Karnataka First

Environmentalist Harsha Tej speaks on his efforts to rejuvenate lakes and the need for community engagement to manage the water crisis.

Shouldn’t World Environment Day be celebrated every day?,” wonders environmentalist Hasrha Tej in one of his posts on social media as the world celebrated the day last week. But as is the nature of human societies, something only hits hard when it hits home. Just a few weeks ago, Bengaluru had almost come to its knees praying for a drop of rain; a sigh of relief from the unrelenting heat wave with temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius in some areas. But as rains graced the city and flooded our streets, one has to remember that while rains come every year so does the water shortage. Why? Because once known as the city of lakes, Bengaluru has devolved into a concrete jungle where the rain has nowhere to go. Trying to tackle this cycle of continuous struggle with water is Tej, also known as @muddyfingers, who is working on rejuvenating lakes around the city and was recently joined by the veteran actor-director Raj B Shetty in his efforts to make the city water positive. “Because of a lot of siltation and sewage entering the waters, the water-holding capacity has fully reduced and the water quality has gone bad in many lakes. So, we do a detailed study, a feasibility survey and then see if the lake needs any restoration work,” says Tej, who left his corporate job to start his foundation five years ago.

Accompanied by co-director Gurunandan Rao, Tej is currently working on 12-15 projects in and around the city, including the Sarjapur area, Airport Road, and more. “One of the lakes that has been successfully rejuvenated is Hunsmaranahalli Lake on Airport Road. There are maybe four or five people in Bengaluru who actually do what we’re doing, and we need more people,” shares Tej. Coming from an agricultural background, Tej always felt rooted in the soil. “There are not many people to help another voiceless animal, or a bird, or the environment, which is screaming for help. So, from a very young age, both Gurunandan and I have been inclined towards the environment. We understand the soil and how water works,” he says, adding, “We have hardly scratched the surface.”

The team employs techniques such as photogrammetry surveys, planting native trees around the body and desilting to remove excess silt, thereby increasing water retention capabilities. Moreover, the foundation designs wetlands at lake inlets to ensure that only clean water enters the lakes, addressing the significant challenge of sewage contamination. “Usually during the monsoon, the water comes into the lake and during the summer, it immediately evaporates because there’s no water-holding capacity. We remove this silt to the natural level and allow the water to come in. And when the water comes in, it will do its best to hold water in the summer,” says Tej. The task is monumental and not without its challenges. Restoration efforts take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on the lake’s size, followed by three years of monitoring to ensure sustainability. “It’s a continuous process of learning to deal with certain challenges and we will eventually figure out a solution,” he reflects.

Tej emphasises the critical role of the community in addressing water issues, advocating for the widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting. “The crisis keeps happening because there is no groundwater. When it rains, the rain just runs off and it’s not going into the ground. There is no soil exposed. So what we can all do is have rainwater harvesting pits inside the house, anywhere that costs between `25,000 to a lakh depending on the size of the pit.

If everybody in Bengaluru can do this, we will be water-positive within two to three years,” claims Tej.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)