HOT TOPICS
SPOTLIGHT AGENCIES
The Water Workshop for Apartment Communities - BIOME @ Redwood Apts
Written By psaram42 - 6 December, 2009
Bangalore Citizen Reports drinking water drainage system Others Everything else groundwater RWH
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Venue: SJR Redwoods,
Off Haralur Road,
Off Sarjapur Road,
(Turn right before Spring Fields Apartment)
Bangalore.
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To day 06-Dec-2009 (Sunday) there was this Interesting Seminar at SJR RedWoods, Harlur Road, Off Sarjapura Road, Bangalore at 9AM. It went on till 1:30PM. ApartmentAdda.com [ http://apartmentadda.com/blog/ ] is interesting Web-based software for Management, Accounting and Communication in Apartment Complexes.
The seminar turned out to be a professionally organized workshop. The discussions were moderated by Mr. Subramanian Vincent Managing Director and Editor of OOrvani Media Pvt Ltd. Who are the editors for “Citizen Matters Bangalore” publication. The following were the main speakers and active participants:-
1. Avinash Krishnamurthy Executive Director, BIOME
2. Shubha Ramachndran, Water Sustainability Consultant
3. S Narahari, Assistant Executive Engineer, BWSSB
4. Prabhu Citizen Matters
6. Karan Journalist BIOME
7. Nate Stells Consultant, Biome
8. Ranganath MD, Ion Exchange, India
9. Sunil Jayawant
10. Anil Lobo
11. Bhardwaj
12. and many more
The main agenda for the workshop was to
1. Action points for conservation of water resource
2. Bigger Water Picture
3. Waste water Management
4. Mandatory Clauses of BWSSB Regulations
5. RWH Example case studies
Round table discussions were planned but did not consummate fully as the discussions and queries for each of the speaker became difficult to manage. In fact the snacks and tea was served while the workshop was in progress. As I understand this may not be the last workshop for our city of Bangalore from BIOME.
S Narahari AEE, BWSSB was the first to speak He has 28 years experience at BWSSB. BWSSB has a mandate on the core area of potable water supply to the city of Bangalore together with safe disposal of Sewerage water. BBMP is characterized by
1. Area : 1300 Sq KM
2. CMCs : 1275
3. CDP : 594
4. Core Area : 229 Sq KM
5. Periferal Area : 365 Sq KM
The main source of water to day is river Cauvery and 54 MLD of Tippagondana Halli reservoir. Total Drinking water supplied by BWSSB is 959 MLD as on today. The cauveri Water is pumped form a distance of 100 KM over a head of 500 Meters. This supply is at a cost of 2.8 million Rs per month of electric power, with corresponding Global Warming.
The Demand as of now is 1125 MLD. There are plans to increase the supply from the current levels to 1125 MLD by 2012 when the Cauvery water will reach the maximum available limit. This is the reason for the current policy of RWH.
BWSSB has these as the proposed solutions
1. Recycle water
2. Dual Piping for
a. Drinking
b. Sanitation
3. RWH
4. Restoration of Lakes
5. Etc
BWSSB currently has
1. 5638 Km of Pipe lines
2. 46 Chlorination Plants
3. 1920 Minor STPs
4. 1950 Major STPs
It also has Voice recording complaint phones and 74 Kiosks. Mr. Narahari also pointed out that People in CMC areas have to start paying charges for future DW supply plans of BWSSB
1. 0-600 Sft Rs 4000/-
2. 600-1200 ft Rs 8000/-
3. 1200-2400 Rs 16000/-
4. >2400 Rs 24000/-
Mr. Avinash Comlimented BWSSB as the best board of its kind in India. He reminded the Audience about “Water Adalat” was there for any complaints, and not the workshop, as some tendency to complain / rant was exhibited by us including me!!
Karan Journalist, Biome
He felt that Bangalore is blessed with Rain water which is double the present requirement. Bangalore has an average Rainfall of about 970mm per year. Hence RWH has the relevance.
Nate Stells, Biome
He talked about case studies in the context of
1. small, medium large size Apartments
2. Strategies adapted
3. Hydrological behavior etc.
Examples were of
1. Jyoti Medows, CV Raman Nagar
2. Tata Sherwood Apts
3. Prakash Castle, RT Nagar
Avinash Krishnamurthy, Executive Director, BIOME
He started of with a video of a bore well, taken by a water proof camera mounted on probe which can be inserted into a bore well of any diameter. There must be some name to such a device I wish. The video delivery was fine tunable to freeze at any point of interest. We could see a very clear picture of the water from wall fissures appearing at various depths. There was an adjoining sketch to explain what and why of whatever was seen by the audience. Mr. Avinash must be having a true scientific and analytic mind.
The most important point driven home by him was the single point of the benefits of ground water charging. Summarising his talk:-
1. Demand management
2. Water literate / Responsible
3. Engagement with communities
4. Water Tarrif
5. Gradations
6. True Ecological water usage
7. Defects of Gray water
8. many more
Mr. Ranganathan SS Consultant Total Water Management MD Ion Excahnge, India
He said that, being in the thick of water treatment, it was appalling to see very reputed builders in Bangalore are happly taking gullible Bangaloreans for a ride as far as STPs are concerned. STPs work on the principle of michrobic oxidation accelerated by oxygenting the sewage mixed with water sludge. It should be done at an open Corner of an Apartment complex, definitely not in the Basement of an Apartment. Unfortunately BWSSB has failed to put any regulation on this critical issue.
As Apartment Builders have no commitment to deliver a best deal to the customers in all respects whether apparent or not, they tend to cut corners. Consumers need to be educated by the city Fathers / authorities. The present seminar is a drop in the ocean.
Mr. Ranganath felt thar sewage Contamination is on the increase alarmingly.
Jayawant and Anjl Lobo
· Self Education
· Sense of Community
· Honesty is the best policy
· ROI only to some extent
· Have functional STPs
· Water from STP not insignificant
· RWH alleviates flooding
· Low TDS [Total Dissolved solids] water
· Open Area to Roof area an impotent ratio for RWH
· 20’ feet depth of well for recharging in Bangalore
· And more
After the workshop we adjourned to see what Shubha Ramachndran, Water Sustainability Consultant, Biome has done at Redwood apts. We got fairly good idea of what is roof top RWH and its economics.
COMMENTS
RKCHARI - 6 December, 2009 - 13:08
Dear PSA,
In your characteristic fashion, you have given us an excellent report of the proceedings this morning at the RedWoods Apartment complex, Sarjapur Road. I would have liked to come, but urgent personal work kept me from joining this important meeting.
Reading through your report, I get the feeling everyone talked about the need for better and more efficient water manaqgement. But no one seems to have spoken about the solutions available, except for Mr. Ranganath of Ion Exchange, who spoke about STPs.
I presume it was taken for granted that all apartment owners must install an RWH system as it has become mandatory. I wish someone had spoken about availability of agencies which actually install the units. I believe there really is none that is locally available. Most RWH Agencies tell you how to harvest water from rainfall, but none actually offer to do it for you!
Try asking the RWH helpline for actual help in harvesting rainwater and they go into a long harangue about various "simple" methods to do it, but no guideline on whom to contact and who would actually carry it out / have it installed in one's home.
Meanwhile, for Residents' Association of apartment owners, it would be heartening to know that HDFC Bank has taken a policy decision to extend loans to cover cost of installing community RWH Systems in highrise buildings, if Registered Residents' Associations would approach them with a formal proposal from any supplier of the entire system - from start to finish. HDFC can be paid back over any length of time that the Association feels comfortable paying back in.
There is a small interest amount charged by HDFC for such loans which my Company has decided to absorb completely, in the interest of promoting an important resource re-use for community welfare. It is all very transparent and there is no attempt to load the interest amount on to the product price or installation cost.
In the New Year (January 2010 onwards) my Company has decided to stock sufficient quantities of our products here in Bangalore imported in container loads so that anyone who wants to install a RWH unit would be able to do so by making just one phone call! We would arrange everything - from estimation, supply, installation to getting the bank loan sanctioned etc - literally a one-stop-shop which is truly hassel free!!
I hope this comment will not be construed as a publicity gimmick for promoting my Company and its products and services. I have deliberately left out name of Company and contact details as I want my present comment to be only viewed by all Praja members as merely an attempt to share important information - not promote our Company.
Regards,
Chari
psaram42 - 7 December, 2009 - 06:11
@ Mr. Chari,
You are right. That is exactly why the agenda was set by Biome as:-
1. Action points for conservation of water resource
2. Bigger Water Picture
3. Waste water Management
4. Mandatory Clauses of BWSSB Regulations
5. RWH Example case studies
If you had noticed, it was not intended to promote any company products and services, as such. The examples shown as implemented at Redwood Apts were by a company which was known to all. Hence there was no need to mention it specifically.
psaram42 - 7 December, 2009 - 05:38
Picture-1 Mr. S Narahari AEE BWSSB
Picture-2 Avinash Krishnamurthy (sitting) and Karan Biome
Picture-3 Subramanian Vincent OOrvani Media Pvt Ltd / Citizen Matters edit the moderator of the workshop.
Picture-4 Workshop Participents visiting the Roof Top RWH example at Red wood Apts
psaram42 - 7 December, 2009 - 07:23
The problem here is that the roof top of the apartment itself is not available for RWH due to the penthouses occupying the roof. Hence they have used the club house roof top for the RWH. This RWH supplements the drinking water being supplied by Tankers, on a daily basis.
SJR Redwood has a huge RCC water tank of may be of 1 lack liters capacity I am not sure. This tank has been partitioned into 2 segments one for Tanker supply and the other for Club house roof top RWH water. Here the Piping from the club house to the actual location of the ground level Sump required a long pipe line adding to the investment cost.
The second point is due to the area ratio of Roof Top to total area of the plot, there may be much more Rain water available than what is exploited right now. The golden rule is each person in SJR Redwood needs about x sft RWH area = factor x the drinking water allowance per person.
Remember that “There is a good ROI for RWH.”
sanjayv - 6 December, 2009 - 13:27
Nice report PSA sir. There are couple of numbers that may have been misquoted, but you conveyed an overall message and most of the information.
@Chari sir: BIOME is a for profit company started by the folks at the Non Profit Rainwater Club which installs RWH systems. So this was a fairly practical series of discussions. However, the information that you provided about the HDFC loans as well as your company's plans are nice to know. Good luck.
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