Mission Paani: Bengaluru-based engineer helps revive 10,000 wells to mitigate city's water crisis

Governments and the non-government organisations are pooling in their resources to battle the water crisis, which poses a major threat to future generations. There is a large percentage of population that still does not have drinking water facility in their premises and this is not just limited to the rural areas. One of the country’s top tier cities, Bengaluru, despite possessing advanced infrastructure, roads and a top tech hub, struggles with the acute shortage of water, especially during the summer season. A report by Niti Aayog had underlined the severity of the matter saying the city will soon run out of water. At a time as worrying as this, Vishwanath Srikantaiah, a water activist who runs a Bengaluru-based NGO named Rainwater Club, is working tirelessly to conserve the water resources. Srikantaiah, who gets massive support from the local communities and well-diggers, has been successful in reviving 10,000 wells and aims to recharge 1 million wells in future. Popularly known as ZenRainMan, Srikantaiah possesses the credentials of a Civil Engineer and an urban planner, who worked for Housing and Urban Development Corporation for about 14 years before dedicating to the cause of water conservation. Besides recharging wells, Srikantaiah has also designed rooftop rainwater harvesting structures for several households and factories across Karnataka. He has started a YouTube channel, ZenRainMan, through which he shares his insights and tries to spread awareness on the proper usage of rainwater and provides tips for rainwater harvesting. He has divided the videos into separate playlists that tell about Harvesting Rain Water, Groundwater and Sustainable Sanitation techniques. The activist has also posted discussions, seminars and demonstrations he has participated in to spread awareness on the issue. Like the Rainwater Club, there are many other organisations and entities working on the issue of water conservation. One such initiative is the “Mission Paani” undertaken by News18 in association with Harpic. Mission Paani was launched on a nationwide scale in which several lawmakers, celebrities, activists and other prominent personalities have joined hands to do their bit for the cause. It is working towards saving water and sustaining water resources for the generations to come. The aim of the campaign is to bring about a behavioural change in the society in order to improve water use efficiency. The goal of Mission Paani is that “every Indian will have clean water and sanitation, when every Indian pledges to conserve water and promote hygiene.” You can contribute to the cause by taking a Jal Pratigya. Visit  www.news18.com/mission-paani Watch the Waterthon LIVE here.