Bangalore, my 'Karm Bhoomi' and the heart of the global software industry, is facing an acute #water crisis. With taps running dry and a pricing war waging over water tankers, the situation is reminiscent of Arrakis, where only the rich had access to water. Our maid now arrives earlier to ensure dishes are washed before the water ceases at noon and later comes to do other chores. Getting to work is another battle—an exercise in managing daily routines with packaged water, only to be stuck in the city's traffic with blaring heat. Unlike Arrakis, though, Bangalore is supposed to have numerous lakes and a functioning water cycle as part of the city's ecosystem. So how did we get here? Inadequate rainfall and overexploitation of groundwater resources (47% of borewells under Govt. Board (BMRDA & BWSSB) in the city have ceased to yield water), coupled with inefficient planning and usage of Cauvery River reservoirs, have worsened the situation further. If we trace water usage in the country, astonishingly, more than 80% of India's water consumption is attributed to #agriculture. Whereas most of India's water conservation efforts are focused on the industry and utility sectors, which consume less than 5% of the nation's water. Though there is one committee established by Ministry of Jal Shakti for water use efficiency in agriculture but on ground implementation is yet to be effective. Out of the current agricultural water usage, ~45% of the country's total irrigation water is used solely for rice cultivation. Sustainable agriculture methods like AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying) have the potential to reduce water usage by up to 30%. And so this issue is important to me, as my team and I—comprised of BITS Pilani alumni—are currently working on a couple of AWD projects in Laos and the SEA region. The AWD method, along with significantly impacting water usage, also decreases methane production by ~50% while still maintaining conditions suitable for optimum rice growth. Additionally, this practice also enables farmers to gain the benefits of carbon financing—similar to what we are trying to do with our projects in the South East Asia region. This crisis in #bangalore is a wake-up call to action for us as a community, to spread awareness, adopt innovative sustainable practices like AWD, and support initiatives aimed at water conservation. Together, with a commitment to environmental sustainability and community action, we can tackle this crisis and safeguard our natural resources for generations to come. #climatechange #naturebasedsolutions #climatetech #sustainablility #cop28 #environment #dmrv
Anshul Kakria
6mo
Yogesh R. You have provided some interesting insights on not only the current scenario but also on the reasons behind the same. While I'm by no means an expert in the field of agriculture or conservation, I definitely appreciate that innovative and technologically enabled solutions such as AWD, if adopted and executed strategically at a larger level, can definitely ensure long-term sustainability and preservation.
Founder Carrus Mobility| Entrepreneur| Cold Chain Logistics| Deep Tech| "I Decarbonise Perishable Logistics for a Better Tomorrow"| Raising Pre-Seed $150k
5moYogesh R. We at Carrus Mobility Solutions are building zero emission and zero waste transport refrigeration containers to reduce losses in this agri supply chain which are upwards of 30% there by saving millions of tonnes of water, I do believe we have synergies, let's connect?