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S Vishwanath, a Bengaluru-based water conservation skilled — popularly referred to as ‘Zenrainman’ on social media — believes that nationwide mainstream media reporting on town’s water shortage drawback has been “utterly excessive” and that “everybody must calm the hell down”.
“If you happen to outline a disaster as a city-level one, the options will probably be discovered at a metropolis scale. The Authorities will say ‘We’ll construct a big dam on the Cauvery referred to as the Mekedatu and that may convey 3,000 million litres of water a day and remedy Bengaluru’s water drawback’. However truly, it’s a neighborhood drawback of aquifer collapse. If we outline the issue accurately, we may have the best options for town,” says Vishwanath, talking to The Higher India.
“Incidental tales of individuals standing in a queue the place a borewell has damaged down in an RO plant or of some individual utilizing moist wipes to scrub themselves will not be useful in any respect. Sure, real issues within the metropolis must be highlighted, however for those who chase issues all day with 100 cameras, it’s loopy,” he provides, “This sort of reporting shouldn’t be serving to anybody in any respect.”
Vishwanath — a civil engineer and concrete planner with greater than three many years of expertise within the water and sanitation sector — has beforehand labored on the Karnataka Water Coverage in 2019. He’s additionally a Trustee of the Biome Environmental Belief, a Bengaluru-based non-profit.
So, how would he outline the present disaster?
“Primarily, it’s the failure of the state. If you happen to construct your piped water community to the remainder of town, then there will probably be much less stress in your aquifers, and there will probably be no want to attract groundwater. Your borewells may have water and there will probably be no want for tanker water provide. Because you’ve not given piped water provide [to some parts of the city], then the answer lies in groundwater extraction. Which means when groundwater collapses, there isn’t a different supply of water provide,” he says.
Elaborating on this level additional, he says, “There isn’t a [water] drawback in about three-fourths of town. We bought 1,470 million litres of water [per day] coming from the Cauvery [river], and there are about 1.1 million [piped water] connections masking 10 folks per connection. For 11 million residents of town, this isn’t an issue. For 3 to three.5 million folks dwelling within the outskirts depending on groundwater, there are [water scarcity] issues in pockets.”
Lately the Bangalore Water Provide and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) issued an in depth checklist marking out areas most severely impacted by water shortage.
Based on knowledge gathered from the Karnataka Groundwater Authority by The Hindu on 29 March, “The information of groundwater ranges for final December and this January and February reveals that Bengaluru East taluk, which homes one of many main IT corridors of town, the place the water disaster is most extreme and groundwater exploitation unbridled, has seen probably the most dip in groundwater ranges this summer season.”
So, why are some elements of town struggling a lot with water shortage?
Vishwanath explains, “It’s the right storm. What occurred was that we had been alleged to get water from the Cauvery Section-5 venture (delivering 775 million litres a day), and that ought to have been accomplished a yr and a half in the past. If this venture had been accomplished, there would have been no disaster. With the completion of this venture, hundreds of thousands of individuals in Bengaluru who don’t have a piped connection would have one with water flowing in it. However that venture bought delayed and is predicted to be accomplished in Might-June 2024.”
“Additionally, a number of the main metropolis lakes have been drained and de-silted. That venture ought to have been accomplished three years again, however this venture has been happening for 4 to 5 years. If you happen to desilt and drain lakes for these 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 elements of town, nonetheless, the groundwater desk is excessive, in line with Vishwanath.
“For instance, in Cubbon Park, the open recharge wells have ample water. A few of the lakes, that are stuffed with water, are good for percolation. In these areas, the borewells are at a depth of 150 to 300 ft. The place there isn’t a piped water provide, the groundwater desk may be very low. If the Cauvery Section-5 venture is accomplished, the issue of water shortage within the metropolis will go away to a big extent. If the lakes are full of rainwater or tertiary handled wastewater, then the aquifers will probably be recharged and the issue will develop into rather a lot much less,” he says.
As Vishwanath famous earlier, there are actual issues that must be solved to deal with water shortage within the metropolis. On this article, we are going to spotlight these issues and the way we will remedy them.
Reviving lakes, replenishing groundwater
Whether or not it’s Chennai, Bengaluru, or Hyderabad, earlier than piped water connections, motorised pumps or electrical energy might come into play, residents had been depending on floor water.
Now, on account of rampant urbanisation within the metropolis, lakes have develop into nothing however leisure and aesthetically interesting water-holding constructions the place the hydrology or science behind that water physique is commonly forgotten. In lots of instances, it additionally occurs that all year long Bengaluru’s lakes maintain sewage, and don’t have house for freshwater anymore. So, when rainfall occurs, these lakes are full of sewage to the brim and will not be capable of take up that water.
“All this impacts the lake system, and thereby the groundwater. We’re one of the crucial intense borewelling communities on the earth. Nowhere else will you see so many borewells being dug in every single 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 holding sewage, which additionally means there isn’t a house for freshwater from the monsoon rains to circulate into — all these elements put collectively are inflicting this sort of drought. Bengaluru isn’t the primary although on condition that Chennai went by means of one thing comparable in 2018-19. Any city pocket in India is sure to be affected by such a state of affairs on condition that we don’t have a transparent understanding of floor water our bodies,” he provides.
So, how do you go about revving these water our bodies and enhancing the groundwater stage?
Arun speaks of Devanahalli Kere, the primary lake EFI took up in Bengaluru for revival in 2022. As an organisation, they’ve largely focussed on suburban Bengaluru reasonably than the principle metropolis space. It is because the suburban lakes had been heading on the present path of town lakes.
“To stop any sort of contamination or encroachment, now we have taken up water our bodies in Ramanagara, Tumkur, and Bengaluru (Rural) districts, and the closest such lake to the principle metropolis is the Devanahalli Lake. Inside Karahalli, which is subsequent to Devanahalli, now we have revived at the very least 5 water our bodies. What now we have achieved is deepening these water our bodies to extend storage capability, regulating their inlet and outlet channels so that there’s a free circulate of water, and now we have additionally ensured recharge wells have been created in all these methods,” explains Arun.
“Constructing these recharge wells is all about guaranteeing there’s sufficient groundwater percolation. Making a water holding construction based mostly on the soil construction, understanding its utilisation worth to the area, and creating percolation trenches and recharge wells have all been our key focus — whether or not it’s in Devanahalli, Karahalli, the Baddihalli Lake in Tumkur metropolis, or the Hulikunte lake. EFI has restored all these water our bodies with this bigger level in thoughts,” he provides.
And the impression of all these initiatives on the communities who reside close to these lakes has been seen. “Their borewells will not be as dry as what we hear from different elements of town. These lakes, which had been usually used as dumping websites, are actually now not perceived as such. Individuals need to defend them. When droughts happen, folks realise and perceive the importance of those lakes higher and so they volunteer with us to keep up and maintenance them,” he claims.
What goes into the upkeep and maintenance of those water our bodies consists of the prevention of encroachment, dumping of rubbish, and sewage coming into that lake, and keeping track of the water physique usually to keep up its high quality and space.
But it surely’s additionally essential to make sure that the canals interlinking these lakes are effectively maintained. As Arun notes, “Interlinking of water our bodies at an NGO stage is inconceivable just because between two lakes, the canal system that exists will largely fall beneath Authorities land or non-public land. We are able to advocate Authorities companies to replace these canal methods.”
“Our suggestions to the Authorities may also embody correctly mapping these water our bodies, watershed wetlands, and stopping encroachment the place essential and specializing in the structural integrity of freshwater methods. We desperately want the latter at the moment. However we won’t be ready to revive these interlinking areas utterly just because we don’t have the bandwidth to speak to all of the landowners and take away encroachment or extra. What is feasible on our stage, nonetheless, is inlet-outlet regulation inside the lake’s periphery,” he provides.
Are lakes in the principle metropolis past redemption?
“They don’t seem to be past redemption if there’s a sturdy political will, heavy scientific backing, and full group understanding of the issue. Even when one in all these components is lacking, these lakes can’t be saved,” he says.
Recharge wells over borewells
Moreover lakes, one other key component in elevating the groundwater stage and establishing a surplus water provide is open recharge wells. An open [recharge] effectively is just a gap within the floor that enables entry to water underground. These wells are used to extract water from the shallowest stage — sometimes present in unconfined shallow aquifers the place water is held with none stress. These aquifers obtain water when rain or different floor water percolates down into it — a course of referred to as recharge.
Talking to The Higher India, Vishwanath says, “As we communicate, effectively diggers working with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), as a part of the shallow aquifer administration venture of the Authorities of India, not too long ago cleaned up a effectively in a selected locality very near my home referred to as Nandini Structure. That [open recharge] effectively at the moment provides one lakh litres of water [a day] and helps 500-700 resident households for non-potable use.”
“Within the north of town, we at Biome Environmental Belief, with the assistance of a CSR initiative, cleaned up six wells, and in two of them, the ladies within the space advised us to not set up a motor. They needed to attract the water manually. Immediately 50 to 70 households within the space can draw water from the effectively. In two different wells, the city municipal council have put in pumps, and up to now, they’ve bought 70 million litres of water for his or her city municipal space,” he provides.
Vishwanath goes on to elaborate on different such tasks his belief has launched into.
As he claims, “Within the Devanahalli township, the place the worldwide airport is positioned, we’ve been capable of work with a number of NGOs and companions who cleaned up a lake, which is now full of rainwater and well-treated wastewater from Bengaluru. This water filters into the earth and there’s an previous open effectively now we have revived. That effectively provides 2.5 lakh litres of water a day to which now we have connected a water therapy plant and are supplying that water to the city of Devanahalli. We now have additionally constructed filter borewells, that are shallow borewells which go 80 to 100 ft deep, and so they have a porous casing and performance like open recharge wells.”
“Wherever we do good [open] recharge [wells] and lakes are revived, it’s the shallow aquifer which comes again to life,” he provides.
Vishwanath believes that each constructing in Bengaluru will 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. If in case you have extra rainwater, please guarantee that this goes into recharge wells in order that the shallow aquifer is full and then you definately dip into it in instances of want. That’s the general objective of our ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ initiative.”
So, why weren’t these options put in place in elements of town that don’t have piped connections and are at the moment struggling for water?
“It is because we don’t have a groundwater administration plan. We don’t have a groundwater authority which integrates groundwater into our consuming water wants. We simply have somebody who permits us to drill borewells. We don’t know the way a lot groundwater exists under our ft, the place are the recharge zones, the place we retain them, how a lot water are we drawing from every sub-aquifer, and the way we draw a steadiness between demand and provide. Within the absence of a groundwater cell within the BWSSB or the absence of a groundwater plan or an aquifer administration plan, what occurs is everyone seems to be tapping into the aquifer,” explains Vishwanath.
What we’re seeing at the moment in Bengaluru is aggressive drilling. In elements of town, folks have dug borewells as deep as 1,800 ft.
“All people is taking water out. No one is placing water again in. Until we create the best kind of establishment, which is accountable for groundwater and manages it as a standard pool useful resource for all residents, 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 periphery of the principle metropolis, Vishwanath advocates the necessity to transfer from aggressive drilling to cooperative filling.
“As soon as it’s cooperative filling, we have 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. Presently, now we have wonderful tertiary handled water in a few of our wastewater therapy vegetation like in Jakkur, Cubbon Park, and many others the place you’ll be able to drink the water from the sewage therapy vegetation (STPs),” he says.
“We have to take this water and fill our lakes shortly, which are actually dry, in order that the aquifer will get recharged. We must always begin getting ready to scrub up our rainwater harvesting methods and ensure new recharge wells are dug in order that when the summer season rains come, these drops of water are pushed into the aquifer. If that is performed, we will overcome the issue within the brief run,” he provides.
Harvesting rainwater
The ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ initiative was conceived and facilitated by Biome Environmental Belief to resolve town’s water disaster someday in 2005. The motion’s most important goal has been to allow households throughout town to evolve to the legislation mandating rainwater harvesting. And this additionally consists of “a recharge effectively” choice.
Being on the helm of assorted tasks like ‘One Million Wells for Bengaluru’ and different rainwater harvesting initiatives, we requested Vishwanath to elucidate their impression on town.
“For instance, the Rail Wheel Manufacturing facility in Yelahanka, the place they’ve performed good rainwater harvesting, their open recharge wells are giving them two lakh litres of water a day. At IIM Bangalore, the place rainwater harvesting has been performed, their borewells are giving them water at 300 to 400 ft, and so they’re getting sufficient water,” claims Vishwanath.
“Wherever rainwater harvesting is completed effectively and in concentrated quantities, there was no drawback. Their aquifers are full and have water regardless of this yr’s drought. Even in Cubbon Park, the place folks and organisations have performed rainwater harvesting like Pals of Lakes, there’s water in open recharge wells. Rainwater harvesting can ship in X quantity of water however your withdrawal must be lower than X. In case your draw is 2X, then even this gained’t assist,” he provides.
Having stated that, there are extra considerations in regards to the rainwater harvesting (RWH) infrastructure within the metropolis. It’s essential to notice that the BWSSB Modification Act, 2011, made RWH necessary for all properties on plots measuring 60×40 sq ft and above, and new properties arising on 30×40 sq ft websites. In 2015, penalties had been launched for properties that didn’t comply.
In a 7 December 2023 report for Citizen Issues, a Bengaluru-based media publication, reporter Navya PK writes, “…town at the moment has 10.8 lakh properties with water connections, however just one.9 lakh (almost 18%) of them have carried out RWH.”
“One other 39,703 properties have been recognized for non-implementation and are paying penalties each month. These properties embody particular person properties, flats (every condo is counted as a single connection), and industrial properties,” she provides.
In different phrases, compliance is a severe difficulty though putting in a RWH system is neither very difficult nor cost-intensive. Vishwanath notes that residents ought to construct strong RWH methods in order that they don’t must face quality-related considerations down the road.
He believes that there are sufficient high quality supplies and competent plumbers current out there. A person residence can set up a RWH system for as little as Rs 5,000. Even for those who insist on utilizing a high-quality filter, it may be performed inside Rs 15,000, offered you don’t must construct a brand new sump, he argues. And the advantages of this technique are actual.
“In our residence, now we have rainwater harvesting methods which can be working optimally. Though the final rains within the metropolis had been in November, our 1,000-litre rain barrel nonetheless has sufficient water for our consuming and cooking wants until June,” provides Vishwanath.
On the query of compliance, in line with a Bangalore Mirror report by Sridhar Vivan on 9 January 2024, “A staggering Rs 21.24 crore was collected as penalties for non-compliance with rainwater harvesting rules till November-end final yr.”
For non-implementation of RWH in residential properties, fines begin from 25% of their water invoice for the primary three months, and 50% afterwards. For non-residential properties, it’s 50% and 100% of the water invoice respectively.
Vishwanath argues that it’s robust to anticipate 100% compliance and argues that penalising residents might not be the best way ahead. As an alternative, he recommends that individuals ought to need to arrange a RWH system of their properties after a technique of schooling and communication. And the advantages of putting in such a system in every Bengaluru residence can be immense.
A Bengaluru Water Datajam organised final month by Open Metropolis, a civic tech venture, discovered that based mostly on rainfall knowledge from 2022, “456 Million Litres per Day(MLD) might have been harvested in Bengaluru from the rooftops, which is 25% of the water demand of 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 recognized an answer to town’s water woes.
“Rainwater harvesting might make a dent on the freshwater wants of town however it pales compared to wastewater. Presently, solely one-third of town’s wastewater is redirected for exterior reuse, which suggests it’s taken to Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Devenahalli, the place it’s used to replenish each groundwater and floor water sources,” they wrote.
“The remaining water flows into lakes and runs off land to affix rivers downstream. This implies the large quantum of wastewater generated within the metropolis is an untapped useful resource. As soon as handled to the required high quality, wastewater can considerably mitigate freshwater consumption and will be essential in making town water resilient throughout low rainfall years,” they added.
It’s a sentiment that Vikas Brahmavar, founding father of Boson Whitewater, a Bengaluru-based water utility startup, shares. Talking to The Higher India, he says, “We must always not have a metropolis operating on the hope of excellent rains. In any case, if there are not any rains until June, will probably be a stress even on the municipal provide. We must always have a metropolis operating on the hope of the wastewater flowing out and make use of freshwater provide as a buffer for our on a regular basis wants.”
“In any metropolis in India, when authorities plan water distribution, they by no means have a look at what goes out of town. If you happen to have a look at developed cities like Singapore, the planning shouldn’t be based mostly on freshwater out there in dams however based mostly on the predictable wastewater which goes out of town, as a result of that may be estimated clearly based mostly on the inhabitants,” says Vikas.
“If the inhabitants of a given metropolis is understood, authorities in locations like Singapore know precisely the quantity of wastewater which goes out. From the quantity wastewater estimated, authorities can then gauge which industries will be lined by that handled wastewater,” he provides.
By way of coverage, their place to begin is wastewater, which addresses sanitation in addition to industrial water necessities, after which they have a look at the freshwater out there from dams or different sources.
“This massive mindset change has to come back. Any growing nation ought to have this mindset of taking a look at wastewater first earlier than taking a look at freshwater choices,” notes Vikas.
The Boson Whitewater system converts handled wastewater into “high-quality potable water”. The setup has superior an IoT (Web of Issues), AI (synthetic intelligence) and machine studying (ML) enabled 11-step filtration system to cut back bodily, chemical and organic contaminants current in STP-treated wastewater. Presently, they work with industries, IT parks, malls, and condo communities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and recycle their wastewater.
On the finish of their 11-step filtration course of, he claims that the water doesn’t have any contaminants. “E coli, coliforms, heavy metals, excessive hardness, pesticides, and herbicides are all eliminated, and the water is crystal clear and potable. Nationwide Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) licensed lab experiences point out the water is drinkable,” he provides.
Primarily, Boson is concentrated on this monumental quantity of water which goes out of properties, flats, and places of work as handled wastewater.
“As per our estimation, a 300-unit condo will generate about 1,50,000 litres of wastewater a day. The identical constructing advanced may have a sewage therapy plant however solely 20% (about 30,000 litres) of the handled water that comes out from this facility will probably be used. In different phrases, a couple of lakh litres of handled wastewater results in the drain,” he says.
“Our system can take this one lakh litre of handled wastewater and produce potable-quality water from it in order that the neighbouring properties or industrial services don’t have to take advantage of borewell water and as an alternative purchase our potable-quality water for no matter they need,” he provides.
Boson Whitewater is at the moment collaborating with the Bangalore Water Provide and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on a separate venture to deal with town’s water shortage drawback. However their prime focus has been the restoration of handled recycled water and promoting it.
“Wastewater will at all times be there whether or not there’s rainfall or not. Since we’re recovering high-quality water from wastewater, our shoppers haven’t been adversely affected as a result of they’ve an everyday provide which is assured by us on a contractual foundation. A few of our shoppers on uncommon events name in a tanker however for probably the most half, we’re capable of get well the wastewater which is out there to the utmost extent and provide that to them,” he says.
(In Half 2, we are going to have a look at what residents of Bengaluru can do to mitigate water shortage within the metropolis.)
(Edited by Pranita Bhat)
(Photographs courtesy Shutterstock/PQN Studios/Joe Ravi/WESTOCK PRODUCTIONS/MudaCom, S Vishwanath & The Higher India)
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