Nothing yet Everything

 In the sparkling eyes of joy

with the voice of innocence

having the gesture of humbleness 

of the mind of innovativeness

and the blessed strength in the bodies 

may be not perfect in carrying themselves 

but un-moulded walks which sets them free

here are the people

my sight was never upon

they are now mine. Mine and mine

Itinerant Typha cutters, Baje wage labourers, 

RURAL FOLKS, an umbrella term 

 with dear sense of belonging 

"Elu Ooru Kere"(lake of Seven Villages)

"namm kere", "nam ooru", "nam gadde", "nam bhavi"

every interaction with local folks smoothens me

hard work, self sufficiency, simplicity 

nevertheless humour at its best

a quick thought of transversal of roles...

can I welcome them as they did?

can I accept them as they did?

can I laugh as they do?

can I be finally set free?

CAN I? 

LOOKS LIKE A TASK THOUGH!

is it because of striving for a livelihood?

or their philosophy of highest order? 

carpe diem... Bhuddism... Zen... Mythology... 

sieze the day, "aaseye dukhakke mula", flexibility and adaptability, ideal figures of Lord Rama and Krishna respectively...

"Oota madudra madamavre?" 

"Oota maadi banni madamavre..."

Oota is fundamental, yes.

So are the people...

fundamentals of a holistic life...

they are our "annadathas"... 

Dude wait... 

people with simple minds are not nothing!

they should be something!

actually they are everything:)

                                                              -Rakshitha M L

  

Water management in Tumakuru City - Part 3

Here is a fascinating story of Baje 

Ten years down the line people of Bheemasandra were worried about their failed agricultural produce. This was the result of the entry of treated sewage water into the Bheemasandra Lake. They were majorly cultivating wheat in about more than fifty acres of land. People failed to get desired quality and quantity of wheat using the treated sewage water. Bheemasandra village is the classic example of how farmers adapt to the changes that are inevitable. Farmers found out only Baje could survive in the treated waste water with very high concentrations of Nitrogen and Phosphates. Farmers have shifted to Baje cultivation for a decade. Baje is an expensive herb used for medicine. This wise choice of farmers resulted in converting the shit into a costly medicine.

Baje plantation at Bheemasandra

Haven’t heard of Baje?

The above plant is locally called Baje and it has various names like Vacha and Vasambu. In English it is called as Sweet Flag and scientifically it is referred as Acorus Calamus. Bheemasandra village is cultivating acres and acres of Baje in the area behind the lake. Baje is a medicinal plant which was used as an indigenous medicine. As an infant even I was given Baje when I had digestive problems. Vacha is Baje in Sanskrit which means to speak. In Ayurveda Baje is used to treat digestive disorders, stimulate brain functioning, Asthma, speech impediments, voice clarity, hair care, sedative, cold related problems etc. In recent times Baje has undergone various researches on its health benefits. Countries like Germany, Austria, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Swedan and Switzerland have recognized the health benefits of Baje and are using it in their pharmaceutical industries. Thus, Baje has gained an export market in recent decades. The local farmers anticipating the good returns started cultivating Baje using the treated waste water. Isn't it a smart choice of the farmers?

How to cultivate Baje?

Baje is grown in wet and mushy lands. Baje uses flood irrigation for its cultivation. Baje is a ten month crop. The technology of its cultivation is the same as wheat cultivation. The land must be ploughed thoroughly and should be watered for two days.  Baje looks very similar to ginger which is bought from the market and planted like wheat on the ploughed land. Quickly grass grows from the planted Baje and of course weeds are removed for twice and manure will be used. When the grass grows up to the desired size indicating the harvest is ready, farmers chop off the grass to its root and take out the Baje which would be of half arm length. Now the task of the farmers is to remove the rhizomes, clean the Baje and cut into small pieces of three to four inches. 

Baje

What about the market for Baje?

Farmers will get a good price every year for their Baje produce. The price varies from three to nine thousand per quintal based on the market price and quality of the produce. Last year people sold their Baje for nine thousand per quintal. It can be very well said that farmers are happy with the price of Baje which is not very uncertain. Farmers would sell their produce on their land itself to the merchants. Few Baje farmers who produce more quantities of Baje will have a contract with the traders in APMC yard in Tumakuru city that they would sell their produce only to their loyal traders. This contract would fetch more return on to the farmers.

Farmers learnt about Baje by experimenting growing Baje using wastewater. One farmer’s good returns inspired the other farmers to cultivate Baje and thus farmers sought out there worries themselves. Now, eighty percent of the treated waste water is used to cultivate Baje in about sixty acres. 

Well done farmers!

-Rakshitha M L

Water management in Tumakuru City- Part 2

Let us see what’s happening to the wastewater in Tumakuru:

Sewage Treatment Plant

Tumakuru has been treating its waste water in a Sewage Treatment Plant located at Bheemasandra since a decade. The capacity of STP is 25MLD. Waste water enters STP inlet through a pump house located near Ring road and the STP outlet is connected to Bheemasandra Lake. As the waste water enters the STP a chemical will be added to reduce the smell of the waste water. Every day thirteen kilograms of chemicals will be put into the waste water twice a day. Waste water stays in the STP for about three days and gets discharged into Bheemasandra Lake. STP is responsible for primary treatment of the waste water while secondary and tertiary treatment is not taken care currently. It was noted that Melekote Lake which is adjacent to the Bheemasandra Lake also gets affected by the treated waste water when the Bheemasandra Lake overflows. 

Map of Bheemasandra Lake and Melekote Lake

Animals grazing around Bheemasandra STP

Wetlands

It was observed that the area around the Sewage Treatment Plant had natural wetlands having Typha, Hyacinth and other wetland plants.

Are people are using the treated waste water for cultivation?

Yes, people are using treated wastewater for cultivating. People grow coconut, areca nut, corn and green leafy vegetables for Sheep and goats. Vegetables are grown on a very small scale using borewell water since vegetables can’t be grown using treated sewage water. 

Farmers pumping the treated sewage water having motors installed in the lake

Now let us hear from people, what do they feel about the treated waste water in Bheemasandra Lake?

People of Bheemasandra are in a state of helplessness, if I had to say in their words, “we have no choice, madam” is their answer. Villagers spoke of the advantages and nevertheless to list out many disadvantages of treated wastewater. None of the villagers mentioned the latter alone, ignoring the former. Yes, people have the advantage of using this treated waste water for cultivation since they have no other source of water for cultivation. Since not all people can afford to drill a borewell people are okay to pump the treated waste water from the Lake to water their Areca nut and Coconut farms. People have gotten used to Baje cultivation after shifting from wheat cultivation. To sum up the advantage of treated wastewater is to water their farms and Baje plantation and famers spending less on fertilizers.

When we look into the disadvantages of the treated wastewater to the villagers of Bheemasandra, people said, “Will you purify this waste water and then allow the good water into the lake”. Sewage water has been primarily treated and villagers are aware that it is not treated fully. Even though people are relying on treated wastewater for cultivation they complain about the Quality of water. People have seen the reduction in the quality and quantity of Coconut and Areca nut produce. For instance, tender coconut water has become tasteless, coconuts will get spoiled soon and vegetables won’t grow to a good size. Even though the quantity of water is observed to be good in borewells and open wells, people complain of getting the same water. Water from the open wells have become stinky and they cannot use the after for domestic purposes. People had conflicting views on the quality of borewell water that is few said they can grow vegetables using the borewell water but few said their borewell water is also polluted due to the Lake’s water and the usage of borewell water is again limited. 

The other major complaints of treated wastewater includes the RO plants water which couldn’t be stored more than a day, tastelessness, existence of poisonous snakes like Russell Viper (Kolatamandala and huri mandala), some people witnessing skin diseases, high mosquito breeding, increase in weeds. 

It is important to notice the people's confusion on what happens once the government starts pumping the treated wastewater to sell to industries in Vasanthanarsapura and Anthrastanahalli? Villagers being aware of this darker side choose to accept the primarily treated water in spite of their problems. It is now up to the government to choose between farmers and industries. It is worth for the government to look at the huge Baje plantation and farmers’ income before it takes up the decision. 

Let us learn about the fascinating story of Baje in Part 3 of Water Management in Tumakuru City.

-Rakshitha M L

Water management in Tumakuru City - Part 1

Water – Jeevajala

Let me ask you this rather simple question who needs water?

What can I expect as an answer? There is no living thing which doesn’t need water. Is this your answer? You are right.

Well, Water is the source of life for all the  creatures on earth. It is because of water that this planet is not lifeless.

If we had to frame a circle of beneficiaries branching out from the water, we will end up looking at its usage. Of course survival occupies the first place concerning potable water and water for domestic purposes. This is called water for life.

 The next immediate usage is water being used as a major input for livelihoods,  which is the practice of agriculture. Agriculture is the consumptive use of water. Plants take in water through mainly the roots  and evapo-transpire it sending it to the atmosphere as vapor.

After it is used as water for life – for washing clothes, washing dishes, having a shower, using it in the toilet, water  comes out as a waste.  We all known this as wastewater which every city must manage if it were not to pollute our rivers, lakes and streams.

Waste water has associated  costs involved in terms of its collection, conveyance and  treatment. Many towns and cities cannot afford it hence it ends up going out of these urban areas untreated.  Post treatment usage is also an issue to be designed and managed . Can farmers be part of the solution of using untreated and treated wastewater ?

Water also has been the heart of a community called Bhovi. Bhovi is the well digging community who also constructed lakes for over a 1000 years. Bhovis relied on the search or storage of water for their livelihoods. A few decades ago it was just a matter of pumping water from the open well which was all the time full. Now we have stepped into the era of borewells going more than thousand feet to fetch the water. The question arises is the uncertain results on part of farmers investing huge part  of their incomes in the desperate search for water , as well as on the alarming groundwater levels depletion leading  towards unsustainable resource use. 

The only way out is to first understand what is happening around us and then act now. For example,  taking a step towards increasing the ground water table would be a dream impacting all life . Water is however holistic and thus one approach alone cannot work in isolation. Thus, this is an effort to look at the whole image of water with various dimensions. The study on water has its roots in Science and Social sciences like Sociology, Economics, Psychology and Governance. The study aims to achieve sustainability without compromising the livelihoods of dependents. 

Current study is focused on Water Management in Tumakuru City

Let us have a picture of water in Tumakuru city and hinterland:

Tumakuru is yet another city in India struggling to meet the water demand of its population of 300,000. Tumakuru is not self-sufficient in its water supply. It is dependent on Hemavathi river water from Gorur dam situated at Hassan which is about 175 kms. Tumakuru doesn’t incur pumping charges as Bengaluru city does to get water from Hemavathi since water flows through gravity.  The water from Hemavathi is stored at Bugudanahalli Lake which has the capacity of 240Mcft.  Every individual requires 135 liters per day as per design standards of the government. But City Corporation is currently providing 107 liters per day. Tumkur City Corporation charges 2.63 paisa per liter of water.There are 371 lakes in Tumakuru district but the Minor Irrigation department has not been able to provide water for cultivation for four years since the lake water levels was not forty percent full, a minimum required for providing irrigation.There are two water treatment plants and one Sewage Treatment Plant functioning with 25MLD capacity situated at Bheemasandra.  Let us know what's happening to the wastewater in Tumakuru City in Part 2 of Water Management in Tumakuru City.

- Rakshitha M L

Project Updates for GCIL 2020 Team Biome

On a typical Thursday, we head out as a team for some field work: whether it be a lake, to schools, to Cubbon Park, or to visit another place around Bangalore which Biome has impacted. Due to the strike today, however, Uber Ola were down, so we took advantage of having a full day to work on both our Biome project and our GCIL project.

We also chose to split up what we were working on today. While we are all sitting together, so that we could bounce ideas and source opinions from each other, Eric and I focused on typing up the Cubbon Park Well Report, while Kayla and Tessa began research for our GCIL project.

The Biome project, which is the report, is the one which we have been focused on in both these blogs and in our activities for the week. Now that we have most of our data collected, we were able to begin typing up the who, what, when, and why of the work we have been doing. Using the previous reports on Cubbon park, as well as doing research into infiltration and evaporation data around Bangalore, we were able to predict the impact that the 73 wells would have in recharging the aquifers. We had the time to sit down and analyze the data we had collected this week, looking at topographical elevations and analyzing the effect of the different types of soils in the area. For myself, it was a real life application of what I had learned in my Physical Hydrology class that I took last quarter, an opportunity to take the engineering I've learned and apply it to a solution which has changed how Cubbon Park is operated. With the addition of these recharge wells to work with the open wells, Cubbon Park has stopped buying BWSSB water, instead relying on the stored rainwater that exists across the park.

When we haven't been working for Biome, we have been developing a project for our program. This project has certain requirements: it must be an innovation or product which does not yet exist, it must be presented as a business model, and it must attempt to solve a grand challenge here in India. In brainstorming for this project, we wanted to make sure that we came up with something that would outlast out time here in India - something which Biome or another such organization would want to be involved in and continue even after we left. We also wanted it to be in connection with the water crisis here in Bangalore - for me, it is what I studied, but for all of us, water is something we never have to think of in Seattle. In Washington State, we have an abundance of water, the exact opposite of the water deficit that exists here. We wanted to try and push ourselves to first understand why this was an issue, and then find a solution or a partial solution.

When we visited the ten schools in Devenahalli, we noticed a few things. One, is that only a few rainwater harvesting and water treatment options were used; most only basic filtration systems, two had reverse osmosis systems, and one had a UV treatment system. Our next observation, however, was that these systems were not being used properly, and not being used to their full potential. Neither of the two RO systems we saw were being used as drinking water, which, as we know, is a big problem in rural Bangalore, as many schools have to buy privatized tanker water, which is pulled from wells around the city. One of the RO systems was broken, as was the UV system at another school. Each school had repairs which needed to be done, many of which still existed from the last follow up visit, meaning that the filtration systems hadn't been working correctly for some time. Our final observation was that the teachers and headmasters of this school did not seem to know much about the water conservation and storage that was taking place at their schools.

We initially wanted to focus on the misuse of systems and the potential of the upgrading the systems in place. There are so many easy, accessible, and affordable options for drinking water treatment, and we wanted to create something that could be easily added to rainwater harvesting systems in schools so that they would not have to pay for privatized water. Upon talking to our professors, and our TA Bujin, who worked with Biome last year, we quickly realized that we were focusing on the wrong problem: the issue was not that people were not using available systems, but that they were afraid of using them and did not understand the ones that were in place. The true problems lies in the lack of education that these teachers and headmasters have about the water crisis and the tools they have to help combat it.

We then pivoted, changing out focus to introducing an educational aspect to rainwater harvesting and water treatment in schools. Biome funds the systems that are put in place at these schools through donors - wouldn't they want the systems they put time, money and effort into to work properly and be used well after they are installed? How could we create a product that worked with the existing resources, while appealing enough to the teachers and headmasters so that they would be willing to become educated on these technologies?

Our project is an educational curriculum which will a prerequisite to receiving the funding and building of a rainwater or water treatment system from Biome or another such organization. By presenting this as a condition to receiving the system, teachers and headmaster will be pushed to be educated and knowledgeable about what will be put in place at their schools. This specific method of delivery was pointed out to us by Uma and Shubha at Biome today when we called them, because as they explained, teachers and staff are already extremely busy, and unlikely to take on more work if it is not presented as a job which needs to be done in order to receive something. By learning about the different options that exist, it will give the teachers and headmasters more control and power over which options would work best for their schools, which they know better than any of us or anyone from an organization who has only done a few site visits. This curriculum will present the benefits, drawbacks, potential, instillation, and maintenance for different options for non-potable rainwater harvesting systems, such as the basic filtration systems or ceramic filters, but also provide information on reverse osmosis systems, silver tablets, and combinations of potable and non-potable technologies. The teachers will then be able to work with the organizations and donors to tailor the system to best suit the school and students's needs, which will further motivate them to ensure that the system keeps working and provides the water they know it can. We want to build a program which shows a greater return on investment for the people who are putting time and money into this, but also cultivate more active and educated beneficiaries, this way the biggest difference can be made in the water quantity, and quality, at the schools.

Education is known to be a key component in solving any challenge. While our solution may not be solving the entirety of the problem that is water in Bangalore and India, by starting to educate the people who are hardest hit by it, we can hope for a spread of awareness which reaches multiple audiences. With both the well project in Cubbon Park, which we will be building educational posters to help park-goers understand the meaning of the work done there, and with the curriculum we are putting forward, we are trying to do our part in making sure that Bangalore has a sustainable water future.

-Veronique (GCIL 2020 Team Biome w/ Eric, Kayla and Tessa)

Finishing up Cubbon Park Measurements

Today, in our final day (hopefully) of actual data collection around Cubbon Park, we measured the depth of the wells, as well as the level of water and silt in nine of the wells (to get a general representation of the distribution of water across the park). We also viewed the three lakes around Cubbon Park, but due to the language barrier we could not get enough information about the work that was done, and plan to return Friday with a translator to learn more.

The wells we measured were 2, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 39, 54. We chose to take measurements of wells all over the park, but also of a few close together to see if we could establish a pattern. The depth of all of the wells ranged from 14-almost 16 ft; respectively, they were 15, 14.42, 14.25, 15.67, 14.75, 14, 14, 14.92, 15.1 ft. The water level varied; respectively again, the levels in inches were: 0, 87, 69, 82, 24, 21.5, 6, 64, and 0. Clearly, there is no clear pattern, and geographically there does not seem to be a relationship with water level. Wells 14, 15, 16, and 17 were very close to each other physically, but had water levels that ranged from 21.5 inches to 87 inches. They also did not have similar water compositions: well 16 had no silt and clear water, while well 14 had mixed silt at the water level. The other wells in this area had minimum silt. There were two wells, however, which did have silt. Well 9 had chunky silt up the 87 inches of water it had, and well 39 had heavy silt up to three inches and then mixed silt up to the top of the water. Skipping ahead slightly in the day because it is related to this, we had a call with Shubha and Uma where they recommended that we take a look at the topography (such as contour lines) of Cubbon Park to see if our measurements line up with what is expected. This will be our next step in our analysis for our report to Biome, since there was such a great range in water heights.

This day was different than all of our other days in Cubbon Park, because it was much more technical and analytical. Due to a strike on Thursday, we will be confined to the UTC campus, and will therefore take the day to complete the full report on the wells, which we will then add the lake information to.

-GCIL 2020 Team Biome (Veronique, Kayla, Tessa, Eric).

Well Hunting Day Three

On our third and final day of mapping and locating the wells, we met up with another man from FAI. Like Manjunath, he knew exactly where the wells are, and (spoiler alert) we were able to get through the remaining 43 three wells all in one day. We did not get interrupted today, which meant we moved quickly through the remaining sections of the park quickly and efficiently. I've attached a screenshot of the completed map of the wells throughout Cubbon Park, as well as a picture of Tessa painting our very last well!!

We had time to discuss and reflect on this entire assignment as a whole while walking between wells. We quickly got to the conclusion that using resources provided by our program or Biome is always the best option, because we are strangers in this city still, and these projects are way over our heads. We also discussed what we learned, and debated about the placement of the wells around the park. Mr. Vishwanath, the founder of Biome, had mentioned that recharge wells have different depths and locations depending on where the aquifer is underneath them, and so we kept this in mind as we saw groupings of wells very close together. It is also related to the depth of the wells, because this relates to the depth of the aquifers or the groundwater table, and this is one of the next steps in finishing documenting this project. We still have to identify the depth of all of these wells and their catchment area, then present our findings in a report, presentation, and poster. Being able to go through this progress, first visually in seeing every single well, then further associating these locations on a map and being able to see the spread of the wells provided us with context and understanding of the scope of these wells. Next, being able to associate values and write up our findings, as well as do research into what has been done and why, will allow us to have a full understanding and present a full analysis on the work that has been done.

We are excited to continue moving forward with this project and to put together a report, presentation and poster that Biome will be proud of and that FAI will want to use!

-GCIL 2020 Team Biome (Veronique, Eric, Kayla, Tessa)

Well Hunting Day Two - 10 more Wells

A Short Afternoon at Cubbon Park:

After yesterday's talk with Biome, in which we were advised to bring Manjunath with us to help show us where the wells are, which changed our entire experience. We were under the impression that he had managed the project, but it was clear he had spent a lot of time actually in the park because he knew the exact locations of all of the wells. In under an hour, we were able to mark out ten new wells, bringing our total up to 30 wells out of 70. We were lucky to have Manjunath for another reason, too: during our marking of well 29, a man sitting on the side of the well called out to us and asked us what we were doing. He was sitting with a group of other men, and seemed very entitled and stuck up. He repeatedly demanded to know who gave us permission, if we were working for the government, and where our documentation was. He didn't listen to our explanation that we were interning with Biome, and that we were marking out wells to build a cohesive map of the wells in Cubbon Park. We had to have Manjunath come over to mitigate, and he spent almost 15 minutes talking to this man. Upon talking to Uma and Manjunath after the fact, they told us that we shouldn't worry about being questioned this way, that this man just wanted to show off and act big. This is apparently common for Manjunath, and since he is officially permitted to work in the park, we were told that as long as he was there to guide us we would have no problem. It was an experience, an interaction that marked out an otherwise very productive afternoon in the park. We are looking forward to working with Manjuvath again tomorrow, and hopefully finishing marking out the rest of the wells so that we can move on to the report, presentation and poster!

-GCIL 2020 Interns (Veronique, Eric, Kayla, Tessa)

Well Hunting around Cubbon Park

On this lovely Tuesday morning, GCIL 2020 interns went well hunting - that is, we went looking for the 70 recharge wells around Cubbon park, which are used to replenish aquifers by letting the water which gets trapped in the top foot and a half of soil flow downwards through concrete rings and coarse aggregate. We decided to go today without a guide, and to let ourselves explore the park and find the wells on our own. We had another Biome intern, Dennis, who is studying for his masters in economics and came from Germany to work with Biome, with us for the morning. He met us at our campus, and we all ubered to Cubbon Park, then walked to find paint with which to mark the wells. We decided on a nice, colorful blue, which would stand out and last on the concrete.

When we started going about the park, we quickly realized how big Cubbon Park is. We decided to start with the perimeter of the area we were in, and work our way into the park. To mark the wells, we used Google My Maps, which allows you to build your own map. We titled each well on My Maps R#, to indicate that they were recharge wells. Therefore, we can also come back and mark out the open wells if needed. We were able to mark out 20 of the 70 wells.

We had a couple of reflections as we were moving throughout the park. One, was that a guide who was a bit more familiar with the look of the wells and the general area in which there were more or less of them would be extremely useful. Second, we learned how to maximize the tasks at hand as a team. While we began by all walking together, by the end we were spread out walking in a line, calling to each other when we found a well. It was very difficult to know whether or not we missed a well, as some areas on our map definitely looked much emptier than others. We hypothesized that this could be due to the variable soil and depth of the aquifers below. The shallower the aquifers, and the greater their presence, the more wells should be in that area. We also learned that using Google Maps, and simply copy and pasting the coordinates onto Google My Maps, was easier and more accurate then just relying on the Google My Maps, which did not track our location very well.

We had a meeting in the afternoon with Biome to discuss projects which we would be working on during the rest of our time here. We decided that finishing the Cubbon Park project would be top priority, followed by the repair reports on the government schools around Bangalore, and creating new proposals for new schools to implement rainwater harvesting systems.

As usual, another productive, education, and fun day with Biome! So excited to continue this work and continue to build our skills and the projects.

-Team Biome

Government Schools around Bangalore

The GCIL 2020 team had the opportunity to visit ten government schools around Bangalore today, and assess the repairs needed on each of the rainwater harvesting systems implemented. We visited Arasenahalli Higher Primary School, Urdu Higher Primary and High Schools, Rajiv Nagar Higher Primary School, Government Higher Primary School Vijayapura (East Kannada School), Government Lower Primary School Hunsur, Government Higher Primary School Gangawara, Government Lower Primary School Gopalapuram, Government High School Kadusonnapanahalli, and Government Primary School Kannur. There were three types of filters implemented at these schools: the basic rainwater filter, the reverse osmosis filter, and the commercial filter. I will further elaborate on these different types of filters, their uses, and the issues we found when viewing them.

The conventional jelly filter was set up in the same way at every school which used one: from bottom to top, a 40 mm jelly (gravel sized), then mesh, then charcoal, then mesh, then 20 mm jelly, and a final mesh layer. The filters have a pipe at the bottom which leads to a sump tank, where the water is stored. These sump tanks often have pipes to pump up to storage tanks on the roof of buildings, which are used for gravity uses in those specific buildings (i.e, a storage tank on top of the pre-school building is used for washing in that building only). These filters must be cleaned out every month during the rainy season, and only the top layer must be maintained during the dry season. These filters require a first rain outflow pipe, which allows the dirtiest water during a rain episode to flow out of the system, leaving only the cleaner water to be filtered and used. There was one school, Urdu Higher Primary and High Schools, whose filters did not have a first rain separator on either of their tanks; this is one of the additions which needs to be done at this school. The water from this filter was used for hand washing, for toilets, and for gardening and watering the trees. Many of the schools with this filter type also have municipal water connections, which often flow into the same sump tank. In kitchens, there is a smaller tap which only uses municipal water, as this is cleaner water. During the rainy season, there is a gate valve which can be turned to block off the municipal water access to the sump tank (not the kitchen taps), to decrease municipal water demand.

Most of the schools had the conventional jelly filter, but at the Urdu Higher Primary and High Schools, their filters were bowl shaped, included in the tanks rather than having pipes leading into the filter system. Another type of system, which was used by two schools, was the reverse osmosis filter. This system uses a semi permeable membrane to remove unwanted ions, large particles, and molecules from the water. In order to clean the water, a pressure is applied to pull the water through the membrane. This way, the unwanted particles remain on the pressurized part of filter, while the cleaned water flows to the other side. Like the jelly filters, the water that passes through this filter is not used as drinking water. For the two schools, they used the filters to water the trees and plants on their campuses, as well as for washing stations. A problem that we noticed with the reverse osmosis filters is that they waste a lot of water. Because of this, at Government Lower Primary School Hunsur, they only use the reverse osmosis system for watering trees, and have a jelly filter for their other uses at the school.

The final filtration system we encountered was the commercial filter. Unfortunately, this school was closed by the time we got there, and we were not able to closely examine it or ask questions. Basically, this is a filter that is commercially available, meaning it was bought at a store and is being used. This filter was used at the Government Primary School Kannur. Another challenge we faced at this school was that there was construction being done at this school, so the filter cleaning was put off because all of the pipes will have to be replaced when the construction is done.

This blog post is long because our day was long, but it was incredibly productive and as a team we learned so much. We missed our teammate Eric, who had a stomach bug and was missing, but teaching and telling him what he missed only provided an additional learning opportunity. The ingenuity and effort put in by both Biome and by the schools in creating and maintaining these systems was very inspiring. It was also encouraging, and rewarding, to see the dedication of Manjunath, the plumber, and his knowledge of each school

We hope to go back to continue building the relationship with the teachers and students at these schools, who benefit from these systems every day, in order to best build proposals for more schools around the city.

-Veronique (GCIL 2020, with Eric, Kayla and Tessa)

A Day Spent with Wells

On Monday, January 27th, the GCIL 2020 Biome Interns had the chance to go see a 100 year old well near the Adugodi Police Station, off of Hosur Road. There, we met Narayan and his brother, two well diggers who are in charge of maintaining wells in this area. A Facebook post posted by Shubha shows some videos and pictures of this well, as well as contact information:
https://www.facebook.com/shubha.ramachandran/posts/10158128650392425

We knew about Well Connected, Biome's well building and digging project which GCIL interns worked on last year, and had seen the Cubbon Park mural, but this was the first time we saw a well in person. The well itself is 80 feet deep, but during the dry season there can be as little as 20 feet of water. It provides water to some couple of hundreds of people in the area. This well was not in the condition that it is in today not so long ago, as it hadn't been maintained. It had "silted over", that is, there was such a deep layer of silt that water could no longer be pulled through. It was brought back to life by order of a legislative member, who saw the worth of having a working well next to the festival at the Sri Venugopal temple, which happens on February 1st.

This is where Narayan and his brother come in. They were hired to pull all of the silt out of the well so it could be used again. When we asked them how they learned this skill, they said that it was passed down from their fathers, who learned from their fathers - but they do not want to pass on this trade to their own kids. Instead, they look for work so that their kids can be educated, and decide whether or not they want to continue. Therefore, Biome is working with the older generation of well diggers, providing them with work so that they can send their children to school.

We also learned about the problems that apply not only to this well, but to multiple other wells. The well no longer has the inflow it used to have, because sidewalks and roads have been raised so that surface runoff from the streets no longer flows into it. The wells are not maintained, so they do not provide the relief from the impermeable ground that is the city that they should.

As we learned, Biome wants to change this. Right now, Bangalore depends on the five pipes that bring water up a grade from the Kaveri River. Wells are an option which will help reduce this demand. We saw examples of this in Cubbon Park, one of Bangalore City's largest green spaces. There, they have seven open wells and recharge wells. These serve different purposes. The open wells are meant to store and collect water for future usages, and eventually feed shallow aquifers. The recharge wells are made up of concrete rings stacked on top of one another, with four open holes in the sides, and coarse aggregate stacked along the sides. These wells are meant to recharge aquifers and the groundwater table - by using coarse aggregate and adding rings with holes in them, a path of least resistance is created for the water. This means that water will flow through the ground, in the top foot of earth, and when it reaches the aggregate, it suddenly has a low pressure point for which to flow downwards. This allows the water, which usually remains trapped in the first foot of earth, to flow to deeper layers and into aquifers.

Wells can and should be a part of Bangalore's water crisis, and Biome is taking important steps to make this a reality.

-GCIL 2020 Biome

GCIL Biome 2020 in India - Intro!

Hello! For this first blog post from the GCIL 2020 Biome team, I thought I would provide a quick introduction and summary of what we've been up to with Biome since we arrived in Bangalore.

Our team is made up of myself, Veronique, as well as Eric, Kayla, and Tessa. We are all students from the University of Washington in Seattle, studying/working in Bangalore from January until the middle of March. Kayla is studying Environmental Studies, Tessa is completing a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, and Eric and I are both seniors in the Civil Engineering department.

Our first in person meet up with Biome was when we toured the Visvesvaraya Rain Water Harvesting Theme Park. This was our first introduction to the rainwater harvesting efforts being done in Bangalore. We also got to see the Cubbon Park Metro Station mural, which was done in collaboration with a local art college to display the history of water in Bangalore and the importance of well diggers. The variety and depth of involvement which Biome has in the city is even better in person than online or over Skype calls.

Yesterday, on Monday January 28th, we had our first day in person with Srivalli, who took us to meet with local well diggers and view a 100 year old open well near Adugodi Police Station off of Hosur road. We got to hear for the first time how these wells are maintained, who maintains them, and what well diggers think of their careers and what it means for future generations. Panchayat is the organization who is in charge of these wells, and they hire out the well diggers to maintain specific wells. As much as these well diggers are necessary, they themselves do not want their children to carry on with the tradition. We also got to see the Biome Environmental Solutions headquarters, learn how they make mud concrete, and talk about the water systems around Bangalore and goals for Biome. Again, the exposure that we received to how Bangalore's water is treated further reminded us of the reach of Biome's efforts.

Today, we had a chance to walk around Kaikondhralli Lake, where we saw the impacts of letting untreated sewage flow into these ecosystems. The color of the water, and the smells and types of birds around the lake are indicative of the state of the ecosystem. We also got the chance to sit in and contribute on a meeting at WIPRO, developing an updated version of the Sustainability & Water school program. It was a program we had never heard of, but one that we quickly got attached to. It combines education, competitive, creative thinking, and collaboration for a topic that is very important for students in India to know.

After only three days with Biome, we have already learned so much, and are looking forward to the next six weeks of working on some of the amazing projects they have started and have in progress. We are eager to continue learning, contributing, and building the work that Biome does for the city we are lucky enough to live in for three months.

-Veronique