Scarred by summer, smart for monsoon: Bengaluru homes dig deep to bank on rainwater

Bengaluru: The summer water crisis that spurred residents and NGOs into action has spiked demand for well-diggers and rainwater harvesting systems over the past two months.

Professional well-digger Raghupathi, who also installs rainwater harvesting apparatus in residences, admitted that queries began pouring in from April.

"Last month alone, I received more than 400 calls to install RWH systems, recharge pits or rejuvenate wells,” he said, adding that his team has started working on 150 projects in April and there more in the pipeline.

Residents who spoke to DH said that the water crisis has heightened awareness on conservation.

Another well-digger, Kempanna, said even those with space constraints are looking for alternative approaches to install RWH apparatus. “Even small houses on plots less than 1,000 square feet are approaching us asking how rainwater harvesting systems can be implemented,” he said.

Although queries have poured in from across the city, Raghupathi said they are particularly high from the city outskirts. “We are even getting calls from villages around Bengaluru, which fall under various the panchayat limits,” he added.

Two-pronged attack

To tackle Bengaluru's water woes, NGOs are on a two-pronged attack — reviving old open wells to capture monsoon rains and building recharge pits to improve groundwater levels, which has heightened demand for workers.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has recently dug 1,000 recharge pits to improve the city’s groundwater levels.

The water board is also encouraging more people to install RWH apparatus, issuing a public notice asking all those who shirked its orders to comply. Its recent analysis has revealed that 39,000 households have been penalised for ignoring the mandatory installation of RWH systems.

"From next week, we will start serving them fresh notices,” BWSSB Chairman Ramprasat Manohar V said.

The BWSSB is also examining 74 community rainwater harvesting proposals, which it will approve depending on fund availability.