Interns’ First Site Visits!

        Yesterday (23/01/2024), the new Biome interns got to go on some site visits! For those who don’t know us interns, we are four students from the University of Washington in the United States who are here in Bangalore as part of the Grand Challenges Impact Lab program. We have enjoyed being in the city so far and are looking forward to working with Biome.

Hunasamaranahalli Well

Pictured left to right: Kiara, Ridgely, Quinn, Elena

Our site visits yesterday included government higher primary schools and open wells. We got to see rainwater harvesting systems in three different stages at three different schools. At Channahalli GHPS, the rainwater system has already been constructed, and we were able to see what the system looks like after completion. This helped us connect a lot of the dots on how this infrastructure actually works. At Kuduregere GHPS, the rainwater harvesting system is still being constructed. The students in this school are actually helping with the completion of this project. It was fun to see students learning about hydrating concrete while it is curing and other construction techniques. Finally, we went to Chikkajala GHPS, where Biome is in the process of designing a rainwater system. This school presents a number of challenges because it includes a recently developed building with a small roof, and an old building that will be taken down and rebuilt. From these three schools, we got to not only meet some very fun school children, but we also got a much better understanding of how Biome and its projects work.

Interns and Staff at Channahalli GHPS

Interns and students at Kuduregere GHPS

Student helping hydrate concrete at Kuduregere GHPS

After visiting the schools, we went to a number of open wells. The first was a street that had two open wells on it. Here, we discussed the prospects of calculating the capacities of these wells if rainwater harvesting was developed on the roofs of all of the street’s structures. This amount could then be compared to the water demand from the inhabitants of that street to determine how effective the use of these wells can be. Visiting a private well, we learned about the intricacies between open well ownership and possible partnerships with the panchayat. In a nearby cemetery site, we discussed the three bore wells that are there and the possibility of replacing their use with some shallow wells instead. 

Private Well

Seeing the shallow wells and how they can be used was very interesting and useful to us as interns. In one of the wells, we could actually see ground water pouring into the well at a deep point - very exciting! When we start working on projects involving these areas, we will be able to go back to collect data and assess anything else we need for work.

Overall, it was  a very educational day with our guides Bhavani and Shivananda! We had a lot of fun exploring all of the different projects, interacting with students, and sharing a delicious lunch. We gained insight on the community we will be working with over the next few months and even got to practice our water drawing skills from an open well. We hope to keep the blog updated with our progress and future visits!

Kiara pulling up water from an open well

Elena, Ridgely, Quinn & Kiara

Interns at Biome Environmental Trust

Winter 2024