“How can I revive an abandoned open well in my backyard?” “Will the Government extend the May 9 deadline to adopt rainwater harvesting?” “How do we adopt rainwater harvesting (RWH) if we don't have enough space?”
These were some of questions posed by residents of Malleswaram and surrounding areas at a Rainwater Harvesting Mela organised at the Kadu Malleswara temple on Wednesday.
Many residents, who gave up on open wells in their backyards after they went dry, were curious to know how to revive these water sources.
A.K. Shivakumar, Principal Investigator and Scientist for Rainwater Harvesting at the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), advised the residents to dredge the wells and allow water to fill in them. “These abandoned wells are goldmines. A little removing of silt will allow water percolation, thereby recharging them,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
“Some big houses in Malleswaram also have kalyani s that can be easily recharged. We will help the owners to revive them,” Mr. Shivakumar later told The Hindu .
Mr. Shivakumar said he visited one such water body in a house located between the 13{+t}{+h} and 14{+t}{+h} Cross in Malleswaram.
Pointing out that the rainwater harvesting system was adopted in most government buildings, including the Vidhan Soudha, Mr. Shivakumar said the Government was thinking of subsidising RWH kits to encourage people to adopt the system.
The former Central Groundwater Board Commissioner C.S. Ramasesha said the harvested water should be tested once in three months or at least twice a year as it can get contaminated by bird droppings.
The mela, jointly organised by Rotary Bangalore Kumara Park, Kadu Malleswara Geleyara Balaga and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), had on display RWH equipment, including filters and pipes. Jurisdictional BWSSB officials were present.
