Premise
The Vrishabhavathi river runs through the south-western parts of Bengaluru and Ramanagara district for about 69 kms. With a catchment area of 170 sq-km, the minor river carries the toxic wastewater of one-third of Bengaluru which is approximately 500 MLD. The river is flanked by large industrial areas in Peenya, Yeshwanthpur, Kumbalgodu, Bidadi and Harohalli. It meanders past dense residential neighbourhoods, prestigious institutions, shopping malls, temples and farmlands before emptying itself into the Arkavathy river. As it passes close to national parks, this polluted wastewater becomes wildlife’s drinking water source. The Vrishabhavathi then feeds into the Arkavati near Kanakapura town. This river has been designated as ‘critically polluted’ by the pollution control board.
The Vrishabhavathi river runs through the south-western parts of Bengaluru and Ramanagara district for about 69 kms. With a catchment area of 170 sq-km, the minor river carries the toxic wastewater of one-third of Bengaluru which is approximately 500 MLD. The river is flanked by large industrial areas in Peenya, Yeshwanthpur, Kumbalgodu, Bidadi and Harohalli. It meanders past dense residential neighbourhoods, prestigious institutions, shopping malls, temples and farmlands before emptying itself into the Arkavathy river. As it passes close to national parks, this polluted wastewater becomes wildlife’s drinking water source. The Vrishabhavathi then feeds into the Arkavati near Kanakapura town. This river has been designated as ‘critically polluted’ by the pollution control board.
Concern
Un-built, natural systems are usually very difficult to conserve. Without a concrete presence, these fragmented systems are never seen in their entirety. As a result of this, the Vrishabhavathi and its catchment, once actively used resources, have over time been built over, blocked and polluted. An unprecedented increase in urban population has had a telling impact on the Vrishabhavathi valley. From 1973 to 2017, there has reportedly been a 1028% increase in concretization or paving in the city, with a resultant decrease in lakes and green cover. With the provision of piped water supply from the Cauvery, the idea of the river (and its keres) as a holistic system, has all but receded from public memory. The kere today is only as valuable as the real estate it provides, and the river is only appreciated in its capacity to drain the city’s waste, defining it as a case of lost potential and lost lung space in a city that’s rapidly densifying.
However, though the educated urban resident (of the above narrative) is a key stakeholder of the river, s(he) is only one of the many users who directly (or indirectly) depend upon the Vrishabhavatih’s resources. For instance, the major impact of mindless resource extraction upstream (in the city), is felt by farmers downstream. The contamination of peri-urban agricultural lands and the simultaneous rise in water shortage, testifies as evidence of increasing exploitation. Cancer, thyroid disruption, diabetes, obesity, asthma and infertility are health burdens that are quietly taking their toll in the catchment of the river, more so in the downstream areas, where farmers are forced to use this polluted waste-water for sustaining their livelihoods.
Further, the loss of natural resources has collectively sidelined scores of urban resource dependent communities, like potters and dhobis. Added to this is the stress that this degradation is causing to resident bio-diversity.
These disparate stakeholder groups are rarely represented together, making it extremely difficult to understand and communicate the existent complexity of the river. More than anything, it is necessary for people to actively engage with the river and to take responsibility for their role in its conservation. For the polluters, i.e, the urban resident, the industries, the polluters and the encroachers, this means that they would have to understand the implication of their activities. This understanding of individual responsibility will only come with an understanding of the issues on ground. For the latter, i.e, for the communities marginalized by these activities, it would mean understanding the perpetrators, the causes, as well as their rights and capacities.
More than anything, to make a case for the Vrishabhavati’s value, it is imperative to create a holistic picture of the river, one that discusses stories of its engagement with various stakeholders. At the scale of the river, there is a need for concentrated, sensitive effort, to bring together multiple stakeholders. Saving the Vrishabhavati is a momentous task, requiring one to see multiple natural, social, cultural and political forces at work. Few people are able to see these connections, largely because there is no cohesive, stakeholder-centric narrative.
Overview of existing efforts
NGO’s such as Biome Environmental Trust and the Bangalore Environmental Trust (BET) are working on compiling information on the city’s water systems. BET, for instance, has started a website on environmental policy work (https://bngenvtrust.org/), with a section devoted to the Vrishabhavathi and Arkavathi river systems. They are engaged in building a satellite map of the river, which currently delineates key nodes and catalysts. Apart from this map, they also use news articles, reports and legal documents, as modes of communication.
Though this approach is important, the relative technicality of these information sources, make them inaccessible to most readers. For the information to reach a wider audience, it needs to capture the interest of the readers and encourage them to understand the multi-dimensionality of the river system. Representing information in its raw form will not facilitate this process. Also, in order to make these issues relatable, the communication systems need to be curated to transcend barriers like those of age or education or society.
Therefore, as we’re looking to sensitively address these objectives, it becomes necessary to curate a uniquely designed communication system that articulates a grounded narrative of the Vrishabhavathi.
Vrishabhavati - Arkavati map by Paani.Earth
