Did we know?

“Groundwater is an important, decentralized source of drinking water for millions of people in India. It meets nearly 85% of rural domestic water needs and 50% of urban water needs [7]”

As per IISc, Bangalore, “Bengaluru May Turn Uninhabitable in Next Few Years”[9]

“Surprisingly, despite the record-setting rains this year(2017), the city’s groundwater levels have significantly worsened compared to last year. Experts have attributed this to borewell exploitation, concreting landscape, and erratic intensity of the rains(flash rains, remember flash flood in Chennai?).”[8]

Across the country the situation is more critical. [6A]

So, what do we do?

Putting traditional ground water recharging pits, would not work in current situation. As in the case of any patient in serious condition, we need drips, food pipe to push medicine and other nutrition into the body directly, Rain Water Harvesting for Re-Use and Bore-well Recharge technique would do the same for reviving the ground water level quickly, reduce wastage of precious water, save money!

First, all Govt., Private office buildings, Apartments, individual houses, hospitals, parks, etc. must implement Rain Water Harvesting for Re-Use and Bore-well Recharge techniques to make them self-sufficient for their water needs and at the same time do their bit in improving the groundwater level of the country. STP(Sewage Treatment Plant) should also be made mandatory for such establishments. Participation of Communities is the key to the success of this key initiative. Here is my blog on how the communities can help: https://medium.com/@samir.78p/how-a-small-community-in-bangalore-saved-thousands-of-water-tankers-over-years-f433ec0c5c70?source=friends_link&sk=fa93c4c1c81409f4d1ab9cef0161fc56

If possible like free toilets project, govt. can distribute loans at discounted rates to help the public be part of this movement.

Govt. can create and recharge Wells across city roads[flooding points 11. A {11B}], highways(NHAI), etc. which would be used for recharging the groundwater level, while it rains. This can also reduce flooding, road accidents, etc.

Second, 90% of the water is used in farming, so we, need to quickly change from traditional irrigation to Drip Irrigation technique and for this, we need extensive support from govt.[6C] for making awareness, policies, and support systems for the farmers. As a country, we must put strict restrictions on crops which consume a lot of water, like, Sugarcane. Plants like eucalyptus should be replaced with other plants.

Farmers should also implement the Bore-well Recharge technique mentioned earlier.

Third, every person in this country should be made patriotically aware of the importance of water through, campaigns, education curriculum, and if needed making strict rules to prevent wastage of water. [9]

Fourth, we need to rejuvenate all the lake bodies and the Raja Kalva (drainage) system in such a way that rainwater can easily reach the lakes instead of being polluted. Also, we need to make sure, lakes are being protected from sewage and industrial contamination. We need to implement Sadhguru’s Rally for Rivers projects.

Fifth, every tap in a big office or residential premises must have Aerators and must have stocks of repairing materials for correcting any faulty tapes that are leaking water.

Sixth, all water supply departments should be modernized with efficient water supply methods to reduce wastage drastically, monitoring the public’s usage patterns, etc.

We are facing an extremely serious water crisis and the good news is that we can only save the world!

Though I am a pretty self-motivated person, if we all don’t act now we may be putting all of our lives for a terrible terrible future, a future where water would be the cause of daily fights b/w neighbors, communities, neighborhoods, states, and then escalating to war between the nations!!

The most beautiful thing is, that we have a solution in our hands to reverse this and give a better future for us and the coming generation. So, can WE please Act Right Now?

References:

1. Contacts for Rain Water Re-Use and Bore-Well Recharge: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UQdiG6eB-sW3RgLIw_mLXQZRjDWYN_U94REZLSB8_c8/edit?usp=sharing

2A. SV Symphony Clean Rainwater for Reuse: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zdBTrRX9ocjWddPh6). 2016-Dec: Saving of ~Rs. 2,72,000 in water bill. (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XV9MZpw3rMCi2JJhuI98YKqiBru76hzu)

2B. Other Community Examples Like SV Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsL-BE8K-wI

3. Roadside and Open space Rain Water Harvesting Structures in Coimbatore city https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/category_1_siruthuli_narrative_eng.pdf

4. Formula for Water Saving: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rh5J-E9k9qxQDd_vW0AJwtBT3CdPtxDo

5. Before the Flood, a great documentary on Climate Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9xFFyUOpXo

6A. Zee News: DNA test of severe water crisis in India https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5E-zOX-Wno

6B. H2wOe: India’s Water Crisis — Warning to the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjoykuhtOhg

6C. This Simple Water-Saving Method Has Increased Rice Yield of TN Farmers 10-Fold! https://www.thebetterindia.com/143975/drip-irrigation-increases-rice-yield-of-tamil-nadu-farmers/

7. Article Groundwater Level Dynamics in Bengaluru City, India: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/1/26/pdf

8. Why continuous rain failed to raise groundwater level in Bengaluru: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/why-continuous-rain-failed-to-raise-groundwater-level-in-bengaluru/article20006721.ece

9. 10% of Bengalureans Use Twice The Water They Need: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/10-of-bengalureans-use-twice-the-water-they-need/articleshow/62142987.cms

10. https://www.news18.com/news/india/on-verge-of-acute-water-crisis-bengaluru-may-turn-uninhabitable-in-next-few-years-warn-experts-2130111.html

11A. Recharge Wells Primer(Everything you need to know) http://bengaluru.urbanwaters.in/recharge-well-primer-398

11B. BBMP identifies 28 flooding points in Bangalore: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cpVGUmwAxQlDrn10nJlgEwxA48JiQ4GG/view?usp=sharing

Credits: Thanks to everyone at SV Symphony for supporting this cause. Especially, Mr. Marasami for sharing the statistics of water savings, helping me in implementing the project, and spreading the message actively. Thanks to Giridhar for the idea and implementation of Aerators. Thanks to Siva for sharing the lake photo taken a year back at the same time.

2. Water: How Once Aryan’s Love Affair, Now Gone Horribly Wrong!

<<This story is published in CitizenMatters>>

Why did the Indo-Aryans expand towards the Indus Valley and then the Ganges Plain? Why even the Dravidians also settled near the rivers?

With the serious water crisis we are facing, I think you have the answer already!

So, as the “TIME IS RUNNING OUT for the US, let’s JUST DO What Is Critical for Our Survival”

Did you know?

“Groundwater is an important, decentralized source of drinking water for millions of people in India. It meets nearly 85% of rural domestic water needs and 50% of urban water needs [7]”

As per IISc, Bangalore, “Bengaluru May Turn Uninhabitable in Next Few Years”[9]

“Surprisingly, despite the record-setting rains this year(2017), the city’s groundwater levels have significantly worsened compared to last year. Experts have attributed this to borewell exploitation, concreting landscape, and erratic intensity of the rains(flash rains, remember flash flood in Chennai?).”[8]

Putting traditional ground water recharging pits, would not work in current situation. As in the case of any patient in serious condition, we need drips, food pipe to push medicine and other nutrition into the body directly, Rain Water Harvesting for Re-Use and Bore-well Recharge technique would do the same for reviving the ground water level quickly, reduce wastage of precious water, save money!

So, what is required is that we as citizens implement, this technique to make sure instead of sending all rain waters to polluted drains/lakes, reuse some and send some directly into the bore well. Simple isn’t it?

Let’s see how we at SV Symphony, have invested in a simple method to Rain Water Harvesting for Re-Use and Bore-well Recharge and all other things:

2014-Nov: Contacted Mr. Ayyappa Masagi(Water Literacy Foundation). Everyone at SV Symphony had extended their support.

2015-April: Project “Rain Water Harvesting for Reuse and Bore-well Recharge completed”. (clean rainwater for reuse: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zdBTrRX9ocjWddPh6)

2015-Dec: Saving of ~Rs. 2,72,000 in water bill. (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XV9MZpw3rMCi2JJhuI98YKqiBru76hzu)

2016: We made sure STP was functioning properly and repaired the functional deficiencies.

2016: We closed down our swimming pool. When people are struggling to drink water, very soon, an individual swimming pool will be a thing of the past!

2016–17: Added Aerators for our taps.

We are spreading the message but unless the pain is really felt a bit, there is no way you can make someone understand the severity of the problem! In neighborhood apartments we heard scary stories of water crisis, we heard stories of water tanker bidding, we heard stories of uncertain days and nights! But would like to hear stories of implementing, “Rain Water Harvesting for Reuse and Bore-well Recharge” at their apartments and how it is helping them. And if most of the houses in Bangalore have this technology it can recover some of the damages we did by occupying the 85% lakes.

Though I am a pretty self-motivated person, if we all don’t act now we may be putting all of our lives for a terrible terrible future, a future where water would be the cause of daily fights b/w neighbors, communities, neighborhoods, states, and then escalating to war between the nations!!

The most beautiful thing is, that we have a solution in our hands to reverse this and give a better future for us and the coming generation. So, can WE please Act Right Now?

References: What Do We Must Do?

1A.Contacts for Rain Water Re-Use and Bore-Well Recharge: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UQdiG6eB-sW3RgLIw_mLXQZRjDWYN_U94REZLSB8_c8/edit?usp=sharing

1B. Recharge Wells Primer(Everything you need to know, including contacts) http://bengaluru.urbanwaters.in/recharge-well-primer-398

2. SV Symphony Plan: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1l-v5-qDKNiYh6-wRO9pCO_dSe0RE06Xd

3. Community Example Like SV Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsL-BE8K-wI

4. Formula for Water Saving: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rh5J-E9k9qxQDd_vW0AJwtBT3CdPtxDo

5A. Restoring and recharging wells must to deal with water crisis(S Vishwanath, a water activist): https://www.gaonconnection.com/news-in-english/restoring-and-recharging-wells-must-to-deal-with-water-crisis–45916

5B.Before the Flood, a great documentary on Climate Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9xFFyUOpXo

6.H2wOe: India’s Water Crisis — Warning to the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjoykuhtOhg

7. Article Groundwater Level Dynamics in Bengaluru City, India

8. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/why-continuous-rain-failed-to-raise-groundwater-level-in-bengaluru/article20006721.ece

9. https://www.news18.com/news/india/on-verge-of-acute-water-crisis-bengaluru-may-turn-uninhabitable-in-next-few-years-warn-experts-2130111.html

10. Restoring and recharging wells must deal with water crisis: https://www.gaonconnection.com/news-in-english/restoring-and-recharging-wells-must-to-deal-with-water-crisis–45916

Credits: Thanks to everyone at SV Symphony for supporting this cause. Specially, Mr. Marasami for sharing the statistics on water savings, helping me in implementing the project, and spreading the message actively. Thanks to Giridhar for the idea and implementation of Aerators. Thanks to Siva for sharing the lake photo taken a year back at the same time.