BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) roped in United Way Bengaluru to install 1,600 rainwater harvesting pits in 250 parks across the city.
Deputy Director of BBMP Horticulture Department, Chandrashekhar, shared that the organisation has already installed 634 such pits in BBMP parks. Following applications to set up an additional 2000 pits, BBMP granted permission for 1600 more pits, selecting zones such as RR Nagar, Yelahanka, East, West and South.
Prashanth Prakash, Chairman of United Way Bengaluru and UnboxingBLR, said that the ‘One Billion Drops’ project was founded by United Way to improve groundwater levels and water security.
“Through systematic, scientific, and consistent efforts to conserve rainwater by encouraging percolation and recharging aquifers, we aim to minimise excess runoff and waste. Percolation pits are being dug under the ‘One Billion Drops’ project. This initiative aligns closely with the Government of India’s ‘Catch Water Where it Falls, When it Falls’ campaign. So far, we have completed 5,600 percolation wells in and around Bengaluru and we aim to add another 2,000 by March 2025,” said Prakash.
A BBMP official noted that the declining groundwater levels and drying up of lakes due to development works contributed to extreme heat when temperature exceeded to 34 degrees celsius last April and May.
“If we ensure improvement in groundwater table during summer, our dependence on water tankers will be nil and we can keep our parks and surrounding areas cool,” he said.