Shubha’s session on the second day was attended by 33 participants.
Day Zero was a play staged at the Alliance Francaise in Bengaluru on Sept 2 and 3, 2023. The India Foundation for the Arts supported it under their Program 360. Vishwanath Srikantaiah collaborated with Ram Ganesh Kamatham in writing the script of the play.
The following note is from IFA’s website.
‘The play’s title Day Zero refers to the imminent water crisis in the city of Bangalore, in the case of a drought. Bangalore has been developed unsustainably in many ways – particularly with regard to the flow of water through the city. Atop the Deccan Plateau, Bangalore has no significant source of water except for a tributary of Arakavathi called Vrishabhavati. With the rapid growth of the population in the city since the 1990s, poor water management in Bangalore has also exposed its urban precarity. The imagery of water movements in the city, like expensive piping from the Cauvery, the water tanker mafia, excessive borewell drilling and a falling groundwater table, points to the story of urban inequalities as well. At the heart of this play are the paradoxes of Bangalore’s development and its disparities, and a future-focussed approach towards sustainability.
In the play, the movement of the water will be explored, both literally and figuratively. In a literal sense, there is a cascading network of kere (lakes) and kaluve (canals) in Bangalore, through the topographical four ridge-valley systems of the city, involving Hebbal, Chellaghatta, Koramangala and Vrishabhavati. Figuratively, it is about the emotional content related to rainfall, tears and sweat, drinking water, drainage and submerged/ subterranean structures.
The play will engage with the metaphor of water in the city, through intersecting timelines from the past and the future. One potential fragment of the play will be set in a dystopic future in 2035, when the city has been submerged under water, and only a few of the citizens are able to live above the waterline. These privileged few are occupying the superstructures built as a part of the fictional Vrishabhavati Urban Rejuvenation project. This dystopian narrative has a protagonist who is a glass cleaner, originally from the Manuvaddar/ Bhovi caste, who are well-diggers. The story will unfold, from a request for a glass of water. Another fragment in the play will be set in the colonial past of Bangalore when boxing was a craze in the city. The protagonist will be a boxer in the 1930s who wanted to survive three rounds with the local boxing champion, Gentleman Gunboat Jack, whose real name was James Colzie. After challenging him to a fight at the Opera Theatre on Residency Road, the protagonist, who is drenched in sweat, is wondering to himself, how he got himself into such a mess.
The staging of the play will involve soundscapes, cartographic data such as topography and GIS data, and elements of verticality drawn from the aesthetics of climbing sports.’
Introduction
In our mission at Biome Environmental Trust to foster sustainable water management, we continuously seek opportunities to integrate conventional and modern water-saving technologies. Our most recent reconnaissance survey led us to Nayandanahalli Lake, a unique water body that receives tertiary treated sewage water. This blog aims to detail the findings of our preliminary survey and explore the lake's potential to serve as a pilot for integrated water management systems in urban and rural contexts.
Location & Accessibility
In January 2023, the lake received a fresh lease of life. Tertiary treated water from the BWSSB Sewage Water Treatment Plant (STP) is now being routed into the lake. This unique approach to wastewater management promises enhanced water quality and could serve as a template for other urban lakes.
Comprehensive Overview of Physical Attributes and Hydrological Parameters
Area: Approximately 34,000 square meters, with a very small island dominated by bamboo trees
Perimeter: About 800 meters
Depth: 9 feet on the east side and 15 feet on the west side near the outlet or waste weir
Inlets: Two, one on the east and another on the south, with the east currently active.
.png)
Infrastructural Elements
Water Quality Assessment
Ecological Impact
Nayandanahalli is home to a few species of birds including common moorhens, little grebes, coots, and purple moorhens.
Potential for Future Water Management Initiatives
Given the successful integration of tertiary treated sewage water, Nayandanahalli Lake offers an opportunity for further advancements in sustainable water management. Specifically, its relatively stable ecosystem and recent rejuvenation make it an excellent candidate for integrating shallow aquifers like open wells or filtered bore wells into a holistic water management strategy.
Future steps include comprehensive hydrological and environmental studies to determine the lake's capacity to contribute to the water security of nearby localities.
For more updates on Biome Environmental Trust’s water management initiatives, please stay tuned to our blog and social media channels.
Blog by Ayushi Biswas
Restless Development India (url) organised a Youth Climate Conclave on 14th Jul 2023. This event was organised as a platform for nurturing new ideas, building connections, and encouraging collective action towards making Bangalore inclusive for all. Biome was invited as panelist for the session "How youth-led actions can catalyze community response in addressing climate change challenges"
Event Date : 14th July, 2023
Event Venue : Bangalore International Centre, Domlur
The opening Keynote speaker was Mr. Anand Malligavad of Malligavad Foundation. He spoke about his journey in reviving lakes and the practical challenges he faced. He also said that self belief and persistent efforts are very important in any endeavor, and that the results will take time to show up.
Panel 1 Topic : How youth-led actions can catalyze community response in addressing climate change challenges
Panelists
Moderator : Ms Parvathi, Restless Development’s Youth Climate Champion
The first panel brought together perspectives from individuals and organizations who are championing action on the ground in tackling some of the key challenges that the city is facing today. The discussion focused on the crucial role that youth-led actions play in enabling community-driven change in the city. The conversation looked at the opportunities and challenges faced by youth-led initiatives in the areas of cleaning up the city, water conservation and low cost housing.
Panel 2 Topic : Facilitating Partnerships & engaging with youth led initiatives - Experiences, impact and learnings
Panelists
Moderator : Mr Abhishek S, Restless Development Youth Climate Champion
The second panel reiterated the importance of a conducive ecosystem for youth-led change, through the lens of some of the key stakeholders. The discussion was mainly focused around how community level initiatives can be effectively organized through partnerships and what can be learnt from the past experiences. One of the most echoed thoughts was the importance of having persistent belief and working towards the goals, and the time and efforts it takes to convert scalable partnerships. The panelists delved on the criticality of inclusive grant-making that permeates effectively into community action with the right support of advocacy, communication, involvement of decision makers and community champions.
The first of its kind, this is an initiative by Citizens of Sankey and Bengaluru Praja Vedike to preserve and manage lakes of Bengaluru. The event mainly had two presentations by experts followed by a panel discussion.
Topic of discussion: The gaps in lake management & preservation, actionable solutions.
Date & time: 19th August 2023 from 10 AM to 1.30 PM
Venue: Seva Sadana, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru
(Prof) Dr T V Ramachandra, IISc
Dr U V Singh, IFS(R)
Prof Rajeev Gowda - ex-MP & Academician
Mukund Namagundlu - Civic Activist
Smaran Shetty - Environmental Lawyer
Preeti Gehlot - Special Commissioner for Lakes, Bengaluru
Vasanthi Hariprakash - Moderator
The discussion had two parts - a presentation by Prof Dr TV Ramachandra and Dr U V Singh and a panel discussion with the experts.
Currently, Bengaluru has 193 lakes and less than 4% tree cover
An unpolluted lake generates a revenue of around Rs.10,500/day/hectare, while a polluted lake only generates Rs.20/day/hectare. Eg- Amruthahalli Lake
Groundwater table & lakes: Removal of lakes decreases the groundwater level from 600’ to 80-100’ while the presence of a lake increases the groundwater table from 800’ to 350’ a year (Sarakki Kere)
Lack of understanding of lakes
No scientific rejuvenation - Emphasis on civic recreational work rather than eco-restoration; in the name of remodeling, there is only concretisation
Unplanned urbanization
Lack of proper solid waste management
Unscientific rainwater storms
Distribution of pollution (biomagnification) through fishes, vegetables etc
Reuse and recycle wastewater
Compulsory tertiary treatment of wastewater before releasing into lakes.
A successful case study - Revival of Jakkur lake - around 300 wells around Jakkur were revived, and none tested positive for nitrogen and phosphorus.
Mini forest in each ward - a self-sustaining system around the lake
Proper rainwater harvesting set-up can solve most of the water scarcity problem of Bengaluru.
Increase in environmental literacy involving the public and the youth.
Recommendations for lake conservation (administrative measures):
Inventory of all tanks (live and proposed lakes ) in Bengaluru
Invoking Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority Act, 2014
Appointment of Chief Executive Officer by amending KTCDA Act
Appointment of authorized officers, required staff and planning regular meetings with them
No development of any lake or tank until an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) is set up for the lake.
Involve a group of 10 people around the lake as the members of this Forum; maintaining the lake and the website should be their responsibility.
Train the members effectively and arrange informative sessions by experts
The community should have one government representative to smoothen the legal functioning
Revenue from the lake should be recorded and updated on the website regularly
Declare all lakes as heritage sites to prevent any type of encroachments
Blog written by, Apeksha Deshpande
The Environment Association of Bangalore (EAB), in collaboration with Raman Research Institute (RRI), organised a Jubilee Seminar on ‘Urban Management and Water Conservation’ on July 8, 2023, at the RRI auditorium. Biome was invited to deliver a talk on ‘Rainwater harvesting as an integral part of Integrated Urban Water Management - some experiences around Bengaluru’ in the session on Water Conservation.
The seminar was attended by around 175 students pursuing engineering, basic sciences, environmental and earth sciences, and other professionals. Avinash Krishnamurthy from Biome delivered the lecture.
Background
Devanahalli is a small town located 35 km to the north of Bengaluru. It is known for the Kempegowda International Airport, which accelerated the growth of the town.
The town has an area of 16.63 sq km, 23 wards and a population of ~38,000 and is entirely dependent on groundwater for its needs. The primary source of water has been borewells, whose depths have reached more than 1000 feet now. Since many borewells have stopped yielding, the Town Municipal Corporation had to dig new borewells to meet the increasing water demand. There are around 130 borewells, of which 32 are not yielding anymore. It is estimated that the town has a total demand of around 2.66 MLD (million litres per day) at 70 LPCD (litres per capita per day), according to the standards of the State Water Policy 2002, for its current population. Dependence on water tankers is not only at the private level. In some cases, even the TMC sources water from private water tankers.
As the water supplied by the town has high TDS (total dissolved solids) levels and is salty, people use RO (reverse osmosis) water dispensed in select places paying Rs 5 for 20 litres for their drinking water requirements.
Shallow Aquifer Integration – A Solution
Over the last few years, the Hebbal Nagavara Valley project of the Minor Irrigation Department of the Govt of Karnataka, started pumping treated wastewater into lakes around Bengaluru. When Devanahalli TMC desilted Sihineeru Kere, the possibility of integrating the shallow aquifer through an old open well near the lake into Devanahalli’s water supply became a potential opportunity. Biome facilitated the revival of the well by cleaning and strengthening the structure with the anticipation that the well would start yielding. When the treated wastewater pumping to Sihineeru Kere started, the well started yielding as expected, with a capacity of around 100-150 KL/day. To increase the yield from the shallow aquifer, two filter borewells (shallow borewells with slotted casing pipes) were dug, which increased the total yield to 200 KL/day.
The lake provides a livelihood for a fisherman who rears fish here and is also visited by birds like the cormorant and painted stork.
How it all comes together
Currently, the TMC supplies around 1200 KL (kilolitres) of water per day to households at 32-35 LPCD. A Water Treatment Plant (WTP), including a rapid sand filter, a 140-micron multimedia filter, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and an online chlorinator, has been set up to treat the well water before it is integrated into the water supply system. The WTP ensures that the treated water is compliant with BIS 10500 standards. It has been set up in the existing pumphouse. After passing through the WTP, the treated water is collected in the sump tank. The sump also receives water from the existing borewells, before it is pumped to the overhead tank, the schematic of which is shown below.
The shallow aquifer water from the well requires much less energy for pumping and is, therefore, cheaper than the deep borewell water. It also has a much lower TDS and is potable.
Ecosystem Play
This project was conceptualised and facilitated by Biome Environmental Trust. However, successful execution happened due to contributions from key partners of the ecosystem - TMC Devanahalli, EFI Foundation, SayTrees, the well-digger community, the Indian Institute of Science, Rotary Club and Carl Zeiss. As part of ITC Mission Sunehra Kal's urban water management which is being implemented in collaboration with Biome in Yelahanka and Devanahalli taluks, Devanahalli TMC members, watermen, plumbers and volunteers received training. This helped people understand the importance of urban water management, and created buy-in for this project.
The Way Forward
To make this ecosystem more robust, the following interventions are being planned in Phase 2
Wetland at the inlet point of Sihineeru Kere to treat the water flowing into the lake
Additional filter borewells to increase shallow aquifer withdrawal
Biodiversity enhancement interventions around the lake
Cleaning of the channel called poshakaluve, from the inlet point of used water to the lake
Lake bund stabilisation, connection of the overflow weir to the nala, roadside planting and seating around the lake
Last and probably the most important is to make this a learning laboratory and a case study that can be used in other towns and villages for reviving and integrating shallow aquifers into the water supply.
Christ University (https://christuniversity.in/bangalore-central-campus) has taken an initiative to include Sustainability as part of their BBA curriculum. The 3rd year students of BBA have being divided into several groups and each group has chosen an SDG goal of their choice to work on. One of the groups is working on the SDG goal 'Clean Water and Sanitation'; this group invited Biome as a Guest speaker to conduct a session for them.
Venue - Christ University, Hosur Main Road, Bengaluru
Date - 10:00 am to 11:00 am , 9th Aug 2023
Attendees -
The session was interactive. The following topics were covered by Biome,
Biome participated in a Brainstorming session on Water Security that was conducted at IISc, Bengaluru
Venue - Indian Institue of Science, CV Raman Road, Bengaluru
Date of session - 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, 20th Jul 2023
Subject of discussion - Developing an integrated and holistic Water Security Solutions under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM-2.0- Exascale Computing Vision) that is initiated by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The conversations focused on how the Supercomputing capacity being developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) can help with providing models for various dimensions of Water security, including Water Supply, Sewage Generation, Treatment and Disposal, Groundwater Scenario, Flood - Water Generation and possible Harvesting, RWH etc.
The Brainstorming session was attended by many experts, government officials and water practitioners , some of them are mentioned below:
The speakers provided inputs on additional water management aspects that can be incorporated by CDAC in their computing models, which will leverage their Supercomputing capacity along with Big data, Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.
The Council of Architecture Training and Research Centre, Pune, in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design, Reva University, Bengaluru, organised a 5-day online conference on ‘Water and its role in designing the built environment’ from August 7th to 11th, 2023. Shubha Ramachandran of Biome was one of the invited speakers - her session was titled ‘Sustainable Urban Water Management: Learnings from Bengaluru City’.
The Builders’ Association of India (Bengaluru Centre) and Spoorthi Women’s Wing organised a talk by Biome’s Shubha Ramachandran on the topic ‘Sustainable Water Management in Cities’ on July 26, 2023, at Builders’ NGV Club at Koramangala, Bengaluru. Shubha was also felicitated on the occasion.
