Forget groundwater, tap surface runoff, says hydrogeologist at film festival in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: With Bengaluru constantly staring at water crisis, especially during summers, city-based hydrogeologist KC Subhash Chandra Sunday pointed out that there was too much, and unsustainable, dependence on groundwater.Speaking as part of a Lifetide Film Festival themed around water resources, he said: "Forget about groundwater. It isn't a sustainable resource. Nearly 25% of the surface runoff water in Bengaluru drains into sewage canals, which are already polluted. The lakes aren't getting fresh water, and their carrying capacity has also come down because of silt."Chandra, a former expert member of Karnataka Groundwater Authority, suggested that rooftop rainwater harvesting be made compulsory in the city. Nearly 80,000 cubic metres of water can be generated from a single rooftop, considering the city's rainfall data, he said.He reminded that groundwater served the city for many years, but rampant exploitation through borewells depleted it. Themed "Water in Motion," the film festival screened seven documentary films depicting scarcity of water across the country.‘P for Pyaaz, P for Paisa, P for Paani', directed by Laxminarayan Devda, a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, was among the films screened. It documented the fragile hydrogeological region of Narmada Valley, where a sizable number of affluent farmers arrive from the Malwa plateau region to obtain land on lease and grow onion, a water-intensive crop.
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