World Water Day 2024 couldn’t have a better timing, at least for Bengaluru, which is facing one of the worst water crisis in its history, and there is no respite in sight at least for a few more months. We need more discussions and focus on water now, and not just from sector experts but from every user of the resource.

Several experts have shared their views on why we are facing this now and who is accountable to solve this issue. But till we sort out the governance and water resource management challenges in the city, we ought to continue doing what we can – so that we can be prepared for these dry spells in future. Like everyone else in the city right now, I have been wondering too, what can be done to not go through this degree of water scarcity and face Day Zero in my city.

In our research of finding champions of decentralised water management in Bengaluru, we came across Sunil Mysore – a civil engineer by training and now a social entrepreneur trying to bring clean water and clean energy into everyone’s homes. 

In this article, I summarise his response to some of the questions we shared with him to understand his approach better. You can also find some of the knowledge videos created by him, which are quite popular, on his YouTube channel.

What are the problems you are passionate about solutioning for? 

I am a believer in De-centralization. I believe that De-centralization is the first step towards De-Carbonization. I am working on Decentralized energy and water projects. Specifically, I design and install Rainwater harvesting systems, Rooftop solar power systems, Rooftop Agri-voltaic systems and rooftop Bio-gas systems. There is a very strong Water-Energy-Food nexus. This Nexus gets stronger in the centralized model. In the De-centralized model, the nexus gets largely de-coupled. In simpler terms, we are trying to make systems like Rainwater harvesting and solar energy simpler for people to adopt/implement. 

What has been your experience with DIY water conservation techniques? Could anybody try them?

I have been doing plenty of DIY experiments about water, waste and energy but none of these are typical DIY systems unless it is done for hobby or school projects. But to implement Rainwater harvesting or Solar or waste solutions, we need a professional approach and solutions must be delivered on the ground like any other service, and it must be a workable, serviceable, robust solution. Fixing aerators or reducing pressure in the booster pumps can be a DIY idea. But making a recharge well or a RWH system needs professional help.

What is your opinion about the ongoing water crisis in Bengaluru? And what could the solution be at governance level?

There are two Primary sources of water supply for the city of Bangalore. The Piped water supply from KRS and Kabini reservoirs and the groundwater, mainly the deep aquifers commonly extracted through borewells. Though the monsoons of 2023 were less than normal, there is enough water in the KRS and Kabini Reservoirs. So largely, the areas serviced through piped water supply is not affected and not likely to be affected as well. The Issue however is the areas serviced by borewells.

Drilling and drying of borewells has been happening over for the last two decades. Unfortunately, there is neither discipline nor any regulation on drilling them. With indiscriminate concretization of the city, obviously, borewells will go dry sooner or later. 

A two-pronged approach is required to keep the bore-wells alive for the next few years if not more:
Recharge of shallow and deep aquifers must be taken on war footing. There must be a cap on the number of borewells in a given area/ ward. 

Why is decentralized water management important for residents in Bengaluru?

Decentralized water management means meeting your water requirement within your premises. The piped water in Bangalore is one of the costliest in India despite heavy subsidy on water. With rainwater harvesting and shallow aquifer recharge, it is also possible to get good quality of water at the cheapest possible price. The important question is whether it is possible to manage water at the household or institution level.

For a place like Bangalore, for a typical independent house, it is technically possible to meet our entire water requirement by rainwater, wastewater reuse, and some small nudges in demand. We have been always managing our demand, it is now important to also manage our supply. 

What is the potential to scale this idea on decentralized water management?

In my opinion, these ideas have a lot of potential. With improvements in technology and processes, de-centralization is getting more and more accepted. Rainwater harvesting as an idea is now well acknowledged. So are other idea like off grid solar, Composting or bio-gas production. The challenge is to convert the idea into a powerful solution.  

An idea is as powerful as its execution. It is the latter that I or as an industry we are failing to deliver. We are not complimenting a great idea with high quality execution or delivery. My vision is to scale the idea of de-centralization to a level that it becomes the default choice. In other words, Sustainability should be made the “default” choice. 

All of know that wastewater re-use is perhaps the best solution to our water problems. But at the same time, it is very difficult to find professional help in designing and executing a wastewater treatment system for your house and seamlessly integrating the treated water into your water circuit.

Do you have any suggestions for our readers to lead a sustainable lifestyle that will take them towards a collective water secure future?

From a household perspective, I strongly believe that we have a great scope for doing many things right from as small as fixing a leaking tap to generating biogas from household waste or sewage. It is also very key that we rationalize demand for water and energy. Some of the things that one can think of implementing at a household level is listed below in the order of simplicity:

• Reduce material consumption. 
• Reduce electricity consumption. 
• Paint the roof white.
• Have Some basic indoor plants like money plant, snake plants etc. 
• Implement RWH by storing the Rainwater in UG sumps. 
• Recharge the excess water into the shallow aquifer. 
• Use Solar Cooker. 
• Have an on grid and off grid solar PV system.
• Start composting Garden waste and kitchen waste. 
• Plant a few trees outside the house. 
• Install a bio gas unit for producing cooking gas from vegetable waste.
• Do a rooftop Garden. Start with flowering plants , then to vegetables and fruits .
• Install a grey water treatment system.
• Install a black water treatment system. 
• Install an AWG or Atmospheric water generator.