Apart from reuse, recycle & reduce water usage, Experts say if we can ensure most rainwater falling on Bengaluru stays in Bengaluru, it will have a significant positive impact on the City’s growing water needs helping us avoid water crises henceforth at least. We can live without many things, but not without water. The cost of pumping water from 100 Kms away & 1000′ up, is massive. Apart of that cost can give us huge & real respite.

Bengaluru is spread over an area of about 2.5L Acres. Imagine we had 2.5L Reverse Wells/Absorption Wells/ Soak Pits/Recharge Pits/Leach Pits at suitable private & public spots all across Bengaluru. A soak pit is a covered underground circular/rectangular porous chamber – about 3 feet dia & 6 to 10 feet deep – with suitable gravel in & around it to let rainwater into the earth, which will help reduce flooding & also raise the water table.

How do we make most, if not all, water stay here and not flow out? How do we ensure our lakes & streams have clean water? How do we make Bengaluru into a SPONGE CITY? There are many steps short-term, medium-term & long-term-which can be taken. Here is a list, which is not exhaustive:

1. Stop all sewage water from entering open drains, Kaluves, Rajakaluves, Lakes, etc.
2. Ensure 100% sewage treatment.
3. Letting out chemical/industrial waste, garbage & sewage into the open, into drains, lakes, etc. should be a criminal offence with strict enforcement. Treatment must be mandated & enforced.
4. Strictly avoid chemical, industrial & e wastes into landfills.
5. Ensure regular de-silting of storm water drains (SWDs).
6. Make rainwater-harvesting-ready SWDs with regular aggregate-filled openings at the bottom.
7. Make rainwater soak pits at every low-level point in the City-minimum 100 in each ward.
8. Mandate each Borewell has a rainwater soak pit within a suitable radius.
9. Plant more trees – native species. Document, Protect & Maintain trees well.
10. Ensure all roads & footpaths have suitable design for rainwater to infiltrate into the soil below.
11. Enforce building by-laws.
12. De-silt & De-sludge all lakes regularly.
13. Ensure demarcation & protection of all lakes.
14. Ensure natural greenery around all lakes to safeguard their bio-diversity & ecosystem.
15. Mandate dry leaves composting units in every local area – at least 10 in each ward.
16. Mandate wet waste composting units in every local area at least 2 in each ward.
17. Restore Bengaluru’s Green Belt to the extent possible and create a new Green Belt.
18. Unused Large campuses within the City must be converted into new Lalbaghs / protected forests.
19. Improve Public Transport-BMTC’s Bus, BMRCL’s Metro & KRIDE’s Suburban Rail – quickly & drastically.

so that some large-campus usages can be shifted out to make new Lalbaghs / protected forests here.

20. Form a strong SPONGE CITY COMMITTEE with Experts from various relevant fields including SWD, Lakes, Forest, Sustainable Architecture, Ornithology, Roads, Water Management, Sewage Management, Chemical & Industrial Waste Management, etc.