City News/City Issues

Bangalore to have water harvesting theme park which is class apart so to say

L.Raghunanda

4^th Estate

If it lies the necessity of educating the people, young old, school and college children of Bangalore, about conservation of water , on one side lies making everyone connected with the city known about the rainwater harvesting methods.

Bangalore Water Supply Sewerage Board (BWSSB) theme park is class apart, par excellence, “We could have set up Rain water harvesting theme park anywhere in Bangalore, but only area available with BWSSB was in Jayanagara 5^th block, also Dr

“Also BWSSB also want to commemorate Sir M Vishweswariaha, as Jayanagara layout was planned by him, we wanted to name the theme park after him” said P.B Ramamurthy Chairman BWSSB.

If anyone want to get to know the rainwater harvesting in true meaning it will be at this well known theme park Sir M Vishweshwariaha Rain Water Harvesting Theme Park.

There are 27 rain water collecting centre in theme park where the water is collected at ferro cement tank which is of 500 litres capacity, after the sufficient amount of water is filled in this ferro cement water then moves to next tank through well laid underground pipes, however if you go through whole theme park, you will see that excellent rain water harvesting culture is prevailing.

Before water runs off in drainage and canal, the water at each stage will undergo filtration through pop up filter, sand bed filter, cloth and mesh filter and silt trap, and this is done to see that water retains purity and silt doesn’t accumulate in any of the drainage.

Rain water is also collected at ponds, check bunds are constructed in such way that water doesn’t run out of theme park and water get wasted, cement ring well is also been placed at various places for ground water recharge, the infiltration system and infiltration gallery is there for borewell recharge, and water stored in ponds is once again lifted and can be used to water garden and lawns placed well over the theme park

Park designed by A.R Shiva Kumar principal investigator at BWSSB, leading scientist who have credited for designing theme park is well known designer at Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, (KSCST) Indian Institute of Science (IISC)along with other four engineers form KSCST,

When asked what is the speciality of theme park M.V Shiv Kumar said “ It is first of its kind in the country to be designed known commonly among everyone as ‘theme park’ where people would not only like to spend some time, parents spending some time with their children wherein both of them not only will be entertained with film screening at auditorium, watching plays every weekend but educated as well on conservation of water, rain water harvesting.

“Similarly lecturers who bring college student to park, will have themselves to make known also convince students on water conservation and rain water harvesting, there will be lectures, film screening, by which anyone can be benefit.

Attraction at theme park

The main attraction for theme park is pavilion, other things to look are astral park where varieties of horticultural plants one can see, also in the very astral park there is space left, for anyone interested to plant a horticultural plant.

Fountain park, and amphitheatre are the other attraction at theme park, the rain water which has fallen on the roof of auditorium will be collected at bottom, on the tank goes past through well constructed drain, will get accumulated at a tank located at every 10 metres, throughout the length of park.

Water then reaches canal located in front of amphitheatre, it is at the amphitheatre where every weekend there will be theatre artist playing an act on water related issue, water conservation, rain water harvesting, similarly various cultural programme will take place at amphitheatre from time to time.