Drink Rainwater

Drink Rainwater - a nice illustration by Maitri Dore from our office

CMAK (City Managers' Association, Karnataka) and BIOME Trust

CMAK  is a non profit that provides Advisory Support and Networking as well as organizes workshops and training for the staff of Urban local bodies and Government Institutes responsible for delivering services to the citizens.

They now have a Research Associate dedicated to documenting and disseminating best practices around water conservation and rainwater harvesting. BIOME Trust engages with CMAK and shows them around - introducing them to all the players - the well diggers, the contractors, the residents and the activists. Each player has a significant take about RWH and it is important to understand the same

Did you know that there is a CMA for most states in India ? Amongst other states - Gujarat, MP, Rajasthan and Orissa even have their own websites.

Speaking with well diggers -  Muniyappa
and Pedanna, in Rainbow Drive

Interviewing one of the resident
"champions" for RWH in Rainbow Drive

Engaging with the contractor in
Sunny Brooks

Speaking to the activist

We could call ourselves an incubator

Muniyappa's visiting card

And now, Muniyappa our old time well digger has a visiting card. Mr Reddy has invented his own RWH filter and has his own website http://www.bengalururwh.com. Ramakrishnappa has a bank account. Sunil has his own company http://www.hinren.com/, and there are many more such people and stories.

While each person is an entrepreneur in his or her own right and has put in a lot of effort in being so, BIOME Trust certainly has enabled it to some extent. Our best wishes will always be with them.

BIOME Trust makes it to the final Jury round for FICCI Water Awards 2013

Details about the programme are here : http://ficci.com/sector.asp?secid=42
Our entry is in the category : Water Initiatives by NGOs
Our entry is along the lines of the work that we are doing in Government Schools : http://www.slideshare.net/biomeshubha/implementation-of-rwh-in-government-schools-by-biome
The presentation to the Jury is on 12th July in Delhi

Of Gutters and Downpipes

An ornate downpipe in an old Church

A make-shift downpipe in a home

Water Conservation and the Metro - on MG Road

Drip Irrigation

Drip Irrigation

Drip Irrigation

Recharge Wells - they are all along the
METRO tracks - in the medians

The sump - that stores the runoff from the
tracks. This water is used for watering
the plants on the median

Recharge Well - after the rains -
holds some water

Removing the slab of the recharge well

A genuine attempt at sustainable living - off Haralur Road

Grey water from bathrooms and kitchen is
stored in a 700 liter HDPE tank
below the ground

Stored grey water is pumped to a
1000 liter OHT

Enzymes are added to the grey water to remove
odour

The lady of the house is delighted -
the hibiscus started blooming after
watering with grey water

Mulching and additional water availability
has brought the land alive

A simple rainwater filter to filter rooftop
 water - this is stored and used for all
domestic purposes

A recharge well in the storm water drain that
recharges runoff from their home as well
as from the road and other homes

Compost - kitchen waste and leaves

Natural light indoors all through the day