Spark Park

 Spark Park

Sustainable development places a strong emphasis on the idea of ‘Cradle to Grave’ or  ‘Kasadinda Rasa’ a Kannada expression which means Treasure out of Trash. We have spent our childhood wearing clothes of our elder brothers and sisters and hence we do have some sense of the recycling concept.

What if we extrapolate the very same concept to improve natural resource management which is the need of the hour considering the impact the fast pace development has had on our environment. 

Now, one of the natural resources whose management affects each and every one of us equally is Water. The effect can be felt directly or indirectly depending on whether we are living in water stressed area or a relatively water abundant area but sooner or later the problem is going to affect us all. The problem of water scarcity is not limited to its consumption; with the increase in extreme events due to climate change, the areas which once received heavy rainfall now face drought like conditions and the areas which earlier faced water shortage now get flooded in an event of more than average rainfall.

Urban gardens provide an effective way to manage water resources by regulating water levels. Apart from regulating the water resource, urban parks also help to improve air and soil quality, they help in maintaining biodiversity, act as compost sites for local biodegradable waste and can also help in the regulation of micro climate. Local authorities like the MLAs and the municipalities play a crucial role in park development and maintenance by actively providing technical and financial support.

But the local authorities are not the only ones who have contributed to the development of parks and gardens around the city, citizen’s contributions have also led to the establishment of many gardens and the rejuvenation of many more around the city.

 One such park is Spark in Doddanekkundi which falls under the jurisdiction of BBMP. Spread across 3.5-4 acres, the park was initially a Tennis Academy. After the academy’s lease expired, the park turned into a wasteland, receiving all sorts of waste from nearby areas. But thanks to the collective efforts of the people and administration, the park was revived. The initial funding from the DBS bank and WIPRO helped in improving the deteriorating condition of the park. DBS bank helped with the plantation of 500 saplings. The saplings were all of the different types starting from Jamun, Jackfruit, and Mango to Lemon, Neem, Peepal and Mahogany.

Funds were also made available through people’s voluntary contributions and an MLA helped in the installation of pipes and establishment of recharge pits across the park.3 STP pipelines were set up in the park which received sewage treated water from 3 nearby resident societies; the water received is used for gardening purposes. 9 recharge pits, all of which are interconnected, are used for storing rainwater which ultimately helps in maintaining the groundwater levels. 

However, the park is not without its challenges. We could identify 3 broad challenges facing the park: Stormwater management, old eucalyptus trees adding to the existing water pressure and further funding opportunities. There is a huge scope for collecting data on rainfall patterns and people’s consumption patterns and decisions can be taken in future based on the collected data.

References:

1. https://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-from-kasa-to-rasa-koramangala-shows-the-way-1493903

2. https://www.deccanherald.com/city/bengaluru-infrastructure/hc-bars-graphite-india-from-selling-prime-land-in-whitefield-993143.html

https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/point-blank/waste-segregation-at-source-still-a-work-in-progress-1083036.html