How do we combat water scarcity on one hand and floods on the other? The solution is the same - integrated, inclusive water management, with rainwater harvesting. As citizens and communities, this is a simple, economical and effective practice we can adopt to ensure we have water for our needs, today and in the time to come.
This World Water Day, reimagine the way you think about water. In conversation with Vishwanathan S, founder-trustee Biome Environmental Trust, we discuss the why and how of rainwater harvesting, understand the approach we can take and the design and implementation of rainwater harvesting systems at a home and community level. We address some questions and concerns citizens may have on this journey. Along the way, we reflect on water from the lens of individual, community, need, livelihood, gender, culture, economics, equity, justice, policy, practice and more.
Activity shared by Vishwanath
Go to a nearby lake or well and spend time there; look at the ecology and the livelihoods. Participate in a cleanup activity. You will start to build a sense of ownership with the water body.
Biome Environmental Trust, a thoughtful do-tank based in Bengaluru, is doing phenomenal work with ecological architecture, water management and community engagement. Through their multi-stakeholder approach, they bridge the gap between practice and policy, driving real change in land use and water management. Their Million Wells campaign was awarded the Transformative Cities Award in 2022.
Visit biometrust.org and urbanwaters.in for contacts, case studies, comics and resources on water management and communicating with people about water.
Follow @biometrust
Vishwanath S is the founder of Rainwater Club, Director of Biome Environmental Solutions, and Trustee of Biome Environmental Trust. He is a Civil Engineer from Mysore University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT, Ahmedabad. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban Environmental Management from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. A member of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, he is also an Ex-Secretary General of the International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Azim Premji University, and has been a columnist at the Hindu since May 2007 (‘Waterwise’ in Property Plus on Saturdays).
Connect with Vishwanath - @zenrainman
Connect with GoGreenGuru - @gogreenguruss or contact@gogreenguru.com
Connect with host Ananya Sangameshwar - @ananyagscreations
Additional resource for understanding groundwater patterns and aquifers across India - https://cgwb.gov.in/
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