There’s no quick fix to water security, everyone must do their part: BWSSB
Bengaluru (PTI): Fifteen years ago, a 72-year-old retired Reserve Bank of India employee, and a resident of Koramangala’s National Games Village complex, bought a plot of land in Bengaluru rural.
Jannet Hilda said she fenced the land and is waiting for ‘development’ to catch up. Until a year ago, she wanted to resell it when the time was right. But when the water crisis hit Bengaluru this summer, she was glad she had access to “land”. She decided to explore digging a borewell in the empty plot, just to make sure she had access to water as well.
“A friend told me to visit M Visvesvaraya RWH theme park in Jayanagar, where she said they guide people about rainwater harvesting (RWH) and digging wells,” said Hilda.
It is while visiting the park that Hilda decided on an open well for the plot, with a recharge or seepage pit to collect rainwater.
The park, built by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) promotes water conservation by putting up 26 models of RWH system. It also has five recharge wells to show the people how it was done in Bengaluru before the widespread digging of borewells.
Historically, it is said Bengaluru has been dependent on open wells for domestic use, which in turn were fed by shallow aquifers.
Realising that the need of the hour is to revive this practice, BWSSB has been pushing rainwater harvesting and the traditional recharge wells to increase groundwater levels.
“Perhaps, the biggest reason for the water shortage crisis this summer was the drying up of borewells. More borewells is not the solution to the problem. Instead, we must look for ways to recharge the groundwater,” said V Ram Prasath Manohar, chairman of BWSSB.
Walking the talk, BWSSB has dug 986 seepage wells in April alone, ahead of the monsoons.
“We will not be making any revenue out of this, but this is a needed measure if we want to tackle the root cause of water scarcity. I had given a target of 250 recharge pits to each zone and I must say we have almost achieved our target,” Manohar told PTI.
The project is being monitored at zonal level, said the BWSSB chairman.
“We are also diverting the rainwater that is collected on roads towards the seepage wells, thus preventing it from draining away,” added Manohar.
Recharge pits have been bandied about as a solution for depleting groundwater for some time now. Back in 2022, a webinar jointly organised by Biome Environmental Trust, BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) and Citizen Matters, had highlighted the advantage of recharge wells, a relatively simple solution to recharge groundwater.
“Rainwater falling on rooftops and other open surfaces can be channelled into recharge wells, which can be as small as three feet in diameter and 15-20 feet deep. This water can recharge groundwater and tomorrow it can become an open well from which we can withdraw water,” stated a Biome Environmental Trust representative at the webinar.
Despite a good chunk of Bengalureans subscribing to it, the movement did not pick up pace to bring about a big change.
However, summer of 2024 did give a jolt to people, who finally realised how precarious the water situation can get.
“We all realised that there is no quick-fix solution,” said Manohar.
Manohar said more people are convinced now. For instance, the board had proposed community rain harvesting, to ensure that the lakes and tanks are filled up.
“We got good response for that and we are implementing 74 proposals in phases. In the initial phase, we will focus on the vicinity of Varthur and Bellandur lakes,” said Manohar. Under this proposal, Manohar explained, pipes will be installed from buildings directly to nearby lakes.
“We will be targeting excess rain water from apartment complexes and commercial buildings that are let off into drains,” said Manohar.
The key to success is awareness, said Manohar, adding that people need to be nudged if needed.
“We have to practice what we preach. Before asking people to include recharge percolation compulsorily, we have to show them what such a
system would achieve. So, we dug 986 pits ourselves next to existing dried up borewells. I am confident we’ll see a big difference in water levels and even more people will be convinced about them,” said Manohar.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
