How this Bengaluru apartment is saving nearly 500 litres of water every day

Once known as the city of lakes, Bengaluru is believed to have had nearly 300 lakes during the 1970s. But due to rapid urbanisation, these lakes have been largely encroached for urban infrastructure, and as a result, very few can be found in the heart of the city today.

With fast-eroding water bodies coupled with deficient rainfall, the city has also witnessed acute drinking water shortage in the recent times. The city has also lost its natural water resources because of which, residents are increasingly depending on water tankers for their daily needs.

Realising the importance of water conservation, many individuals and citizen groups are trying different methods to revive these dying lakes, and are working to recharge the groundwater in the city.

Setting an example in this situation are the residents of Maa Brindavan, an apartment complex located in Whitefield, Bengaluru.

Thanks to Adhinarayana Rao Velpula, a water crusader and a resident of the apartment complex, the residents have managed to save nearly 500 litres of water every day.

Speaking to NDTV, Adhinarayana said,

“In our apartment complex, there are 46 flats. Through borewell, we get 500 litres of water daily, which is obviously insufficient for all the residents. Like other Bengalureans, we would rely on water tankers that charge us Rs 600 for 3,500 litres of water. The cost of water tanks is skyrocketing because of the demand and supply gap.”

On March 23, Adhinarayana sent a message on the apartment’s WhatsApp group and asked his fellow residents not to wash their cars in the month of April and May. According to him, a single car wash requires at least 10 litres of water.

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He added,

While some rejected the proposal, others agreed to wash their cars on alternate days. But to me, 10 litres of water being used just for cleaning was huge. Together, we brainstormed, and one of the residents Manju suggested to collect rejected RO (Reverse Osmosis) water and use it for non-drinking purposes.

Typically, in RO filters, a lot of water gets wasted to purify water. Hence, the residents collected water from these RO filters and filled in a bucket and kept outside homes for use. Later, the resident’s association got big drums to collect water, which were placed near the parking lot, and the housekeeping staff was made in charge of collecting the water from each flat in the apartment,

reports I am Renew.

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With this, the residents managed to save 500 litres of water every day. Now, the collected RO water is used for other purposes like cleaning cars and washing the parking lot. The residents also went a step ahead and started using a water saving aerator or an adaptor that reduces water flow in the tap.

For instance, without the aerator, the tap discharges water at a rate of six litres per minute, and with the aerator, the water discharge comes down to three litres per minute.

With this noble initiative, the residents of the apartment complex are setting an example for fellow Bengalureans to follow.

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