Indiscriminate drilling => depleted water reserves!

Tanker water all the way - Bangalore - City - The Times of India

The Times has done well by publishing this piece and that too with the right tone of alarm and paranoia.

This, however, merely confirms my worst fears. With so many huge apartments coming up, indiscriminate drilling of borewells is being resorted to. With the bulk of the tech industries disproportionately located in the outer ring road area, the number of residents in that area has gone up significantly too. Despite the fact that the residents here are more educated on an average than the rest of the town, there are not many measures being taken. The residents are remonstrating helplessly. However, if you travel along these roads, you will definitely be hit by the sheer size of the ads for up and coming apartments. People will always think - "Yeah, this happens - but it can't happen to me". Would-be buyers of apartments in this area better beware.

If the industries had been spread across town, the population would have been more evenly spread across the city leading to lower pressure on the infrastructure and environment. But looks like nobody paid attention to this simple fact when they set up SEZs.

Since I work (and thankfully don't live) in this area, I can understand the plight of these complexes pretty well. Some of my friends and colleagues live in these. While I understand that people living in this area are right now worried about basic necessities, I am more worried about the water table. The tanker industry has no qualms about things such as water tables - they want money. The quote below from the article is quite alarming.

"How can the authorities give clearance to these huge apartments without any surety of water supply? BDA had approved the construction of this apartment on the basis of assurance from BWSSB. We purchased the apartment in 2003. BWSSB had assured to give water in 2004. Till date there is no water. We are on a rocky terrain and so cannot access borewell water. All we can do is buy tanker water. We need 70 to 80 tankers every day to sustain these 550 apartments. We know that the sources of the tanker water might not be reliable. But what do we do?," questions Raj Ramchandani, management committee member, Springfields apartments near Outer Ring Road.

Another astounding figure - 10 to 12 lakh litres of water used per day!! And that too for one complex of around 1300 apartments! Assume even if there are twenty such complexes and that tankers supply water to each of these! The water table is getting depleted at an alarming rate and I am sure the tanker owners don't care about simple things such as recharging the water table.

In spite of all this, people make a beeline to live in this area. There are a few solutions possible here - I am thinking aloud here and haven't thought through each of these completely.
1. Ensure via an industry-government initiative that their employees are spread across the city. Creating more satellite offices will help reduce traffic congestion and population density. It is not easy but - at least start now.
2. Suspend construction of newer apartment complexes in the area till the situation stabilizes. Let people living here get access to BWSSB water. Others can do so later. (Of course, this will be difficult to do as there will be a lot of financial interest to keep it going)
3. Discipline the tanker business - ensure they have some limits to water pumping from a specific area. Without regulation here, we will be doomed.
4. Remind people that spending more money is not a substitute to saving water. People will have to change lifestyles and use water more sparingly. Apartment complexes are pretty close knit and they can have better self-regulation. Nothing works better than self-regulation.

On a positive note, more and more people have come to understand words like rainwater harvesting and water conservation. However, there should be more communication, nay propaganda from the government in this regard. Role models for water conservation should be highlighted and not in some remote corner of an obscure publication - but in mainstream publications and mass media. This can be a financially rewarding career for people who are sufficiently skilled. Once water conservation becomes integrated with our personal life-styles, we can hope for the better.

But whatever is going on - is it too little and worse, too late?

Ready for a tough lesson?

Water turns poison in Punjab villages-Chandigarh-Cities-The Times of India

This makes for sad reading. Really sad reading. The health of the people of several villages is on the line here because of industrial waste dumped into the drain which has now leaked into the ground water supply. I have heard of similar cases in northern Karnataka also.

We haven't done an analysis like this in Bangalore. If we do, we will most likely find similar heavy metal concentrations in the ground water here also. New water purifiers that remove the heavy metal content from water have come out. But these are expensive and who knows what by-products they generate?

The callousness towards our own lives shown by scant regard for the environment never ceases to amaze me. People, you are digging the graves of your own grand children by greedily grabbing whatever resource is left!

In Bangalore, I am appalled at the way ground water gets carted away in multiple tankers. I know of a case where 50 tankfuls of water (probably 50-100,000 litres) are pumped out every day. The residents of that locality were clueless in the beginning. Now, their borewells are dry! The borewell just became deeper! This also increases the chances of heavy metals entering drinking water.

Whenever I mentioned rain water harvesting, I used to be met with laughs and derisive smiles from the know-alls. I was an idealist in their eyes. And my own family is split on the extent of doing it. Some feel that there is no need to be alarmed at these media items. Though RWH is mandated in Bangalore, I don't see many people doing it out of need. They try to just be compliant. Of course, even that helps!

So, should I be an optimist or pessimist in these matters?

The media have always been alarmist on these matters. They like to scream "The end is nigh" at the top of their voices every time they print something. And they have done so ever since man learnt how to communicate. So is it any different this time? When they say the Himalayan glaciers will disappear in 50 years, are they being serious? Scientists themselves are mixed on this.

However, having seen the quality of air deteriorate in the past ten years and all the tanks and borewells actually go dry, we can all safely say that the environment has not been paid the same importance as it is entitled to.

I sometimes feel (in spite of being a human myself) that Nature should teach all of us such a hard lesson that will never be forgotten for thousands of years. I dread the lesson, but as we say in Kannada "daDDanige doNNe peTTu" (A stick-blow for the fool), so let us all not be fools. Let us learn from our mistakes and thus hopefully avoid Nature's harsh lesson.

To end on a lighter note (paraphrasing a cliched email signature) - this blog is coming to you via recycled electrons.

From Ars Technica: The 'greenness' of alternative energy sources

The 'greenness' of alternative energy sources

A couple of posts ago, I was wondering whether the benefits of fuel cells and Lithium Ion batteries overcompensate for issues with disposal and recycling. Looks like some researchers had the same thought in mind. Apparently wind and geo-thermal energy make the cut as really "green" alternative energy sources. Solar looks OK too. None of the others make the grade, though.

Click on the link for interesting information. BTW, the article points to a journal paper which should satisfy the needs of the more research inclined on the research methodology.

Lithium-Ion motorcycles

Technology Review: Lithium-Ion Motorcycles

I've seen a few electric motorcycles and cars in India. But the ones described in this piece seem to be more powerful.

One motorcycle/scooter has a 60 mile range (96 kms) for a single charge which will be quite sufficient for a day's commute in a city like Bangalore. We have Eko and Reva in India. But I don't see the usually price conscious Indians take to these. Only the environmentally conscious people have gone for these.

If these 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers also come cheaper, we can get rid of emissions by a lot. The government should also give subsidies when people buy such vehicles. If a mainstream scooter maker like Honda can market one like this, you can expect more people to use this, cleaning up the air a bit.

However, I don't know what it means to throw-away these batteries once used. What will be the impact of that?

One new thing that I got from this piece is that even SUVs, the worst gas-guzzlers in the USA are 95% cleaner than motorbikes when it comes to emissions. I wonder what that number is with Indian vehicles. With Bharat Stage III and such initiatives, I suppose we can make the claim that 4-wheelers are cleaner than 2-wheelers in India.

The gasoline lobby would be worried at this development (electric vehicles). I don't know how much of a role they play in Indian automotive advancement, but they would be fools if they didn't already play a big role. The government may be too - because of the huge taxes from the petroleum sector.

Will our government be forward-looking enough to give out substantial subsidies for electric vehicles? Let's hope it will be.

Thomas Edison - greener and brainier than we thought?

Thomas Edison - Henry Ford - Energy and Power - New York Times (Registration required)

Read this informative piece on what Thomas Edison, arguably the most innovative inventor of his times, thought about renewable fuels.

I was astounded to learn from this article that a certain Charles Brush had invented a wind-powered house as early as 1888. Edison wanted to use a windmill for clusters of four to six houses. How forward thinking was this man!! Edison even thought of a battery driven car (something that has barely happened just now) that could be as affordable as Ford's revolutionary Model T. Apparently Henry Ford was a close friend of Edison.

So is it really surprising that Edison wrote the following to his friends sometime before his death?

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

Wow! Edison! You're brainier than I'd figured!

Rama Setu: The curious case of a nation's government trying to destroy its own national heritage

In the last couple of months, there has been a big hue and cry about the Government of India going ahead with the construction of a canal by cutting through the middle of Rama Setu - a bridge like formation between India and Sri Lanka.

This bridge has been celebrated as the bridge constructed by Lord Rama to get his army to Sri Lanka to rescue his kidnapped wife Sita. Check the link below for a wonderful podcast by Dr. S. Kalyaranaraman on why this Sethusamudram canal project should be done differently. This podcast discusses scientific, environmental, religious and historical aspects of the Rama Setu. The thesis is that Setusamudram canal, if it cuts through Rama Setu can have disastrous results for the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Please visit the podcast below and get educated on the Rama Setu issue.
http://poduniversal.blogspot.com/2007/05/adams-bridge-also-known-as-ramar-bridge.html

The funny thing is that this bridge - known as Rama Setu for a long time - was renamed as Adam's bridge by the British and our maps in school still refer to them as Adam's bridge and Adam's peak. Why?

While I can understand why the British behaved as they did, I can't understand why the DMK and its allies - who are after all our compatriots, derive perverse pleasure in maligning the Hindu religion and its monuments,beliefs and personages. In fact, DMK leaders secretly involve themselves in Hindu rituals! Why this facade of hatred?

The other interesting thing is that a study shows that the Rama Setu is apparently man-made (more information in the podcast). I use the word 'apparently' as I don't seem to fully believe that a bridge of that length and especially of that age could be man-made. But the study is beginning to appear more and more convincing to me.

A better development in this matter is that Hindu leaders across the country are rising against this onslaught against one of their symbols. The Jagadguru of the Sringeri Shankara maTha Sri Sri bhAratI tIrtha swAminaH has himself spoken in this regard. Known for his complete non-involvement in matters even remotely political, Sri swAmIji has now issued statements voicing great concern about possible damage to rAma setu.

The UPA government might continue with its project - but not without some very stiff opposition.

PS: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE watch and listen to that podcast and pass it on to your friends to educate them about this matter. Thanks to Dr. S. Kalyanaraman for such a painstaking analysis and lucid explanation of the matter for lay people such as myself.

The Big Gulp from Wired

Wired 13.08: The Big Gulp

"Water, water everywhere
Nor any drop to drink"

rues the Ancient Mariner. If he had this system, he probably wouldn't have that much of a problem. This system was tested on water from an open ditch in Jakarta and it produced water deemed drinkable by the Environmental Protection Agency. NASA is thinking of using this in their missions as this will eliminate a lot of the water carrying problem. I wonder how this system will cope with Bangalore's notorious VrishabhAvati !

Anyway, one thing that was not mentioned by Water Security, the company that makes this system, is how much the system costs. The cost of clean water is apparently 3c per gallon but what about the chemicals used in it ? Does their manufacturing involve toxic chemicals/byproducts? That should have also been commented on by the piece's author.

Nevertheless, this looks like it will be a boon to parts of the world where an acute shortage of drinking water persists whether it rains or not!

Looking at the growth in population and the depletion of water resources to such an extent, it seems to me that the next big conflict will be for water. Right now it is just about oil. But fifty years from now, with the population at an unprecedented level, there is bound to be competition for water. A big problem in addition to the increase in population is a corresponding decrease in the groundwater levels - which is really alarming.

In Bangalore, especially, I personally know that we could hit water at 100ft from the surface less than 10 years ago. Now I've seen people dig close to 1000 ft unsuccessfully. Digging to that extent is definitely illegal - but who seems to care? A person owning a plot of land needs water and can't depend on the city water company. What does he do ? He drills into the earth. This greed across all sections of society has depleted the water levels.

Even in villages, farmers now grow cash crops that are not all natural to the climate. So what do they do ? They dig borewells and pump out water like it is nobody's business. And when the wells go dry, well - what else? How do you blend human need with concern for the environment?

Rainwater harvesting is a great solution to this problem. To its credit, the Karnataka government is making it mandatory for all the new houses to have a rainwater harvesting scheme in place. Villages also get this with assistance from the government. But people should feel that this problem is theirs. Only then can a real solution be implemented.

Research on systems such as the one from Water Security should be carried on across the world's labs. For nothing is more necessary for our existence than air and water.

ಏಳು ನೂರು ಅಡಿಯ ಬುದ್ಧನ ಮೂರ್ತಿ ರಾಮನಗರದ ಬಳಿ

ಈಚೆಗೆ ಶಾರುಖ್ ಖಾನ್ ಮತ್ತು ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ನಟನಟಿಯರು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಷೋ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಅದು ನಡೆದದ್ದು ಸಂಘಮಿತ್ರ ಫೌಂಡೇಶನ್ ಎಂಬ ಸಂಘಟನೆಯ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಇದರ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಒಂದು ಮಹತ್ವಾಕಾಂಕ್ಷೆಯ ಗುರಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆ ಗುರಿಯೇನೆಂದರೆ - ಏಳುನೂರು ಆಡಿಯ ಬುದ್ಧನ ವಿಗ್ರಹದ ಸ್ಥಾಪನೆ.

ವಿಗ್ರಹವೆಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂದು ಶೀರ್ಷಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಬಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ರಾಮನಗರದಲ್ಲೇ. ನಿಮಗೆ ಜ್ಞಾಪಕವಿರಬಹುದು - ಶೋಲೆ ಎಂಬ ಭಾರೀ ಹಿಂದೀ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಚಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ ಇಲ್ಲೇ ನಡೆದದ್ದು.

ಮೂರ್ನಾಲ್ಕು ವರ್ಷದ ಹಿಂದೆ ತಾಲಿಬಾನ್ ಆಡಳಿತದ ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಮಿಯಾನ್ ಎಂಬ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೃಹತ್ತಾದ ಬುದ್ಧನ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮದ್ದನ್ನಿಟ್ಟು ಸಿಡಿಸಲಾಯ್ತು. ಇದೀಗ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇದರ ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮವೆಂಬಂತೆ ತೋರುತ್ತಿದೆ.

ಹೊರಗಿನಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯೆಂದೆನಿಸಬಹುದು. ಗೌತಮ ಬುದ್ಧ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದ ದಾರ್ಶನಿಕಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಗ್ರಗಣ್ಯ. ಅವನ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಂದೇಶ ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಾದ್ಯಂತ ಹರಡಿದೆ. ಅವನ ತತ್ತ್ವಚಿಂತನೆ ಆಳವಾಗಿದ್ದು ವಿಶ್ವದಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ಅವನ ಅನುಯಾಯಿಗಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವನ ಜನ್ಮದ ದೇಶವಾದ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ಗುರುತಿಗಾಗಿ ಏನಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಈ ಮೂರ್ತಿನಿರ್ಮಾಣದ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದೆ ಎಂದು ತೋರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಆದರೆ ವಸ್ತುಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಬೇರೆ. ರಾಮನಗರದ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಹಲವು ಸಸ್ಯ ಹಾಗೂ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಸಂಕುಲಗಳಿಗೆ ಸ್ಥಾನವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಇವರ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ನೋಡಿದರೆ - ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಡಿಸ್ನಿಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬುದ್ಧಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ಮಾಡಲು ಹೊರಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಕಾಗುವ ಸ್ಥಳ ಹಲವು ಎಕರೆಗಳಷ್ಟು. ಇವೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನು ನೆಲಸಮಮಾಡಿಯೇ ಬೇರೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಈ ಸಸ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಾಣಿಸಂಕುಲಗಳ ನಿರ್ನಾಮಕ್ಕೆ ಬುದ್ಧನ ಒಪ್ಪಿಗೆ ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಸಿಗುತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಇದನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸಿ ಪರಿಸರಾಂದೋಲನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳು ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಪತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆದಿವೆ. ಇದರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳನ್ನು ಕೈಗೊಂಡಿವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಈ ಸಂಘಮಿತ್ರ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ತನ್ನ ಬುಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವಂತಿದೆ.

ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಹೀಗಿದೆ. ಇವರಿಗೆ ಬುದ್ಧನ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವಷ್ಟು ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿದ್ದರೆ - ಬರಗಾಲ ಪೀಡಿತವಾದ ಉತ್ತರಕರ್ಣಾಟಕದ ರಾಯಚೂರು, ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗ, ಬೀದರ್ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬಹುದಿತ್ತು. ಇದರಿಂದ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಜನಗಳಿಗೆ ಉದ್ಯೋಗಾವಕಾಶ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ರಾಮನಗರ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ತೀರಾ ಸಮೀಪದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಜನರು ಉದ್ಯೋಗಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೇ ಬರಬಹುದು. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಸ.ಸಂ ನ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಅಷ್ಟು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಲ್ಲವೆಂಬಂತೆ ತೋರುತ್ತದೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಬಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ತಂಡೋಪತಂಡವಾಗಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಜನರು ನುಗ್ಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಯಾವುದೋ ದೂರದ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನವಾದರೂ ಏನು?

ದುರದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರು ಬೌದ್ಧಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದರು. ಇದು ದುರದೃಷ್ಟ ಹೇಗೆಂದರೆ - ಇವರ ಬೆಂಬಲಿಗರಾದ ದಲಿತರನ್ನು ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಈ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಮರುಳು ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸುವವರನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮ ದಲಿತ ಜನಾಂಗದ ವೈರಿಗಳಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಲು ಸ.ಸಂ ಕುಚೋದ್ಯ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು - ಮಾಡಿಯೇ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದನ್ನು ತಿಳಿದೇ ಹಲವು ದಲಿತ ಮುಖಂಡರು ತಮ್ಮ ಪಂಗಡಕ್ಕೆ ಹೆಸರು (ಪಬ್ಲಿಸಿಟಿ) ಬರಲಿ ಎಂದು ಇವರ ಜೊತೆ ಸೇರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆಗ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ತೀರಾ ಹದೆಗೆಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಪಾಪ, ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರರು ದೇಶಭಕ್ತರು. ಜಾತೀಯತೆಯ ಸೋಂಕಿಲ್ಲದ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಮೂಲದ್ದೇ ಆದ ಬೌದ್ಧಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದಾಗ ಇದರ ಅರಿವು ಅವಿರಿಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ದಲಿತರಿಗೆ ಬೌದ್ಧ ಧರ್ಮ (ನವಬೌದ್ಧರೆಂದೇ ಇವರು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವುದು) ಕೇವಲ ಒಂದು identity ಆಗಿದೆ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಬಂಡಾಯದ ಸಂಕೇತವೂ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅದರ ತತ್ತ್ವಶ್ರೀಯನ್ನು ಅವರೆಂದು ಕಂಡಾರೋ!

ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಬಂದು ಇದನ್ನು ಮಂಜೂರು ಮಾಡದೇ ಇರಲಿ ಎಂದು ಬುದ್ಧನನ್ನೇ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುವ.

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