Residents’ welfare associations suggest that the state government should dig huge rainwater reserves in all localities to supply clean rainwater to households through pipes.
This concerns you. Poor quality and quantity of water supplied by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and 62% of the city’s underground water contaminated by industrial effluents and sewage has left you no choice but to install rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems.
In fact, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) that DNA spoke to suggest that the state government should dig huge rainwater reserves in all localities to supply clean rainwater to households through pipes.
And this is the right time to install such systems as your city is receiving good rains.
DNA carried a story on its front page of August 28 edition on Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s (KSPCB’s) latest survey revealing that industries, especially those making dyes, had ignored the state environment ministry’s directions of setting up independent or centralised effluent treatment plants. Instead, these industries were letting effluents and wastes run into drains and lakes, in turn, polluting the city’s underground water resources which replenish your borewells.
Ecology and environment minister J Krishna Palemar on Friday had cited KSPCB’s survey to announce the extent of contamination of Bangalore’s underground water.
“We have a lot of problems with BWSSB’s water supply. It is neither of standard quality nor of enough quantity. We mostly have borewells in our locality, but the alarming rate of contamination and pollution in the underground water is threatening. Luckily, we have started rainwater harvesting,” says G Venkatakrishna, president, 20th Main, Rajajinagar Residents’ Association.
RWH systems collect rain water and store them in their unpolluted form, providing the ideal alternative to ground-based water resources which are increasingly getting polluted, rendering it unfit for drinking and posing a health risk.
Bangalore already has around 2,500 borewells, but the city’s corporators have demanded that at least 10 additional borewells be dug in each of Bangalore’s 198 wards.
A 75% increase in the number of borewells would only mean exposing a larger population to the contaminated underground water, city experts say.
“We have very few borewells in our locality,” says Y Damodara, president of Girinagar Residents’ Welfare Association. “People should now conserve rainwater and lakes should be rejuvenated. Of course, the state government should speed up on Cauvery 4th phase 2nd stage project, too.”
“We have borewells though we have not recently tested the quality. But I would urge more and more people to harvest rain water now. Because the situation after five years could be worse than now; Bangalore could go dry. The government should test the quality of water from borewells and clearly inform citizens if it is usable or not,” says KR Govindraj, secretary, Sapteswara Residents’ Welfare Association, Malleswaram.
“There appears to be no alternative at present (but to dig borewells) as the city is facing a huge water crisis. But the most important thing to be done is rainwater harvesting and treating the sewage immediately,” says Vishwanath S, secretary general, International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association.
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