27th June 2015: My Well, Our Water : An interactive workshop to share progress, learnings and challenges

by June 23, 2015 Environment, Infrastructure, Like a Lake, Society, Water Supply

This write up has been compiled from emails received from Shubha Ramachandran of BIOME

Over the past one year, ACWADAM, BIOME, WIPRO and MAPUNITY have been working on a project to map the AQUIFERS in the area around Sarjapura Road (8 MicroWatersheds spread across 33 sqkm in South East Bangalore which is completely dependent on ground water). They have also worked to see if they can revive and protect the 15 lakes in the watershed. People from the area have shared stories and data of their wells, borewells and STPs. 

The approach to gather, share and interpret data has been participatory, involving varied stakeholders like borewell diggers, tanker operators, Citizen Groups, Government Agencies etc. Rather than approaching the problem in a conventionally scientific manner, the approach is unconventional but participatory. This is why the group calls itself the “Participatory Aquifer Mapping Team”.

One year is a good time to see what sense all the gathered data and information makes when it is brought together. Do we have a clearer understanding?  Does it tell us something new and useful for all of us?  What challenges have we faced and how do we get better at doing this in the coming years? How do we create better mechanisms for all to participate?

The team feels that the results are encouraging, and will be sharing its methodology, learnings and interpretation of the aquifer in a workshop that will be held on Saturday, 27th June 2015. Feedback will be sought and plans for the years to come will be made. 

The details of the workshop are as below:
Date: Saturday, 27th June 2015
Time: 9:30am to 1:30pm, followed by lunch (Detailed schedule here)
Venue: Learning Center, WIPRO Corporate Campus, Sarjapura Road, Bangalore (Google map here)
How to register: Visitors passes will have to be made to allow for entry. Please send an email with “27th June 2015: My Well, Our Water” as the subject line, to <shubha@biome-solutions.com> with your Full Name, Organisation/RWA that you represent and Contact phone number if you would like to attend this workshop. Please carry a Government photo id proof to the venue as this will be required to allow for entry. 
 
Here are some details shared by the team, to give participants a background to the workshop.
 
Please call Shubha on 9845184281 for any clarifications.
 
Sections:

About Arathi Manay Yajaman

Arathi is a market researcher who loves to run and write. She has been actively involved in issues that affect citizens, including apartment management, waste management and lakes. She used to live in Mumbai and is now based in Bengaluru, working as a Community Anchor with Citizen Matters.
Read more by Arathi Manay Yajaman

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

‘varthurlake.com’, a citizen-led initiative to safeguard and rejuvenate Varthur lake

by March 4, 2020 Environment, Whitefield Rising

Varthur lake is the second-largest water body in Bengaluru. The 440-acre lake is located on the eastern periphery of the city, surrounded by villages and all the big IT companies. Over the last 20 years, a lot has changed and the lake has become infamous as one of the most polluted lakes in the city. From a pristine water body where people used to fish and bathe, it has now turned into a cesspool that froths and foams. It even catches fire! Concerned by the encroachment and degradation of the lake, residents came around to start a rejuvenation campaign. The…

Continue reading

Similar Story

How women in Bengaluru navigate their working lives and the city

by March 3, 2020 Society, Urban Events

City of Women is an upcoming podcast about how women in the city explores the calculated strategies, the backdoor negotiations and the sometimes absurd lengths women go to have fun and feel free in their city. Every Indian woman knows that being out in the city comes with rules - rules that determine who gets to be where and what you can and can’t do. But this show is not about those rules. It’s about how they get broken, bent, and jumped over when women decide to do things just for themselves. City of Women is fun, complex, and a…

Continue reading