River-less Bengaluru should look at its past, where community sharing of water sustained it rather than private sources through borewells, said S. Vishwanath, water conservation expert, during a talk on lakes in the city and their management held at the Mythic Society on Sunday.
“Earlier, lakes and open wells were prominent in the city and most citizens were using them. But a few decades ago, borewells were introduced and they allowed individuals to exploit groundwater. Open wells were ignored and became spots for dumping garbage,” he said.
Mr. Vishwanath, one of the facilitators of the Million Wells project that aims to have 10 lakh recharge pits in the city, said there are at least 10,000 open wells that could be used if garbage is cleared from them. “We need to go back to the tradition of community sharing of groundwater. The city should also look at redesigning storm-water drains to ensure sewage is not mixed with rainwater. The water flowing into the drains can be used for groundwater recharge,” he said.
Moreover, he said, the city needs to revive the lake ecosystem, which will enable recharge of groundwater and the sustenance of livelihood of those dependent on lakes, he said.
Meanwhile, M.G. Chandrashekar, director of the Institute of Social and Economic Change, said that management of water should start with the agricultural sector, which consumes more water than urban needs. “Out of every 100 litres of water consumed in the State, agriculture consumes 90 litres,” he said.
