15 Edition
Dec 2021
INSPIRING STORIES FOR THESE HAPPY HOLIDAYS
3 S T E P S H E L P E D T H I S B E N G A L U R U S O C I E T Y C U T T H E I R R S. 1 6
L A K H W A T E R B I L L B Y 5 2% !
“We are saving about 2-3 tankers worth of water every day. And each of the initiatives has inspired residents to go greener—a total saving of Rs 9 lakh in one year is proof of that.”
As summer approaches, taps in Bengaluru start running dry. Longer days and warmer weather demand the usage of more water, but you’ll see residents getting up early in the morning, calling up tankers and spending a bomb on each delivery. As we approach the dreaded months of April and May, the situation worsens. Groundwater starts depleting further, and until the rains provide a respite, one has no choice but to spend more and more on every tanker of water.
For some, the increasing expenditure is an issue, while others are worried about the long-term implications of this exploitation of groundwater. Between 2000 and 2010, India’s groundwater depletion increased by 23 percent. Incidentally, India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, 24% of the global total, surpassing even China.
As fast as the groundwater resources are getting exhausted, heavily populated Tier-1 cities like Bengaluru are paying a hefty price.
T H I S S O C I E T Y S A V E S 5 0 0 L I T R E S O F W A T E R D A I L Y
“In our apartment complex, there are 46 flats and through borewells, we get 500 litres of water daily which is obviously insufficient for all the residents. Hence, we like other Bangaloreans would rely on water tankers that charge us Rs. 600 for 3,500 litres of water– or Rs 170 per 1000 litres. The cost of water tanks is skyrocketing because of the demand and supply gap.”
Once popularly referred to as the city of lakes – Bengaluru hosted over 300 lakes in the 1970s. Today, the lakes are dying a slow death, the reason being pollution that leads to the formation of toxic froth in lakes like Bellandur and Varthur. Rapid urbanisation, the encroachment of lakes, and disposal of sewage that flow from factories into lakes have led to stressed out water resources in the city and made water unfit for use. While Bangaloreans struggle for something as basic as water and end up paying a hefty amount to tankers for clean water, the residents of Maa Brindavan, an apartment complex in Whitefield, are saving 500 litres of water every day.
E A T R I E S I N B E N G A L U R U U S E W A Y S T O C O N S E R V E W A T E R
“By filling only half the glass, we are reducing wastage.”
The iconic Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) is conserving water in the kitchen. Managing partner Vikram Mayya said almost all of MTR's restaurants use RO (reverse osmosis) water system, which tends to waste a lot of water because of its filtration process. An average RO purifier wastes approximately three litres of water for every litre of purified water. To help curb wastage, the chain has started using the waste water from the machines for cleaning utensils and the floor
M E T H O D S W H I C H H E L P H O U S I N G S O C I E T I E S
S A V E W A T E R
“To ensure that this limited resource is utilised carefully”
For example Sudarshan Dhuru, president of Raheja Residency Apartment Owners’ Apex Body, in Bengaluru, says that their housing complex has extensively implemented rainwater harvesting. “The rainwater from the rooftops, is channelled to over 30 water tanks of 5,000 litres each. This water is also routed to seven rainwater harvesting pits with a diameter of four ft and depth of 15 ft. The water stored in the tanks is used for washing cars three days a week and for mopping common area corridors. This water is also used to supplement the water supply into our main sump and used in toilets. We have made modifications in the flushing system, whereby the water discharged is reduced by almost 60%, saving almost 15 litres of water during every flush,” Dhuru explains.
W A R R I O R W H O H A R V E S T S W A T E R U S I N G S I M P L E
S O L U T I O N S
"Water, water, everywhere" is the moto by which Ayyappa Mahadevappa Masagi lives
When it's believed that the next world war will be fought over water, at a micro level in Bangalore, people working for the water utility are roughed up by consumers who haven't seen a drop of water trickle from their taps in days. Says Masagi, "Who said there's a water crisis? We have plenty of water, even in Bangalore. It's just that we haven't been looking at the available, easy solutions." Masagi isn't trained scientifically. He's just an ordinary man who uses native intelligence to solve water woes. This 54-year old Water Gandhi' from rural Karnataka uses over 100 tried-and- tested techniques to end water poverty. His success stories now run into many books and states across India.
COMMENDATION AWARDS
The WOW Action Forum hosts Commendation Awards every quarter and bestows the on all Big Water-Savers who save and so ‘donate’ water to the city by consuming less fresh water in the interest of making water-positive cities.
Alt. Tech Foundation is a not-for-profit, for-industry Foundation for
(i) producing sustainability managers and leaders,
(ii) providing green management skill sets,
(iii) hosting city-wide campaigns for citizen collective action to save water & energy,
(iv) purposing research for city infrastructure.
WOW Action Forum is a globally pioneering effort for bringing collective private action to save very large quantities of water at apartments, at Industry, at tech parks, or hotels and hospitals or malls and other such buildings. The 2021 mission is set to save 1000 Cr lites with community-led action. This alone will bring a saving of 236 Cr in electricity bills for the city, and a reduction in carbon emission of nearly 300,000 tonnes equivalent.