the present disaster?
“Necessarily, it’s the failure of the state. For those who construct your piped water community to the remainder of the town, then there shall be much less force to your aquifers, and there shall be no want to draw groundwater. Your borewells may have water and there shall be no use for tanker water provide. Because you’ve now not given piped water provide [to some parts of the city], then the answer lies in groundwater extraction. Which means that when groundwater collapses, there is not any selection supply of water provide,” he says.
Elaborating in this level additional, he says, “There is not any [water] downside in about three-fourths of the town. We were given 1,470 million litres of water [per day] coming from the Cauvery [river], and there are about 1.1 million [piped water] connections overlaying 10 other folks in line with connection. For 11 million citizens of the town, this isn’t an issue. For three to a few.5 million other folks dwelling within the outskirts depending on groundwater, there are [water scarcity] issues in wallet.”
Not too long ago the Bangalore Water Provide and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) issued an in depth listing marking out spaces maximum seriously impacted by way of water shortage.
In line with information collected from the Karnataka Groundwater Authority by way of The Hindu on 29 March, “The information of groundwater ranges for remaining December and this January and February displays that Bengaluru East taluk, which properties one of the most primary IT corridors of the town, the place the water disaster is maximum serious and groundwater exploitation unbridled, has observed probably the most dip in groundwater ranges this summer season.”
So, why are some portions of the town suffering such a lot with water shortage?
Vishwanath explains, “It’s the very best typhoon. What came about used to be that we have been intended to get water from the Cauvery Section-5 undertaking (turning in 775 million litres an afternoon), and that are supposed to were finished a 12 months and a part in the past. If this undertaking have been finished, there would were no disaster. With the of entirety of this undertaking, tens of millions of other folks in Bengaluru who don’t have a piped connection would have one with water flowing in it. However that undertaking were given behind schedule and is anticipated to be finished in Might-June 2024.”
“Additionally, probably the most primary metropolis lakes were tired and de-silted. That undertaking must were finished 3 years again, however this undertaking has been occurring for 4 to 5 years. For those who desilt and drain lakes for those a few years, their capability to recharge aquifers is non-existent. That’s the place all of the borewells have dried up,” he provides.
In portions of the town, on the other hand, the groundwater desk is prime, in step with Vishwanath.
“For instance, in Cubbon Park, the open recharge wells have enough water. One of the crucial lakes, which might be stuffed with water, are just right for percolation. In those spaces, the borewells are at a intensity of 150 to 300 toes. The place there is not any piped water provide, the groundwater desk may be very low. If the Cauvery Section-5 undertaking is finished, the issue of water shortage within the metropolis will pass away to a big extent. If the lakes are stuffed with rainwater or tertiary handled wastewater, then the aquifers shall be recharged and the issue will turn out to be so much much less,” he says.
As Vishwanath famous previous, there are actual issues that want to be solved to deal with water shortage within the metropolis. On this article, we can spotlight those issues and the way we will clear up them.
Reviving lakes, replenishing groundwater
Whether or not it’s Chennai, Bengaluru, or Hyderabad, prior to piped water connections, motorised pumps or electrical energy may come into play, citizens have been depending on floor water.
Now, on account of rampant urbanisation within the metropolis, lakes have turn out to be not anything however leisure and aesthetically interesting water-holding constructions the place the hydrology or science in the back of that water frame is regularly forgotten. In lots of circumstances, it additionally occurs that right through the 12 months Bengaluru’s lakes dangle sewage, and don’t have area for freshwater anymore. So, when rainfall occurs, those lakes are stuffed with sewage to the brim and aren’t ready to take in that water.
“All this affects the lake device, and thereby the groundwater. We’re some of the intense borewelling communities on this planet. Nowhere else will you notice such a lot of borewells being dug all over the place, which technically depletes all of the groundwater reserves,” says Arun Krishnamurthy of the Environmentalist Basis of India (EFI), which revives water our bodies.
“With groundwater reserves depleted and lakes protecting sewage, which additionally approach there is not any area for freshwater from the monsoon rains to go with the flow into — a lot of these elements put in combination are inflicting this sort of drought. Bengaluru isn’t the primary even though for the reason that Chennai went via one thing equivalent in 2018-19. Any city pocket in India is sure to be suffering from any such state of affairs for the reason that we don’t have a transparent working out of floor water our bodies,” he provides.
So, how do you pass about revving those water our bodies and bettering the groundwater point?
Arun speaks of Devanahalli Kere, the primary lake EFI took up in Bengaluru for revival in 2022. As an organisation, they have got in large part focussed on suburban Bengaluru reasonably than the principle metropolis house. It is because the suburban lakes have been heading at the present trail of the town lakes.
“To stop any roughly contamination or encroachment, we’ve got taken up water our bodies in Ramanagara, Tumkur, and Bengaluru (Rural) districts, and the nearest such lake to the principle metropolis is the Devanahalli Lake. Inside Karahalli, which is subsequent to Devanahalli, we’ve got revived a minimum of 5 water our bodies. What we’ve got accomplished is deepening those water our bodies to extend garage capability, regulating their inlet and outlet channels so that there’s a loose go with the flow of water, and we’ve got additionally ensured recharge wells were created in a lot of these methods,” explains Arun.
“Development those recharge wells is all about making sure there may be sufficient groundwater percolation. Making a water protecting construction in line with the soil construction, working out its utilisation price to the area, and growing percolation trenches and recharge wells have all been our key focal point — whether or not it’s in Devanahalli, Karahalli, the Baddihalli Lake in Tumkur metropolis, or the Hulikunte lake. EFI has restored a lot of these water our bodies with this higher level in thoughts,” he provides.
And the have an effect on of a lot of these projects at the communities who are living close to those lakes has been visual. “Their borewells aren’t as dry as what we listen from different portions of the town. Those lakes, that have been regularly used as dumping websites, are actually now not perceived as such. Folks need to give protection to them. When droughts happen, other folks realise and perceive the importance of those lakes higher they usually volunteer with us to take care of and maintenance them,” he claims.
What is going into the upkeep and maintenance of those water our bodies comprises the prevention of encroachment, dumping of rubbish, and sewage coming into that lake, and maintaining a tally of the water frame on the whole to take care of its high quality and house.
Nevertheless it’s additionally necessary to make sure that the canals interlinking those lakes are properly maintained. As Arun notes, “Interlinking of water our bodies at an NGO point is inconceivable just because between two lakes, the canal device that exists will in large part fall underneath Executive land or non-public land. We will counsel Executive businesses to replace those canal methods.”
“Our suggestions to the Executive may also come with correctly mapping those water our bodies, watershed wetlands, and fighting encroachment the place important and specializing in the structural integrity of freshwater methods. We desperately want the latter lately. However we can now not be able to restore those interlinking spaces utterly just because we don’t have the bandwidth to speak to all of the landowners and take away encroachment or extra. What’s imaginable on our point, on the other hand, is inlet-outlet law inside the lake’s outer edge,” he provides.
Are lakes in the principle metropolis past redemption?
“They aren’t past redemption if there’s a sturdy political will, heavy medical backing, and whole neighborhood working out of the issue. Even supposing the sort of components is lacking, those lakes can’t be stored,” he says.
Recharge wells over borewells
But even so lakes, every other key part in elevating the groundwater point and setting up a surplus water provide is open recharge wells. An open [recharge] properly is solely a hollow within the floor that permits get right of entry to to water underground. Those wells are used to extract water from the shallowest point — normally present in unconfined shallow aquifers the place water is held with none force. Those aquifers obtain water when rain or different floor water percolates down into it — a procedure referred to as recharge.
Talking to The Higher India, Vishwanath says, “As we talk, properly diggers running with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), as a part of the shallow aquifer control undertaking of the Executive of India, lately wiped clean up a properly in a specific locality very just about my space referred to as Nandini Format. That [open recharge] properly lately provides one lakh litres of water [a day] and helps 500-700 resident households for non-potable use.”
“Within the north of the town, we at Biome Environmental Consider, with the assistance of a CSR initiative, wiped clean up six wells, and in two of them, the ladies within the house instructed us to not set up a motor. They sought after to attract the water manually. As of late 50 to 70 households within the house can draw water from the properly. In two different wells, the city municipal council have put in pumps, and up to now, they’ve were given 70 million litres of water for his or her the city municipal house,” he provides.
Vishwanath is going directly to elaborate on different such tasks his agree with has launched into.
As he claims, “Within the Devanahalli township, the place the global airport is positioned, we’ve been ready to paintings with a number of NGOs and companions who wiped clean up a lake, which is now stuffed with rainwater and well-treated wastewater from Bengaluru. This water filters into the earth and there may be an outdated open properly we’ve got revived. That properly provides 2.5 lakh litres of water an afternoon to which we’ve got connected a water remedy plant and are supplying that water to the city of Devanahalli. We have now additionally built clear out borewells, which might be shallow borewells which pass 80 to 100 toes deep, and they have got a porous casing and serve as like open recharge wells.”
“Anywhere we do just right [open] recharge [wells] and lakes are revived, it’s the shallow aquifer which comes again to lifestyles,” he provides.
Vishwanath believes that each construction in Bengaluru can also be a part of the answer. “Take all of the rainwater you’ll be able to, retailer it in a sump tank and reuse it. When you have extra rainwater, please be sure that this is going into recharge wells in order that the shallow aquifer is complete and then you definately dip into it in instances of want. That’s the whole objective of our ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ initiative.”
So, why weren’t those answers installed position in portions of the town that don’t have piped connections and are lately suffering for water?
“It is because we don’t have a groundwater control plan. We don’t have a groundwater authority which integrates groundwater into our ingesting water wishes. We simply have anyone who allows us to drill borewells. We don’t know the way a lot groundwater exists beneath our toes, the place are the recharge zones, the place we retain them, how a lot water are we drawing from each and every sub-aquifer, and the way we draw a stability between call for and provide. Within the absence of a groundwater mobile within the BWSSB or the absence of a groundwater plan or an aquifer control plan, what occurs is everyone seems to be tapping into the aquifer,” explains Vishwanath.
What we’re seeing lately in Bengaluru is aggressive drilling. In portions of the town, other folks have dug borewells as deep as 1,800 toes.
“Everyone is taking water out. No person is striking water again in. Until we create the fitting form of establishment, which is liable for groundwater and manages it as a commonplace pool useful resource for all voters, that is what is going to occur and is going on. The issue is institutional and lies in governance or lack thereof,” provides Vishwanath.
If groundwater ranges are the issue within the outer edge of the principle metropolis, Vishwanath advocates the want to transfer from aggressive drilling to cooperative filling.
“As soon as it’s cooperative filling, we want to fill the lakes and make recharge wells in order that when the rains come, the water flows into the aquifer. That’s the answer. Lately, we’ve got superb tertiary handled water in a few of our wastewater remedy crops like in Jakkur, Cubbon Park, and many others the place you’ll be able to drink the water from the sewage remedy crops (STPs),” he says.
“We want to take this water and fill our lakes temporarily, which are actually dry, in order that the aquifer will get recharged. We must get started making ready to scrub up our rainwater harvesting methods and ensure new recharge wells are dug in order that when the summer season rains come, the ones drops of water are driven into the aquifer. If that is achieved, we will triumph over the issue within the brief run,” he provides.
Harvesting rainwater
The ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ initiative used to be conceived and facilitated by way of Biome Environmental Consider to resolve the town’s water disaster someday in 2005. The motion’s primary goal has been to allow families around the metropolis to adapt to the regulation mandating rainwater harvesting. And this additionally comprises “a recharge properly” possibility.
Being on the helm of more than a few tasks like ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ and different rainwater harvesting projects, we requested Vishwanath to provide an explanation for their have an effect on at the metropolis.
“For instance, the Rail Wheel Manufacturing unit in Yelahanka, the place they have got achieved just right rainwater harvesting, their open recharge wells are giving them two lakh litres of water an afternoon. At IIM Bangalore, the place rainwater harvesting has been achieved, their borewells are giving them water at 300 to 400 toes, they usually’re getting sufficient water,” claims Vishwanath.
“Anywhere rainwater harvesting is finished properly and in concentrated quantities, there was no downside. Their aquifers are complete and feature water regardless of this 12 months’s drought. Even in Cubbon Park, the place other folks and organisations have achieved rainwater harvesting like Pals of Lakes, there may be water in open recharge wells. Rainwater harvesting can ship in X quantity of water however your withdrawal must be not up to X. In case your draw is 2X, then even this gained’t lend a hand,” he provides.
Having stated that, there are extra considerations concerning the rainwater harvesting (RWH) infrastructure within the metropolis. It’s necessary to notice that the BWSSB Modification Act, 2011, made RWH obligatory for all houses on plots measuring 60×40 sq feet and above, and new houses arising on 30×40 sq feet websites. In 2015, consequences have been presented for houses that didn’t comply.
In a 7 December 2023 record for Citizen Issues, a Bengaluru-based media newsletter, reporter Navya PK writes, “…the town these days has 10.8 lakh houses with water connections, however only one.9 lakh (just about 18%) of them have carried out RWH.”
“Some other 39,703 houses were known for non-implementation and are paying consequences each month. Those houses come with person houses, residences (each and every condo is counted as a unmarried connection), and industrial houses,” she provides.
In different phrases, compliance is a major factor although putting in a RWH device is neither very sophisticated nor cost-intensive. Vishwanath notes that citizens must construct powerful RWH methods in order that they don’t have to stand quality-related considerations down the road.
He believes that there are sufficient high quality fabrics and competent plumbers provide available in the market. A person house can set up a RWH device for as low as Rs 5,000. Even supposing you insist on the use of a high quality clear out, it may be achieved inside Rs 15,000, equipped you don’t must construct a brand new sump, he argues. And the advantages of the program are actual.
“In our house, we’ve got rainwater harvesting methods which might be running optimally. Even supposing the remaining rains within the metropolis have been in November, our 1,000-litre rain barrel nonetheless has sufficient water for our ingesting and cooking wishes until June,” provides Vishwanath.
At the query of compliance, in step with a Bangalore Reflect record by way of Sridhar Vivan on 9 January 2024, “A staggering Rs 21.24 crore used to be accumulated as consequences for non-compliance with rainwater harvesting laws till November-end remaining 12 months.”
For non-implementation of RWH in residential houses, fines get started from 25% in their water invoice for the primary 3 months, and 50% afterwards. For non-residential houses, it’s 50% and 100% of the water invoice respectively.
Vishwanath argues that it’s difficult to be expecting 100% compliance and argues that penalising citizens might not be the best way ahead. As a substitute, he recommends that individuals must wish to arrange a RWH device of their houses after a means of training and verbal exchange. And the advantages of putting in any such device in each and every Bengaluru house can be immense.
A Bengaluru Water Datajam organised remaining month by way of Open Town, a civic tech undertaking, discovered that in line with rainfall information from 2022, “456 Million Litres in line with Day(MLD) will have been harvested in Bengaluru from the rooftops, which is 25% of the water call for of the town – 1890 MLD.”
Is dipping into wastewater the best way ahead?
Rashmi Kulranjan and Shashank Palur, who’re hydrologists at WELL LABS, wrote a column for The Hindu on 24 March 2024 the place they known a strategy to the town’s water woes.
“Rainwater harvesting may make a dent at the freshwater wishes of the town but it surely pales compared to wastewater. Lately, handiest one-third of the town’s wastewater is redirected for exterior reuse, this means that it’s taken to Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Devenahalli, the place it’s used to refill each groundwater and floor water assets,” they wrote.
“The rest water flows into lakes and runs off land to enroll in rivers downstream. This implies the massive quantum of wastewater generated within the metropolis is an untapped useful resource. As soon as handled to the desired high quality, wastewater can considerably mitigate freshwater intake and can also be an important in making the town water resilient all through low rainfall years,” they added.
It’s a sentiment that Vikas Brahmavar, founding father of Boson Whitewater, a Bengaluru-based water software startup, stocks. Talking to The Higher India, he says, “We must now not have a metropolis working at the hope of fine rains. In the end, if there are not any rains until June, it’ll be a tension even at the municipal provide. We must have a metropolis working at the hope of the wastewater flowing out and make use of freshwater provide as a buffer for our on a regular basis wishes.”
“In any metropolis in India, when government plan water distribution, they by no means take a look at what goes out of the town. For those who take a look at advanced towns like Singapore, the making plans isn’t in line with freshwater to be had in dams however in line with the predictable wastewater which goes out of the town, as a result of that may be estimated obviously in line with the inhabitants,” says Vikas.
“If the inhabitants of a given metropolis is understood, government in puts like Singapore know precisely the quantity of wastewater which goes out. From the amount wastewater estimated, government can then gauge which industries can also be lined by way of that handled wastewater,” he provides.
In the case of coverage, their start line is wastewater, which addresses sanitation in addition to business water necessities, after which they take a look at the freshwater to be had from dams or different assets.
“This large mindset exchange has to return. Any growing nation must have this mindset of having a look at wastewater first prior to having a look at freshwater choices,” notes Vikas.
The Boson Whitewater device converts handled wastewater into “high quality potable water”. The setup has complicated an IoT (Web of Issues), AI (synthetic intelligence) and device finding out (ML) enabled 11-step filtration device to scale back bodily, chemical and organic contaminants found in STP-treated wastewater. Lately, they paintings with industries, IT parks, shops, and condo communities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and recycle their wastewater.
On the finish in their 11-step filtration procedure, he claims that the water does now not have any contaminants. “E coli, coliforms, heavy metals, prime hardness, insecticides, and herbicides are all got rid of, and the water is crystal transparent and potable. Nationwide Accreditation Board for Trying out and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) qualified lab studies point out the water is drinkable,” he provides.
Necessarily, Boson is concentrated in this monumental quantity of water which goes out of houses, residences, and workplaces as handled wastewater.
“As in line with our estimation, a 300-unit condo will generate about 1,50,000 litres of wastewater an afternoon. The similar construction complicated may have a sewage remedy plant however handiest 20% (about 30,000 litres) of the handled water that comes out from this facility shall be used. In different phrases, multiple lakh litres of handled wastewater leads to the drain,” he says.
“Our device can take this one lakh litre of handled wastewater and bring potable-quality water from it in order that the neighbouring houses or business amenities don’t have to take advantage of borewell water and as an alternative purchase our potable-quality water for no matter they would like,” he provides.
Boson Whitewater is these days taking part with the Bangalore Water Provide and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on a separate undertaking to deal with the town’s water shortage downside. However their top focal point has been the restoration of handled recycled water and promoting it.
“Wastewater will at all times be there whether or not there may be rainfall or now not. Since we’re recuperating high quality water from wastewater, our shoppers have now not been adversely affected as a result of they have got an ordinary provide which is assured by way of us on a contractual foundation. A few of our shoppers on uncommon events name in a tanker however for probably the most phase, we’re ready to recuperate the wastewater which is to be had to the utmost extent and provide that to them,” he says.
(In Section 2, we can take a look at what citizens of Bengaluru can do to mitigate water shortage within the metropolis.)
(Edited by way of Pranita Bhat)
(Photographs courtesy Shutterstock/PQN Studios/Joe Ravi/WESTOCK PRODUCTIONS/MudaCom, S Vishwanath & The Higher India)