BENGALURU: Despite Bengaluru going through repeated water crises and the state suffering from a severe drought, political parties fail to mention it in their manifestos, said environmentalist Benedict Paramanand.
TNIE spoke to water expert Subramanya Kusnur and Benedict Paramanand on the way out of this great water scarcity. Paramanand said it is high time parties and governments woke up to this dangerous reality that is staring people in the face.
Kusnur, who has met experts in IIT Bombay, said that since the world’s potable water is limited, the only solution is treated sewage. “We have developed ways to convert about 95 per cent of sewage water back to normal water which can be used for gardening, washing cars and more importantly for recharging the aquifers and groundwater levels. Countries like Singapore have used such technology to recycle water to make it potable. But that may be a few years away for Bengaluru,” he said.
“We have ways to convert raw sewage water into reusable water through scientific treatment that will not involve chemicals. It has been proven in many places. Such units can be set up at micro level in homes or macro level in cities or townships,” he added.
“For those who cannot afford it in one go, there are agencies that will initially pay and the user can repay later. It is one of the largest private efforts across the world to end the crippling crisis that threatens our very existence,” he added.