ZERO ENERGY WATER

Zero Energy Water

Rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting and using rainwater in a scientific and controlled manner.

Rainwater can be collected from Flat roof or inclined roof.

Rain water can be stored at different levels. Storing the harvested rainwater on the roof itself will give you freedom from pump and electricity.

As the rainwater flows from clouds to the roof of our building, it is logical to store the water on the roof for future use. Since the roof water need filtration and the filters will need some head for the rainwater to flow through them, we can install rainwater tanks on a roof lower than that of the collection roof.

Water from this tank can be used in all the taps which are below this level. This water is “Zero Energy Water”

In nature, hydrological cycle takes the water which is on the ground through evaporation and form clouds. By this process water has traveled against the earth’s gravity and comes down as rain. Instead of allowing the roof top rainwater to flow in to the tank at the ground level, we can store part of harvested rainwater on the intermittent roof levels.

The rainwater stored in these tanks does not need electricity or pump for use, instead flows down by gravity.

Bangalore Parks are more ‘GREENER’

Bangalore Parks are more ‘GREENER’

Paradise found!

Now the lush green parks are self sufficient when it comes to meeting their water requirements in Bangalore… read on….

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has on area of around 825 sq.km. in the city limits. The civic amenity open area includes bus-stops, play grounds, educational institutions, recreation parks etc. There are around 1060 parks in Bangalore. The total land cover dedicated for 1060 park is 770 hectares. Total water requirement of these parks at the rate of 2 litre per sq.m. for around 253 non-rainy days is 3896 Million Liters.

The rainwater harvesting proposed for parks in Bangalore is mainly planned to harvest water from the open area including the paved walk paths and the structures inside the park. It is planned to allow the rainwater to percolate mainly in the green areas which are not paved and cemented. During heavy rains, the excess flow from the saturated soil of the green area will flow into the walk path which is paved. The rainwater which is flowing in this paved area is guided to go out to the nearest storm water drain (following the natural gradient).

The rainwater harvesting interventions will intercept the outlet of the rainwater channel which is carrying the storm water from the park (at the exit point of the park). A silt trap is designed to collect the debris and the silt flowing along with the rainwater. The relatively clean water flowing out of the silt trap is systematically diverted into the infiltration gallery. The accelerated infiltration galleries are the structures which are open wells created using pre-cast cement rings.

The accelerated recharge wells are the dug wells inside the park at the lowest level (gradient). These wells are typically 1.5m, 2m and 3m in diameter with depth of around 3 to 6m. Pre-cast cement rings which are of appropriate diameter and height of around 0.3 to 0.5m. These rings are placed one above the other without any cement mortar in between joints. Loose aggregates (stones) are packed in the annular place between the cement rings and the excavated well. The entire well inside the cement rings is kept empty without any filler material. These cement ring wells will have a safety metal grill at the ground level. The last cement ring of the well is placed over the safety grill to prevent easy access into the well. These accelerated infiltration galleries – cement ring wells are closed at the top with a cement slab. The silt traps which are harvesting surface flow of rainwater from the parks will discharge rainwater through a pipe into these wells. Most of the water percolates into the soil and joins the ground water underneath.

A shallow bore well / tube well is drilled closer to these accelerated infiltration galleries to collect the harvested water underground. These bore wells will supply water for the plants in the parks during the non-rainy days.

Some of the parks which have larger paved areas, playgrounds or structures are provided with underground sumps to harvest rainwater directly. The harvested rainwater is used for the toilet blocks and also for watering the plants.

Details	Data	Units
Total area of parks in Bangalore (770 hectares)	77,00,000	Sqm
Number of Parks	1,060	No
Daily water requirement @ 2 lt per Sqm #	154,00,000	lt
Yearly water requirement for 253 days (less rainy days 56*2)	38962,00,000	lt
Average area of each park	7,264	Sqm
Annual potential of Rainwater from each park with collection efficiency of 75%	50,45,951	lt
Water requirement of each park per year	36,75,660	lt
Cost of rainwater harvesting per park (@ Rs 125000=00 for 2500 Sqm)	3,63,208	Rs
# BBMP Bangalore is promoting tree based parks (less of lawn) and organic manure for plants

Harvest Rainwater and a Host of Benefits

Harvest Rainwater and a Host of Benefits

Advantage of Rainwater Harvesting

·       Easy to maintain

·       Reduce water bills.

·       Suitable for irrigation.

·       Reduces demand on ground water.

·       Rain water can be used for a variety of operations.

·       No wasting money on water tankers.

·       No Water shortage due to water cuts.

·       Recover installation cost within 2 – 3 Years due to savings in water bills.

·       Savings of up to 200 liters of water per family in the society per day.

·       Simple designs and concepts.

·       Quick and easy to install.

·       You join the happy family of conservationists.

·       It recharges ground water.

Disadvantage of Rainwater Harvesting

·       Unpredictable Rainfall

·       Initial high cost

·       Regular Maintenance

·       Certain roof types may seep chemicals or Animals droppings

·       Storage limits.

             

50 REASONS TO DRINK A GLASS OF WATER

50 REASONS TO DRINK A GLASS OF WATER

• People living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.

• Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness.
• On an average 1 in 6 women in India spend 2 hours a day sourcing and collecting water.
• Most illnesses are caused by fecal matter contaminating water.
• More people have a mobile than a toilet in their homes.
• Water consists of three atoms, 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom; they are bond together due to electrical charges.

• The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.
• Water moves around the earth in a water cycle. The water cycle has five parts: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and surface run-off.
• The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles or 844 million cubic kilometers.
• Of all the water on the earth, humans can use only about one third. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
• Almost 70 - 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
• Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.

• Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
• In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.
• Most of the earth's surface water is permanently frozen or salty.
• Water regulates the earth's temperature.
• Water freezes at zero degrees Celcius.
• Water vaporizes at a hundred degrees Celcius.
• Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.
• Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats on water.
• When water contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water. Hard water is not suited for all purposes water is normally used for.
• Each day the sun evaporates a trillion tons of water.
• A single tree will give off 265 liters of water per day by way of evaporation.
• Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
• While the daily recommended amount of water is eight glasses a day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink provides some water to the body.
• Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
• Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of water in domestic use.

• By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water weight.
• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war does.
• The total amount of water in the body of an average adult is 37 litres.
• Human brains are 75 percent water.
• Human bones are 25 percent water.
• Human blood is 83 percent water.
• Almost 75 percent of a chicken is water.
• Close to 80 percent of a pineapple is water.
• 95 percent of a tomato is water.
• 70 percent of an elephant is water.
• A dripping tap can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.
• A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. If a human body does not absorb enough water dehydration is the result.
• A person must consume 2 litres of water daily to live healthily. Humans drink an average of 75,000 litres of water throughout their life.
• Human beings cannot drink salt water.
• Water regulates the temperature of the human body. If you have caught fever, you should drink lots of water.
• Water removes toxins from the human body.
• Water leaves the stomach five minutes after consumption.
• Less than 1 percent of the water treated by public water systems (such as BWSSB) is used for drinking and cooking.
• It takes 450 litres of water to produce one egg.
• About 25,700 litres of water is required to grow a day's food for a family of four.
• A total of 1,48,000 litres of water is used to manufacture one car.
• The world's average rainfall is about 850 mm.
• More than half the creatures on the Earth are found under water.

“Rainwater Harvesting Theme Park” - New Feather in the cap of Bangalore

New Feather in the cap of Bangalore  - “Rainwater Harvesting Theme Park”

The 1.5 acre park, on the 40th Cross, 8^th main in Jayanagar V Block, demonstrates all techniques of harvesting rainwater. It has over 26 working models.

The word ‘park’ in Bangalore immediately brings to mind Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh, two popular and precious lung spaces, doesn’t it? Any of you have heard of a rainwater harvesting park? It’s been thriving for several years now and it’s rather special in many ways. Over 35000 visiters have taken benifit from this RWH park.

This park demonstrates all techniques of harvesting rainwater and water conservation. It has 26 working models that tackle questions on water consumption and conservation, including some real cool machines that can tell you how much water your body contains!
By the way, it’s the only rainwater harvesting theme park in the entire country!

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) owned this vacant plot. Although rainwater harvesting was made mandatory through a by-law in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in 2002, Bangalore didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with the implementation because no one was seriously concerned about the looming water crisis. There were tankers at everyone’s back and call.

Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology team led by AR Shivakumar came up with the idea of a theme park, designed, developed and is being managed. This RWH theme park is the first of its kind in the country, to address frequently asked questions on rainwater harvesting, water collecting systems, filtration and storage systems and groundwater recharge methods.

Tunturu Mahithi Kendra: Main building of the park consists of the following

1. Water Gallery
2. Sewage Gallery
3. Centre Gallery
4. Auditorium

• The RWH theme park is all about conserving water.
• There are different RWH models with different types of :
• Roof to collect rainwater (Flat, Circular, Sloping)
• Channelization of rainwater (Bamboo, Plastic / Fibres, PVC)
• Filtration of rainwater (13 varieties of filters including natural and commercial)
• Storage tanks for rainwater (UG sump, Surface tank, Earthen pots, Ferro cement containers)
• There are many Ground water Recharging systems such as:
• 4 cement ring wells
• Infiltration trenches
• Barrel System
• Pervious pavers
• Water wise Landscape

• There are slot machines with buttons with different types such as:
• Names of grains (Ragi, Rice, Wheat, and Sugarcane). Press the button and it will tell you how much water is required to grow a kilo of the particular grain.
• Bore well Recharge with filtration system
• A typical RWH House model
• Normal, Aerator and Flow restrictor taps to show how to conserve water
• Some other informative models to show how much water you can conserve such as:
• Dual flushing system for toilets – 75000 lts/year
• Front loading washing machine – 15000 lts/year
• Jet Injector Hose Connector for Car wash - 5000 lts/year
• Flow Aerator Showers - 10000 lts/year

• A Quiz model which gives information about Bangalore.
• Information about Waste water treatment plant, its discharge standards.
• A section of the park has different types of gardens based on water consumption. The water intensive patch, for instance, has ornamental plants while the ‘Herb garden’ has a variety of medicinal plants.
• Astral Park which has plants specific to Particular Zodiac Signs.  
• Numerous display Boards are placed all around the park and inside the building.

“A Great Informative Centre in Bangalore, Visit, Learn and Make Good Use of it Soon”

Contact : 080 26653666

Drop-pin Location of Theme park https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Visvesvaraya+Rain+Water+Harvesting+Theme+Park/@12.9205476,77.582517,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x314ece582c962f55!8m2!3d12.9205476!4d77.582517

Little drops of water save a mighty planet

“Little drops of water save a mighty planet”

Top 10 tips to help you re-establish your connection with nature

So, you think a bucket-and-mug bath is a water-saving one? You couldn’t be more off the mark! Here’s a cool list of things you could do to save a very, very precious resource called water.

1.      Take a shower. Studies have shown that it saves up to 40 per cent water against a bucket-and-mug bath. Moreover, it’s quicker, more efficient and clean.

2.      When you are washing the car, ensure that you do not use a hose pipe or running water. Use a damp cloth instead. This will save water, bring down electricity bills and keep your car shiny and rust-free! And when you sweep the courtyard, sprinkle water from a mug; don’t hose down the area. The dust will settle will just a brisk sprinkling of water from the mug.

3.      Turn off the tap while you are brushing your teeth. Most people merrily leave the tap on while they brush and preen and pout! If you are simply too lazy or forgetful, then get you have to invest in quarter turn taps.

4.      Replace leaking taps and valves right away. One dripping tap can lead to 120 litres of water being wasted every day and this number equals one person’s daily water use!

5.      However stylish a lawn may look, please don’t have one in your garden. Green lawns are actually green deserts. They guzzle water. Instead, grow hibiscus, crotons, plumeria and such water-saving plants. And, whatever you do, don’t grow banana trees in your kitchen garden. Do you know that every kilo of bananas drinks up 3500 litres of water? Do the math now: a 10-kg banana bunch consumes 35,000 litres of water. You’d have to water the plant every day for a whole year before you actually enjoy the fruit of your labour, but at what environmental cost? Water has to be pumped for over 100 km (from the Cauvery) just so that you get your home-grown banana fix! Just buy a bunch when the mood strikes you!

6.      Say ‘No’ to potted plants and grow plants in the soil. Plants that grow in soil consume less water as the moisture in the soil keeps them hydrated and healthy.

 7.      Use the water that you wash the veggies in to water your plants. Wash greens in a bucket of water instead of the kitchen sink and use the muddy water in your garden. You can even use the veggie-washed water to clean your courtyard.

8.      There’s nothing called “old water”. I’ve watched -- in horror -- as folks throw away water that’s been stored for a week or more on the pretext that it has become “old”! Water that is stored in an open tank with light entering it will certainly lead to the growth of algae/ bacteria. Make sure that you store water in covered tank or in containers kept covered in a dark place. Such water is fit for use even after months or years.

9.      Did you know that a Front Loading washing machine saves 50% of water when compared to Top Loading washing machine? Also you can recycle the water that your washing machine spews out every day, this needs some infrastructure like a separate sump with a pump and a dedicated overhead tank which is connected to the toilet flushing system. 

10.  Always water your plants/ garden at dawn or dusk, never in 

the afternoons.  

Talk these ideas over with your neighbors and friends.