Virtual tour of Rainwater harvesting theme park!

 What does a Non-resident think about her Rain-water harvesting theme park visit and what learning does she take from here? 

As our guide opens one of the sump tanks to show what’s inside it, all of us present moved towards it slowly in curiosity with 8th standard students giggling, whispering and struggling to find their way to come forward. To maintain the decorum and bring student’s attention back our guide asks them to remain 1 feet away otherwise somebody might fall into it. He asks what do you think what’s inside?  There is nothing ‘it’s water only’ and that caused us to burst into laughter.  

As I enter the Rainwater Harvesting Theme Park I see a small standing statue of M.Visvesvaraya under the wide punched sky telling the story of the legacy he left behind. This park innovatively amalgamates technology to exhibit live rain-water harvesting models, structure and their functioning. These simulation models allowed all of us to understand the nitty-gritty that goes into the installation, costing and functioning of the system.  It allowed us to engage with real things in an experiential way. There were two sections to the park, one is  an open space where RWH systems, recharge wells, sump tanks and traditional method of RWH (Which looked to me as some magical pond reflecting the sky and a small tree that reminded me of Fairy Tales) and water wise gardening is exhibited, the other section enclosed by a roof has three galleries namely Water Gallery, Sewerage Gallery and the Centralized Gallery. The entire Gallery is a knowledge hub and the simulation model installed there adds fun to the learning process as we ourselves engage and interact to ponder over some of the critical questions.

  Magical Pond?

 We started our tour at 11:30 along with 8th standard students who also accompanied us to make sense of the bookish knowledge disseminated inside their 4-walled classrooms. Our Guide, Mr. Nikhilesh patiently makes us familiar with all the installations, types and structures exhibited there. As all the students take out their diaries to jot down all the key points we also start making notes but in our virtual diaries i.e our phones. A small tangent here experts say that writing down with your own hands increases your memory and retention power. As we continue with our tour, to bring back the attention of the 8th standard batch our guide addressing the students says, I will ask questions to check whether you are able to follow. This hit me with a thought that we are at a position where we are on our own, accountable to our own selves and nobody else

Banglore, silicon valley of India is  also known for its gardens, man-made tanks and people who take pride in the city’s heritage and what it serves. In the midst of the busy city, crowded metros, places like rain water harvesting theme parks and other parks bring in the calmness even if it's sporadic. The rapid urbanization and increased population is adding pressure on all the limited sources that we have. Post 1980’s the trend of digging borewells started which eventually resulted in water deficit i.e the extraction of groundwater was in excess than the recharge of the aquifers. Not only was the quantity affected but the quality also deteriorated in some pockets where industries were popping up. Rainwater Harvesting is a simple and traditional practice of harvesting the rainwater that assists in recharging the groundwater and acts as a derisking mechanism. It can build resilient communities as the competition for the resources with increased population becomes more fierce. When we say innovative ways we don’t have to invariably think about technological changes as Mr. Avinash Krishnamurthy aptly puts it: “Technology is taking science out of our lives, and we must understand that Sustainability is Science”. This highlights the significance of Nature based solutions and simple techniques like RWH that can be implemented easily. 

Virtual Tour of RWH Theme Park

Every house will have a roof having a small gradient from where all the water will go to the downward pipe i.e catchment area. The three basic components of RWH are catchment, conveyance and storage. Conveyance is the pipe which conveys the water to the filtration unit. There are two types of filter: one is a wall mounted filter and another another one is a centralized filter. You can either utilize this water or let it  recharge the groundwater. Wall mounted filter is better for small houses. While collecting water in the wall mounted filter the principle of first flush should be taken care of which means the first 5-10 mins of rainfall should not be collected as it contains more impurities and contaminants. The water in the wall mounted filter will filter the rainwater from physical impurities and not from chemical impurities. After the water is filtered it can be stored in a tank called a sump tank. The stored water can be used for secondary purposes other than drinking and cooking. 

In big buildings like vidhana soudha, HC wall mounted filters are not feasible. For large buildings the alternative is a centralized filter.  In any filter there are two chambers. First one is the first flush chamber which is designed according to the volume. Second chamber has the sand bed filter; it will filter both chemical and physical impurities. Once the sump fills up to its brim, water  will overflow and will recharge the wells and percolate down into the groundwater.

These recharge wells are 25 feet deep. In residential buildings minimum depth should be 10 feet because we will have a foundation that go upto 6 to 7 feet deep. In order to bypass that foundation it’s better that we go 10 to 15 feet deep. Covering  it with 40 mm aggregate will prevent the silting because if silting happens it will lose its previousness.

V wire  technology is not advisable. In a Strata there is a rock which you can’t recharge, a borewell is drilled to bypass the rock strata and on top of it you will have filter media and a feeding channel, overflow water will come here and the water will be directly injected into your aquifers. It is  not advisable because of easy contamination of the groundwater and considered as the unscientific way of Groundwater recharge.

Stormwater Drain

Water Wise Gardening

It was indeed a meaningful and a valuable experience. Theme parks like these are an innovative way that assist in wide outreach to the citizens. Combining it with the mandatory legislation allows citizens to understand the need and potential of RWH in sustainable management of the Groundwater. Though in physical terms we are talking about something that is beneath the ground, its sustainable management and care would result not only in the availability of enough water but it will also provide avenues to stride up the ladder to make Bangalore a more progressive city.  

Gallery

Trees planted according to Zodiac Signs

 Pervious Pavers: These pavers will allow 5-10% of rainfall to percolate down into the earth. 

"Every drop of water counts"

O Mittur Lakes Monitoring

On June 30 and July 1, 2022, a visit to O Mittur Panchayat in the Kolar district was made. The four lakes we visited as group four were Chikkakere, Hosakere, Shakti Kunte, and Doddakere. The goal of this project was to monitor lakes using standardized protocols. These protocols included requirements for measuring the size of lakes, their elevations, the crops that were cultivated in the command area, the quality of the water, and the socioeconomic state of the community. Shubha Ma'am, Suma Ma'am, and Asha, the founder of the non-profit organization Grameena Abhivrudhi Sangha, who served as our translator, guide, and mentor, were present during the survey, along with the locals who live close to the lakes.

Chikkakere Lake:The 25-acre Chikkakere Lake (Tank No.365) is situated in the Kolar district's O Mittur (Urukunte Mittur) settlement. 

Hosakere Lake:Hosakere lake (Tank No.124) , spread across 30 acres is located in Kottur village.

Shakti Kunte Lake : Shakti Kunte lake (Tank No. 46) which is 300 years old  is located in the Bandahalli village of Kolar district. 

Doddakere Lake : Doddakere lake ( Tank No.62)  in the Avala Marakalagatta village is approximately 10-12 feet deep.

 

Observations made about the lake's characteristics included:

The common theme that was seen while keeping an eye on the four lakes is that the water inside the lake is used for livestock management and irrigation rather than for drinking. The majority of farmers in all the communities depend on agriculture for their primary source of income, but they also engage in allied agricultural activities, particularly in the summer when water stress is most noticeable.Currently most of the villages have borewells for drinking water purposes.Two significant issues that continue to plague Hosakere and Doddakere Lake are desilting and bund leaking.In Chikkakere Lake, the Kaluves (feeding channel) is inoperative. Since the Raja Kaluve (feeder canal) is clogged with silt, a suction pump is used to push water straight from the lake.Kalyani or stepped temple tanks are present adjacent to Chikkakere Lake.A sacred idol that can be seen nearby under a peepal tree close to the Chikkakere lake serves to further underscore the location's religious significance.The cost of the Hosakere Lake bund leak is estimated to be between 10 and 12 lakhs. Desilting should be carried out under the panchayat's supervision, but this has never happened.

Societal issues

Regarding pay inequalities, certain societal problems were also noted. Many of the people we spoke to held the view that men get more money because they put in more work than women do, including Shivananda, a farmer in Kottur. Concern should be expressed about the speed of immigration, which makes it impossible for immigrants to live comfortably in cities and forces them to live in subpar housing.

As it is uncommon for women in the village to own cars and drive, there are mobility issues for women as well. Asha from Arohana expresses her enthusiasm to learn to ride a scooter. Women's empowerment is hampered by this restriction on their freedom of movement.

Biodiversity significance:

Numerous biodiversity species have been found over the entire region. Lantana Camara, Pongamia Pinnata, Eucalyptus, Morning Glory, Peepal, Tamarind, Neem, and water lettuce are a few of the plant species that have been spotted in and around the Chikakere lake. While certain types of plants are good for the environment, others are not. As an illustration, Eucalyptus trees are charged with a number of offenses, such as ruining watersheds, causing erosion, igniting fires, and blocking indigenous vegetation

     

                                    Morning Glory                                     Pongamia Pinnata 

The lantana plant is a species of High Concern for India and one of the top ten most destructive invasive plants in the world. It interferes with the nitrogen cycle in the soil and challenges native plants for space and resources. Pongamia has several benefits to both people and animals. The production of this honey may be used by rural communities to boost their incomes and carry out apiculture. The leaves have a number of medicinal applications as well. The oil from the seeds can be used as a natural treatment for skin and rheumatic ailments. 

     

                                              Eucalyptus                                  Lanta Camara 

Detailed Report Link:

O Mittur Lake Monitoring Report

Sonnappanahalli: ‘A village of wells’

With the pet Dog hovering around Pommani, a resident of Sonnappanahalli Janta Quarters,  we listen to her keenly as she responds to our questions and describes her neutral water narratives. Sharing her water tales she mentions how the water from the nearby well is utilized for different purposes that fulfill the needs of the villagers. As she completes her response we immediately put up more questions to not miss out anything since these intimate interactions give insights about the situation at the ground level. While surveying the well and listening to Pommani some of the interns patted the dog affectionately as cool breeze wafts over the place that caresses us. Observing her closely while she was answering our interrogative questions, when asked whether they are satisfied with the water supply facilities she responds without any woes that we are satisfied and have no complaints. But unfortunately not all stories have a happy ending as we saw how the water stress in some of the pockets of the village had forced people some 25 years back to dig deeper to pump out more water from the water supply tanker well due to increased demand  and slow recharge rate of the groundwater. 

Sonnappanahalli, a village of wells located in Doddaballapur block of North Bangalore, spread across 128.04 hectares is governed by the panchayat. We started our visit at 9:30 and reached by 10:00 at Sonnappanahalli lower Primary school. This school is a good example of integrating sustainable models of wells and rainwater harvesting systems. As we roam around and observe, small kids giggle and greet us with ‘Hello Ma’am’. The school has a huge well in the backyard along with a sump tank and rainwater harvesting system inside the school. When we think of government schools we have a preconceived notion of poor facilities and education but here at our first impression we observed classrooms donned with wooden desks and decorated with all visuals to make children learn through observation. Sonnappanahalli has a number of wells located at around  every 80m, 150 m and some are located at a distance of 1km. While walking through the lanes we come across different wells and every well has its own story with unique design and periphery that defines Sonnappanahalli’s distinctive identity. These old wells dug some 50 or 60 years back are a cultural heritage that must be maintained not only to reduce the dependency on borewells but to revive the traditional practice of well digging and empower well digger communities that have been engaged in this profession for years. A walk through the village reveals a picturesque view with the sky punched with clouds, tracts of agricultural lands donned with banana plantations and other crops.

A common motif that was observed across all the locations where the wells are dug is that the water is not utilized for drinking purposes as the TDS (other factors were not taken i​nto consideration) is very high (>500) and the water is not suitable for drinking purposes. Some wells are abandoned and the water inside the wells is not utilized at all. Apart from improving the water quality of wells there is a great potential in channeling the water in Bettahalasur quarry for human consumption. Sonnappanahalli school is a good example of integrating sustainable models. Schools can be utilized for pilot study in order to ascertain the feasibility of water conservation and groundwater recharging systems. The wells that are abandoned can be revived and maintained so that water can be utilized by the people. We must collectively revive the legacy of Sonnappanahalli Village for which we have to ensure Community participation and democratization of the decision making process so that people are conscious of the significance of these wells. 

For the detailed description of the project the link to the report and the PPT is attached below:

Report: Sonnappanhalli's Larger Story Report

PPT:  sonnappanhalli Larger story