The Hindu 26.12.2009
Rainwater harvesting, a residents’ initiative Success
Special Correspondent
BANGALORE: In a bid to fight drinking water shortage, the Coffee Board Layout Residents’ Welfare Association has launched an initiative to convince its members to go for rainwater harvesting (RWH).
According to association secretary Hari Kanniah, about 50 houses of the total 350 in the area are set to install rainwater harvesting system in their houses within two to three months. If that happens, then Coffee Board Layout may turn out to be a model for others in terms of water conservation and recharging of groundwater.
Like several other areas in the Byatarayanapura Assembly constituency, Coffee Board Layout too has to depend on borewells for drinking water supply. Even with this arrangement, the residents get water only once in three days that too for less than an hour. The idea of drilling more borewells is not a viable option as the groundwater level itself is going down gradually. The problem aggravates during summer months when the borewells almost go dry.
The association has decided to ensure self reliance with respect to water supply in the area besides recharging the groundwater. It recently organised an awareness drive on rainwater harvesting in the area during which A.R. Shivakumar, Principal Investigator for RWH at the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology and scientist, explained to residents about the advantages and technical details of RWH. The initiative saw an overwhelming response with nearly 250 residents taking part in it.
According to Mr. Kanniah, this is the first such initiative to be taken by any residents’ welfare associations in the city. He says that rainwater harvesting is the best way to fight water shortage in a rapidly growing city such as Bangalore.
The Byatarayanapura constituency has one of the best planned layouts in the city such as Sahakaranagar. This part of the constituency lives up to the Bangalore’s sobriquet of Garden City as it presents a series of parks besides individual gardens at houses.
Local MLA Krishna Byre Gowda has helped further improve the greenery by developing some more parks in the adjoining areas.
