Bangalore Water Crisis: What We Can Do

Bengaluru: Silicon Valley of India is going through the biggest water crisis. While the government will take action in due course, we, as the residents of Bangalore, can take the initiative to save our garden city.
Bangalore Palace: a famous heritage site.

2024 started with a severe water shortage for Bengaluru residents, and there might not be a definite end to the problem anytime soon. There are various reasons why the city is going through such a massive water crisis. Starting from the ever-growing population as an IT hub of India to the failed monsoon in 2023, overexploitation of underground water, and decreasing green belt because of concretization, the Bangaloreans are facing diverse challenges.

The city has seen a reduction in green spaces, as per the study by IISc. The data claims there has been an 88% decrease in the local flora in Bengaluru in the last 46 years, whereas a 1055% increase in concretization. These worrying statistics are one of the leading causes behind the declining underground water level and depleting water bodies.

Although the water crisis may seem like a daunting problem, we can all adopt small measures to resolve it and help safeguard our city’s ecosystem. To contribute to this goal, we would like to share some habits and strategies you can follow to support your environment.

Restore Greenery

Surround your house with trees, plants, and vertical gardens.

Local flora and vegetation play a substantial role in defining the climate and weather conditions of a city, and a declining green belt has a direct impact on the monsoon. So, plant more trees to create residential and commercial gardens. If there’s a lack of space, you can go for balcony and terrace gardens. Also, water and maintain existing trees outside your property.

The older the trees are, the more they are valuable to our environment for air purification and the onset of rainfall. To explain it scientifically, trees help in atmospheric moisture condensation, which promotes cloud formation and rainfall. Hence, your smallest contribution can be integral for the betterment of Bangalore.

Another blog to read: Eye-catching Landscaping Ideas to Transform Your Backyard

Rainwater Harvesting

Integrated Wetlands Ecosystem: Sustainable Model to Mitigate Water Crisis in Bangalore
Integrated Wetlands Ecosystem: Sustainable Model to Mitigate Water Crisis in Bangalore

Rainwater harvesting is a process of collecting and reusing rainwater for irrigation, cleaning, and washing. The key is having an efficient storage system so water can be used for a few days without getting contaminated. Utilize methods like rooftop water harvesting, surface runoff harvesting, percolation pits, in-ground storage systems, stormwater harvesting, and more. With the help of an effective strategy, you can harvest up to 70% of the water needed in a household.

Use Landscape To Your Advantage

Your property’s surroundings and landscape can help to collect and reuse the water. To elaborate, you can provide a proper slope to your terrace, patio, and garden to direct rainwater to a storage tank. You can also hire a landscaping company to install a contraption that collects wastewater from AC units to be used later for washing and cleaning.

Let’s discuss some of these ideas so you can implement them at home.

1. Surface Runoff Harvesting:

Water harvesting from surface and building rooftop
A water harvesting concept by a university student from Bangalore.

This method helps to collect water from walkways, paving, patios, and other hard surfaces. When doing your residential landscape, ask the landscaper to design water channels surrounding the property. That will help to redirect water to a storage tank where water can be collected, filtered, and stored.

2. Rooftop Water Harvesting:

You can harvest rainwater from the roof through channeled gutters and drainpipes. Again, you will need an appropriate flooring slope on the terrace to drain and collect the water in a container. The process requires minimal infrastructure and is cost-effective.

3. AC Water Harvesting:

You can collect water from the air conditioner and use it to clean the house, wash the car, or even water your garden. For that, you can create a contraption using a 9” or 12” PVC duct pipe. You can hang the pipe along the wall using pipe straps and hangers. Connect the PVC pipe with the AC drain pipe from the top and install a tap at the bottom of the PVC pipe. Your mini storage tank is ready to collect grey water and use when needed. While the whole process is slightly complicated, you can seek the help of a landscaping and designing firm to install this one-time apparatus.

4. Rain Garden:

Rain Garden Design

Rain gardens are shallow pits, with the level lower than surrounding hardscapes. The space is covered with native vegetation, natural grass, and plants, allowing the soil to absorb the water naturally. This helps to recharge the underground water level and reduce water wastage.

5. Xeriscaping:

Xeriscaping is a landscaping process that promotes water conservation. Mostly used in arid regions, this method requires proper planning and design depending on the regional climate and microclimate. Xeriscaping generally relies on planting native plants and grass turf like Bermuda or Zoysia grass, which is tolerant to extreme heat and requires less water to thrive. Other principles of this technique are – efficient landscape irrigation, enhanced soil quality, use of mulches, and landscaping maintenance.

Save Water…

We all learned as a child to not waste water. It’s time to follow those habits diligently. To begin with, use a mug and bucket instead of overhead showers, don’t leave the taps open, reuse wastewater from the kitchen to water plants, and lastly, fix leaking faucets and pipes. These small actions will have an immense impact if everyone follows them.

Bengaluru: Garden City of India
Bengaluru: Garden City of India

Bengaluru’s water issue showed us that it’s time to be the change and do whatever we can to save the city and its ecosystem. While we easily blame authorities for negligence, as residents, we should play our role in preserving the local greenery, water bodies, and nature. So, let’s revive Bangalore to its former glory one tree at a time to symbolize the “Garden City of India”.

Ready to Elevate Your Balcony