Dig your well before you're thirsty

Bangalore has about 10 million people supported by an extremely fragile water resource system. Everyday illiterate and corporate hires are trooping in for jobs and shelter. Double decker trains are pouring in people from neighbouring states lured by their well-heeled cousins flaunting their fortunes, stories of the local airconditioned weather and the supposed upbeat job market. Northeastern, UP, Bihar and Odisha states are supplying huge numbers of security guards,  roadside stall cooks and construction labour.

What about drinking water for all these people? An old adage is 'dig your well before you're thirsty' .  Bangalore's famous network of lakes and parks won admiration for Sir MV and he later built Secunderabad, Jaipur and Nagpur cities' infrastructure. Even today, all those old Bangalore lakes can be seen in old Raj photographs. 

But now, a poor sewage and water supply system run by corrupt officials is the only infrastructure for India's shining IT capital. Sometimes newspapers report that Cauvery has only 15 days drinking water reserve for our mega-city. Everyone is waiting for the rains! Depressing,  is it not?

Yesterday I went and saw something different. Just amazing. 10 km beyond Bannerghatta,  Ramakrishna Mission, Shivanahalli is creating a new chapter in ecology. Swami Vishnumayananda started planting tree saplings there,  brought from Western Ghats, back in 1980's against much scepticism and opposition. Now there are interested volunteers coming and taking it further in this amazing afforestation scheme. Google it and read for yourself. 

Their website: http://www.rkmission-shivanahalli.org/

I attach some photos.

The swami built lakes to make the forest sustainable.  His forest attracts all kinds of wild life as well as interested volunteers.
This could be a new chapter in our thirsty world.