On January 24th, the ground breaking ceremony for a new water treatment plant occurred along the bank of the Devanahalli Kere Lake. Rotary Club members, ZEISS employees, village locals, Biome members and many more joined together to celebrate this momentous occasion. Although we faced a bit of a struggle to find a cab in the morning, we arrived in time to catch all of the proceedings. In a mix of Kannada and English, several stakeholders took time to communicate their excitement for this project and their gratitude for all those who took part in making the project possible. Avinash took special care to introduce Shankar, a traditional well digger who had helped rejuvenate the well that was to be the source for the new water treatment plant. Next the local priest led a puja, the ground was broken, and the festivities concluded in a round of handshakes and warm goodbyes.
Several stakeholders pose for a photo to commemorate the day.
A Rotary Club member literally helps to break the ground to signify the start of the water treatment plant.
Afterwards, Shivanand and Avinash took some time to make introductions and provide a little more context for the day's proceedings. Then, we walked towards the residential area of the town and Avinash shared about the sewage flowing in the storm water drain and the farmer’s use of it. It was an interesting discussion about the importance of facing water issues as social issues, and favoring infrastructure lean approaches to such problems. Following our discussion, Avinash suggested we use the rest of the afternoon to explore the Sir. M. Visvesvaraya Rain Water Harvesting Theme Park made by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
We traveled south back into the city, stopping for lunch before arriving at the theme park. There, we were warmly greeted by Mr. Nikhilesh. Once a group of students from a local college arrived, we tagged along with their tour of the impressive park. The outdoor section of the park included examples of various types of rainwater harvesting infrastructure including groundwater infiltration wells, first flush bypasses, and various methods of catching rain from a roof. Inside, two different exhibits educated us on water and sewage management through life-size displays. We ended in a comfortably air conditioned auditorium where we watched an admittedly dated but informative video on Bangalore’s main water source: the River Cauvery.
The exterior of the park included pervious pavers, sloped and flat roofs that collected rainwater and various storage tanks.
Cross section of a sand filter, a popular filter device for roof captured rainwater before entering a storage tank.
A comparison between three taps: normal, aerator and flow restricted. Each ran for 1 minute and the volume of water spent was measured.
Overall, the schedule of our day kept my mind very occupied and supplied much to chew on. The morning’s ceremony made me more aware of how many people can be involved in a single water project. Our discussion with Avanish challenged my typical outlook on water problems and their solutions. Our time at the rainwater harvesting theme park made me curious about the degree of implementation of such infrastructure throughout Bangalore and what the possible delays in widespread adoption are. There is still much to learn, but today was a great continuation of our education with Biome!
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